Security is at the root of all human want. There is a base desire to hold on to the things you have acquired during your life, as well as your life itself. The key to that peace of mind is balanced security, in which home security door locks play a key part.
But how do you get this type of balance? There are three essential building blocks needed to attain this safety stability. Within each key there is a necessary internal balance in addition to the general balance of the overall security. By keeping all of these ideas in mind, you will be on the road to achieving more effective safety.
Diversification
When it comes to security, it is important that all of the precautions are not all the same. This is not to say that there should not be redundant safety measures. Redundancy, however, must be handled while still keeping protections diverse.
When we talk about diversity in regards to redundancy, it essentially comes down to not using the precise precaution twice. If two locks are placed on a door, they should both be high-quality security products. But in the event that there is a flaw or bypass with that particular device, there will only be one type of skill and entry method required to circumvent what should have been layered.
Don’t get me wrong, having multiple home security door locks will slow someone down, even if all it takes to crack them is a hammer. It is simply not balanced security. When your security is all the same style and brand of lock, the knowledge of a criminal, or severity of a disaster, does not need to be as extreme to undermine your safety, as it would be with a wide range of dissimilar products. Even modifying your existing equipment will achieve some diversification.
A standard Kwikset lockset can be taken to a locksmith for counter milling, threading, and security pin installation. These processes can even be used by crafty and experienced DIYers. Other than keeping your redundant methods dissimilar, diversification of security also encompasses the use of several entirely different tools simultaneously. These can include, but are not limited to:
• Surveillance cameras
• Alarm systems
• Window protection
• Monitored security systems
• Guard animals
• Locks
• Security doors
A dog is a great security measure. It has been shown over and over in studies, that the presence of a dog at a property will divert most criminal activity. It is less conclusive if the size of the dog or how much it barks is more of a deterrent, but in either case, a dog’s presence will provide a specific and unique protection. By having a hand full of diverse security products, your building can quickly become a fortress.
Access control
Determining who should have a key, and what those keys should open, is the heart of access control. When you go through all of the trouble of making your house a fortress, you cannot just give away the keys to the kingdom.
Limit the amount of spare keys that are made, and make sure that everyone who has a key can be trusted. At the height of security paranoia, it can seem pretty enticing to simply give no one a key.
This may be the answer for you, but more than likely you will need someone to access your building while you are not there. Leaving this decision to the last minute often leads to regrettable choices because convenience will be a factor. When the person that you trust more cannot arrive to collect a key from you, desperate times will start to call for desperate measures.
Giving the right people a key will also increase your security, especially if the other person is a neighbour who has a clear line of sight to your building. Giving someone access to your security gives him or her a certain level of responsibility, so it is important that your chosen saviour is up to the task. Reliability is necessary to balance your security. This person needs to be counted on to access the property when it is asked of them.
They must also be organised. If they lose the key that you gave them, then not only can they no longer add security, they have detracted from it. If a key goes missing, then the locks it opens should be changed or rekeyed. The key(s) that you give out must also be monitored so that they do not get stolen or lost.
Research
The role of research cannot be overstated. Doing the homework on your potential risks and remedies is paramount to finding the right protections for your property.
Before you can diversify or control your access, you need to plan your security. This means finding out the types of crimes committed in your area and the types of natural disasters you are vulnerable to. Disaster planning is important because security needs to be user-friendly. A drawbridge as the sole exit route over your moat is good security against theft, but it is not balanced against the need for quick egress.
The research will inform you where it makes sense to shift the focus of your security. Security does not start off as a blank slate. It has a weight that pre-dates any planning. It may make more sense for your building to be faster to get out of, then difficult to get into.
Besides what the balance will look like, you also want to know what the best products are for purchase. It is not a perfect world, so budget is always going to be a key factor in how protected you are. Unfortunately, in the security, the price of something is often a key indicator of quality. Most often you get what you pay for. The research will tell you exactly what the specs you are purchasing are.
Certain locks are expensive because they use very strong alloys (protects against forced entry), others have a price that represents the level of detail and security put into the core of the device (protects against surreptitious entry). When you know what you need, you can find out what investment will deliver that security best.
By using a mixture of diversification, access control, and research, every homeowner and business owner can have a better balance in their security. Keep your protections different enough to demand a variety of unlikely circumstances in order to defeat them all. Make sure trusted individuals have keys, and that the wrong people cannot access your property. And research everything before investing in the products you will be trusting. Take the proper steps today, and make sure that your property and loved ones are protected.
