Home is where you are supposed to feel the safest; it should be one of the few bastions you have away from the outside world. Yet, how can you feel safe at home if you haven’t installed any home security equipment? You never know what threats lurk right outside your door; all you can do is secure yourself against them.

Yet, not many people have a security system installed in their home — only 17 percent of homes have one. That means the best DIY home security system is the one you install. It doesn’t really matter what equipment you use for your system, the fact that you have security will thwart any criminal.

They’ll be intimidated by your security and will leave you alone. Instead, they’ll drift away towards another home that doesn’t have security installed in it. The mere presence of a security system is usually enough, but you should also prepare in case it’s not enough.

Your house isn’t a home if you and your family don’t feel safe in it. Only you can take the steps to protect them. So, keep reading below to learn how to make a pristine DIY home security system.

1. Don’t Trip out Over Tripped Alarms

The most important part of any security system is its ability to alert you when something is wrong. You should want to know when someone may be lurking on your property, and you need an alarm system for that. There are several kinds of alarms you can choose from, too.

Some kinds will silently send a signal to your phone whenever something is wrong in your house. That way, you may be able to catch people red-handed if they break in, without scaring them off. However, other systems will sound a siren if an alarm is tripped.

Most security systems use the second kind of alarm, such as the Honeywell outdoor siren. These systems blare a noise whenever something trips an alarm, so you and your whole family can be alert and ready for any kind of threat.

2. The Best DIY Home Security Isn’t Done at Home

Your home is your castle, and you should also assume that invaders want to invade it. Yet, there are some places where it’s easier to fend off threats than others. Some neighborhoods are safer and more secure than other neighborhoods, and the best place to secure your home is to pick the best one to put it in.

Even if you have no choice as to where you live, you can still take steps outside of the house to secure your home. You can try to talk to your neighbors and get to know what they’re like. You’ll likely learn who is trustworthy and who isn’t.

When you establish a personal connection to your neighbors, you also increase the chances that they will notify you if something seems strange at your house. They can act as your own personal alarm system, without having to pay the money for one. At the end of the day, neighbors should behave neighborly, if only to make each other more secure.

3. Watch Your House Away From Home

While your neighbors may watch over your house while you’re not there, into everyone has the most trustworthy neighbors. Sometimes, it’s better to pay for a camera system that you can tune into from anywhere. That way, you can simply use your phone to keep an eye on your house, no matter where you are.

Most camera systems can be bought in bulk so that you can place them in multiple rooms and at various angles outside your home. Make sure to have a camera facing your front door and make sure to cover all possible entrances to your home. That way, you’ll have video footage in case something happens to your house.

Make Sure Your Home Camera Stream is Secure

Securing your home also means practicing good cybersecurity. Sophisticated viruses can attach themselves to your router’s filesystems, giving hackers access to any of the information that passes through it. That includes video streams, such as from your home security cameras.

Never give any of your passwords to anyone you don’t trust, and never download any suspicious files on any of your devices. As long as keep your network secure, your cameras’ streams will be secure too.

4. A Little Wood Can Go a Long Way

One of the oldest tricks for preventing intruders in your home is to bar the windows and doors with a little bit of wood. Placing wood at a vertical angle on top of a closed window, so that it bars the window from lifting, will prevent people from breaking in through them. You can also prevent doors from sliding open by placing a plank of wood in their guide rails.

Using planks of wood to block entryways into your home is one of the simplest and cheapest ways to secure your home. When nobody can get in, you can’t get hurt, after all.

5. Door-Blockers Can Stop Violent Intruders

Just like how a piece of wood can stop a window or a sliding door from opening, door-blockers can stop people from coming in through the front door. These are security products specifically designed to be wedged underneath your door handle. They are usually metal planks that lean against your door at an angle, with a flat and sturdy bottom.

They take the momentum from someone trying to open your front door and drives it into the ground. Effectively, they make your door stuck shut. No matter how much someone wants to get in, and no matter how much they push, a door-blocker will stop them.

Be Secure Without an Expensive Security Company

Being secure doesn’t take an expensive security company that you need to pay hundreds of dollars for. The best DIY home security equipment can actually exceed the quality of professional security companies. And since your set it up yourself, you won’t pay as much and you will have full control over the system.

Finding the right equipment for the right situation can be hard, though. Keeping your network secure takes some equipment, just like fire-proofing your house takes the right equipment.

To learn more about what technology you need to secure your house, just keep reading here. Our website is always updated with the latest news in tech, to help you build the best DIY home security system!