Your home is your sanctuary, and you want it to be as safe as it can be for your family. Conducting regular safety checks is a good start and can resolve many vulnerabilities, but sometimes you need to make additional investments to ensure your loved ones are secure. To help keep your family safe, here are six of the best home security upgrades you can make.

Home Security Systems

No one ever thinks it’ll happen to them, but unfortunately home break-ins are more common than most people would like to think. In 2018, FBI statistics indicated a burglary occurred roughly every 26 seconds in the United States. In 2019, the agency says property crimes dropped 4.5%, but that’s still thousands of unlawful entries committed each day.

If you’re worried about home intrusion, you’re not alone. According to Safewise’s 2020 Statewide of Safety Survey, 62% of respondents named a break-in as their top property crime worry. Installing a home security system can go a long way towards alleviating worries associated with break-ins. The cameras themselves are a deterrent for would-be intruders, but even if that doesn’t stop them, the alarms will ensure they’re caught. Not to mention, today’s advanced home security systems enable you to check in remotely from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone and receive alerts for any activity, making it a convenient and reassuring security option.

Related: Window Safety Week – 8 Tips to Protect Your Loved Ones

Smart Locks

Smart locks give you control over your home’s security. Many smart locks work through voice activation, a connected device, or with a tap of the finger. Most lock automatically when a door is closed and, in the event it doesn’t lock, some locks will notify you if a door hasn’t been secured. By installing an automated lock, you can:

• Increase safety by authorizing who can unlock your doors.
• Remotely lock your door to eliminate worries about forgetting to lock the door behind you.
• Remove concerns associated with lost keys.
• Use keypad locks that can track exactly when someone enters and exits.
• Receive notifications if someone enters the wrong code too many times.

Through automation, securing doorways is highly controllable. Like any smart device, there is a risk of hacking, however, locks that operate on wireless or Bluetooth using AES encryption are typically safe from hackers. You’ll find many convenient and safety features are built into the majority of smart locks.

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Impact Windows and Doors

Installing impact windows and doors is another great way to upgrade your home to keep your family safe. This is especially true if you live in a coastal or hurricane-prone area, but it can also help provide home security as well. Impact windows and doors fortify your home and keep unwanted elements – including people – out.

Burglars rely on the ability to move quickly and, the stronger your windows and doors are, the more time it’ll take them to gain entry. It will be a huge deterrent once they discover they can’t smash their way in. Furthermore, thanks to the strong interlayer that remains securely in the frame even when damaged, you can also rest assured that members of your family have added protection from shattered glass entering your home.

Related: Hurricane Safety Guide — What to Do During and After a Hurricane

Smart Doorbells

One of the great things about smart doorbells is you can pretend to be home and answer the door by voice. The person standing outside will have no idea you’re at the grocery store or vacationing on a beach in Florida. They can state their business and you can respond as if you were on the other side of the door.

Or, enjoy the ability to get creative in your safety initiatives. According to HGTV, one family owned a large – and loud – German shepherd. Before they went on vacation over the holidays one year, they recorded their dog’s bark so it could play over their smart speakers, then connected it to their doorbell to play back their dog’s “voice” anytime it rang. No one would ever know their dog was safely staying at a kennel.

Related: Animal Evacuation Plan: 4 Ways to Protect Your Pets

Motion Lights

Adding motion lights around your home and property is a great deterrent for unsavory characters. When lights come on unexpectedly, they’ll likely back away because they won’t want to risk someone watching. Additionally, it brightens up walkways and darker areas of your property that will enable your neighbors to see what’s going on as well. You don’t have to worry about creating excess light pollution by leaving lights on all day, you can set them to turn off after a specified period of time.

Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Installing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be a priority when thinking about your family’s safety. They can literally save the lives of yourself and your loved ones. You can go with traditional detectors, but if you’re looking to upgrade, newer models offer additional, smarter, features. Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors contain highly sensitive sensors and will go off if they sense a rapid spike in heat, even when smoke isn’t visible or trapped between walls.

Traditional also detectors rely on someone being present to hear them. If you’ve got teenagers or other family members who sleep heavily or ones who may have hearing difficulties, smart detectors can save their lives. Even if you’re not home to wake them. You can connect the detectors to your smartphone to allow you to receive a notification telling you exactly when and why an alarm is going off.

Looking for More Inspiration?

Today, people have many choices when it comes to installing home upgrades with safety in mind. There are plenty of ways you can increase the safety factor, whether you hire a professional to install new features or add a mix of DIY solutions. Either way, you can significantly boost your peace of mind knowing your loved ones are safe.

Do your 2021 resolutions include adding home upgrades designed with safety in mind? Or perhaps some other remodeling projects you’d like to complete? Visit our remodeling gallery for inspiration.