I am shopping for new locks for the retirement home that I will be closing upon in a few days. My first two impressions are; 1) I see high tech door knobs/digital pads these days. 2) Heretofore whenever I saw a neighborhood, no matter how nice, with gated doors or iron security gates I told my realtor to pass it right on by. I am rethinking that idea now. Even though my new home is is on an attractive and safe-looking street, I’ve had second thoughts about security precautions. And these TV ads from the likes of Ring, Nest and ADT have succeeded in causing some mild anxiety about home security.
Is there any door out there that cannot be kicked in by some 175lbs teenager? Is there any mass market door lock that can’t be jimmied open?
Consumer Reports did some tests on locks for resistance to a few different attacks, so you may want to buy an online subscription or look for the back issue in the library.
In general, you want the following to better resist kick-in and other obvious attacks:
Solid core or metal door.
Deadbolt.
Reinforced strike plate for the lock attached to the frame stud (not just the door frame) with long screws, or attached to a metal door frame.
No breakable windows in reach of the inside of the lock.
Don’t forget the back door and door between the garage and the house. These doors give thieves more privacy to get in because they are less visible from the street. Back doors are often sliding glass doors that are relatively easy for thieves to get through (particularly older ones that can be lifted out of their tracks even when closed and locked).
Don’t buy your locks at a big box store or Amazon if you want a higher security, hard to pick lock. Here in my neck of the woods, ASSA locks are the choice at higher end homes.
We installed surface bolts on our front double doors and the back patio door. They can be attached to both the top and the bottom of the door for more security.
Anyone can search Amazon’s site for locks. Duh. I stand by my recommendation to avoid Amazon’s security lock sellers based on actual experience. If you have to buy from a random seller off Amazon, do not pay with a CC linked to your home address and do not ship to your home address.
We have good quality locks and doors but also a home security system. Just gives me more of a feeling of security. We live in a very safe area too but again, I feel more comfortable knowing that our home isn’t an “easy target”.
A home security system is a feel good placebo (or fig leaf) that will not stop determined burglars (see the recent thread on that topic). If your police takes 10 min to respond, the burglars will be done and gone in less than that. For this reason, a security system is not a replacement for good locks and other means to slow a burglar’s access to the house.
The most helpful aspect of our home alarm system has been the feature that alerts you if a door or window is ajar/open. I guess we’re getting old, but more than once we’ve not closed a door all the way or forgotten we opened a window.
I agree that it won’t stop a determined burglar, but at least I’ll know there is a burglar. What I do after that is the big question!
We recently got an iron door in a modern design. One of the benefits is improved security. Also the glass window opens up while the door remains closed.
If your security system is wifi/internet based and you are using cable, make sure the cable can’t be easily severed. This is what some burglars apparently do… chop off cable and landlines.
The builder of our current home bragged about the locks he installed. However, he failed to use the reinforced strike plates and extra long screws already mentioned by @ucbalumnus . Those are things you can retrofit easily.
We’ve used something called the Door Club in several homes: https://www.amazon.com/Club-Model-20-Door-Brass/dp/B00007E7LN Home Depot and other big box stores carry them. Dh used to travel a lot for work and these gave me some additional peace of mind at night.
Our area has a very low crime rate, but property crime has increased in the past few years. We chose to have a monitored security system with a loud alarm. I keep it armed to “stay” most of the time when we’re at home. LEOs have said that the stickers/signs are a deterrent for most criminals, but clearly not for all. I’m less concerned about the house being robbed when we’re not at home and more concerned about home invasion.
After the first attempted break-in, dh installed a good security camera system that records to a dvr. We can view the screens from our phones as well as our computers. We have a couple of signs warning about the cameras in English and Spanish. I’ve seen (on camera playback) strangers start to walk down our lower driveway only to stop and leave when they saw the sign on the gate at the bottom.
First of all, relax and trust your instincts about the place you want to live in. In other words, don’t be paranoid. Enjoy life.
When we moved to Tampa we first chose an area we liked- upper middle class. This means you generally feel safe. We also avoided gated communities within our target area. Many of them here. Once you gate a street/set of streets they become private and the homeowners are responsible for all street repairs and maintenance. This means high home owner’s association fees. It does not mean extra security since so many trades people, lawncare, delivery people need to be allowed in. Also, someone on foot likely could get around that front gate. I find it annoying to be let in to someone’s complex, I would hate to manage a gate frequently-on a more than daily basis.
We had a hardwired security system with beeping doors (love that feature). But that was gone when we replaced the old leaky windows. We went with hurricane windows and doors which means no one can break a window for access. Not sure about WA state options for difficult to break glass. We now have wireless security with door beeps when opened- added advantage is knowing when spouse comes in/goes outside.
I also changed doorknobs (wanted levers). I remember researching deadbolts and settled for an intermediate level- one inch bolts, no shorter. Used Kwikset brand because you need to unlock a door to exit (easily done)- I once locked myself out in our old house up north (in winter, in my robe and slippers) with Schlage. One inch deadbolts at least. Look at how to install them as well- being sure long enough screws et al are used. Websites will give you the details. Pay attention to sliding doors’ locking mechanisms as well. Another reason for Kwikset was the ability to change the keys ourselves. If we ever lose a key or someone has one we can easily change it. Since we bought numerous keyed locks that did not all match codes we already own alternate keys
For the garage we disengage the door opener when we vacation and place the bolt. Pay attention if you have windows- there are websites about preventing burglars from breaking a garage door window, reaching in with a tool and pulling the cord to disengage the automatic door feature. Keep your garage door closed all of the time- even when doing yard work in the back.
Some people have Ring doorbells et al. It is annoying that none of the delivery services ever ring doorbells when they leave packages. One told me they worry about waking napping babies- aargh.
We put our alarm on “stay” at night. Too much in and out traffic during the day. We have door and window open alarms where practical and motion sensing ones where a better choice for us. Keep closed windows locked, and closed when gone even on a short store trip. There are some windows you can lock in a small open stage.
Most importantly, make reasonable choices for your budget. Make sure your security does not frustrate you in your daily living. Life compromises- ease versus security.
Both Kwikset and Schlage, along with many other brands of locks, make locks that are easy to lock yourself out of your house, and locks which are more difficult to lock yourself out of your house. I.e. this functionality difference is not something that is brand-specific.
Had just one door while building our house in the back that had glass. I was very reluctant but I was out numbered. Sure enough while building still, it was broken with a rock and entered. Nothing to take really. I think it was teenagers. Had it immediately replaced with solid door. All our doors are solid. No suggestions on locks.
Hmmm, we have had glass sliding doors in our house that is going on >60 years old, leading to patio in back yard. They are still intact and have never been broken. They have very heavy wood frames.
They have pegs that help keep them secured, as well as sticks you insert in the track so it’s tougher to force them open.
Burglars usually will not risk crawling through a broken window. They will reach inside and open the door or window to safely walk in and have an easy route for escape. That’s why crank open windows are considered to be safer than windows that slide open.