Locks, lights and cameras for a safer home

In the United States, about 3.7 million household burglaries happened each year from 2003 to 2007. Someone was home for about 28% of them.

How burglars get in

In 40% of unlawful entries into homes where no one was home, the burglar came through an unlocked door or window. Another 17% came through one left open, and 8% used a key. When someone was home, an open door or window and an unlocked one each accounted for more than a quarter of entries. Where burglars forced their way in, damaging or removing a door was the most common method. Tampering with door handles and locks was more common when no one was home.

Timing matters too. Burglaries of empty homes happened more often between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. (43%) than overnight (26%). In about a quarter of them, the household was at work. When someone was home, 38% were asleep.

Locks

Burglars are less likely to get in when a house has two or more security devices, such as window locks, deadbolts, security lights and an alarm. Moderate locks are enough, and there's no evidence that more elaborate ones cut burglary. A door's sturdiness counts as much as its lock, and a lock helps only when it's used.

• Lock the doors and windows every time you leave, and at night.
• Window locks hold better than plain latches.
• Pin locks work on windows and sliding glass doors, and a channel lock or slide bolt keeps a slider shut.
• Close the garage door. An open one gives easy access to what's inside, and with no car in it, it shows that no one is home.

Lights and cover

Steady lighting means someone may see a burglar at the door. Motion-sensor lights work as an alert where the house is out of sight of neighbors. Lighting does nothing in the daytime, when more burglaries happen.

Trees and dense shrubs near doors and windows, privacy fences and walls all give a burglar cover. Entrances hidden by solid fencing or mature plants are where most break-ins into single-family houses start. Side and back doors and windows are the most common way in.

Cameras and alarms

Doorbell cameras, outdoor cameras and connected alarm systems are devices on the internet, and they need the same care as a computer:

• Change the default password. Many devices ship with a default password to make setup easy, and those passwords are easy to find online. Pick a strong one of your own.
• Keep the software current. Manufacturers release patches when they find security holes. Turn on automatic updates, or check for them every few months.
• Review the settings. Features turned on for convenience can leave the device more open to attack. Turn off what you don't use, and look again after each update.
• Think about the connection, and ask whether the device needs to be online all the time.

Locking down your accounts and home Wi-Fi covers the router the cameras connect through.

While you're away

Most burglars avoid occupied houses, and how long a house sits empty is a strong predictor of a break-in. A house with lights on, a car in the driveway, activity or sound from inside is less likely to be burglarized. Open garage doors and piled-up mail are signs that no one is home. A dog is a close substitute for someone being home, and burglarized houses are less likely to have one.

• Have someone pick up the mail and packages, or hold the mail.
• Keep the garage door closed.
• Ask a neighbor to park in the driveway now and then.
• Leave a few lights on.

An annotated example

What to do next

Walk around the house in daylight and again after dark. Check each outside door and window lock, and note the doors and windows that shrubs or fences hide. Lock up every time you leave, and change any camera's default password the day you set it up.