There are millions of people around the world who believe they are perfectly safe where it comes to their home and their neighborhood. But the truth is that personal protection is an individual responsibility, and that things can change in the blink of an eye, even in what is considered to be the safest situation.

For those looking to protect their homes, there are many available options. But with these options also come many questions about the facts of home security. Movies and television have made the impossible seem possible, and the internet is littered with false information. So how do you know what kind of home security is best, or how to evaluate them before you buy? This article will hopefully provide some answers.

Common Home Security Myths

Having a big dog will do – this is probably the most common myth in existence about home security. You may remember old movies or cartoons where a burglar would give the resident guard dog a big juicy steak in order to prevent it from alerting the family it was protecting. But the unfortunate truth is that a burglar may not think twice about inuring or killing a family pet to get inside a home. And if a burglar has such little regard for life, the lives of those in your home may be in grave danger as well. Dogs whose families go on vacation will rarely be left at the home. And so what protection does a homeowner have when their dog is not there?

I’ve already secured my home with locks and lighting – while there are many steps a homeowner can take to enhance their security, such as installing automatic light timers and spending extra money for high-quality locks, thinking like a thief will quickly reveal that if they want to get into your home bad enough, they will do whatever it takes to circumvent these measures. All they need to do is to confirm whether you’re home or not by ringing your doorbell. Windows and doors are two of the easiest ways to enter a home, even with the most expensive locks installed.

Thieves won’t find anything of value in your home – although this may be true, taking the time to think about other, less obvious items may reveal there’s more value inside your home than you initially thought. Wedding gifts from special friends, the vase on the mantel that’s a family heirloom, and countless other such items can quickly add up in dollar and sentimental value. Every home contains at least a few of these types of items.

The Effectiveness of Popular Home Security Products

If you like learning the truth about certain things you’ve seen in the movies, you may watch a particular TV show whose aim is to debunk popular myths. This television show takes on many security myths, and has proven many of them to be true.

The Motion Sensor

Speed of movement and a bed sheet may be enough to beat this popular home security device. According to the experiment conducted on the TV show, the person walking past the sensor needed only to hold up a white bed sheet to bypass detection. As well, it was found that extremely slow movement would not register in the sensor’s detection range. However, these results may only occur within a certain type or price range of motion sensor.

Liquid Nitrogen and Locks

One popular trick used by thieves in the movies is to freeze a lock with liquid nitrogen, which enables the thief to shatter it and commence with their burglary. Experts on the television show confirmed this, although breaking the lock didn’t cause it to shatter. However, the lock was much easier to break when brute force, such as hitting the lock with a mallet, was applied.

The Fingerprint Lock

A very sophisticated form of protection, the fingerprint lock’s big selling point is that everyone’s fingerprint is unique, and therefore only those whose prints have been programmed into such a device will be allowed entry into a home or business. The show proved this myth to be completely false by using the latex impression of a fingerprint. Made of ballistics gel, the fingerprint impression was ‘worn’ by the would-be thief and successfully bypassed the lock.

Protecting your home involves much more than simply purchasing equipment to keep thieves out; effective home security will also protect the irreplaceable valuables inside your home, including your family and your identity, as well as your antiques and sentimental items.

Citations:

• Security Myths

Guest author Emma Prior writes on a variety of topics, particularly related to the home security industry.  She is a frequent contributor at Home Security Systems Geek.  You can also find Emma on Google.