Top 5 Ways Burglars Enter Homes

If you have a security system, then you will want to make sure that it can detect intruders coming into your home. But predicting how an intruder will enter your home can be easier said than done. You need to be prepared for all situations. Here are the Top 5 ways intruders enter homes.

Through the Front Door

It really shouldn't come as much of a surprise that many intruders simply walk right through a home's main point of entry - the front door. We've all forgotten to leave a door locked at some point. Many intruders will simply try the front door to see if it's unlocked. This is often associated with burglaries that aren't pre-meditated. Keep in mind that many burglars don't plan ahead of time. Instead, they just see a house that looks attractive, and walk in through the front door.

Arguably the most important sensors you should have enrolled with any security system are door contacts, and for good reason. These are the devices that will alert your system in case someone ever enters your home through the most obvious way. Door sensors are extremely easy to enroll, and there are so many different options available. You will have no trouble finding a door sensor that meets your needs and requirements.

Breaking a Window

Not every intruder will enter your home in a "polite" manner. There are many burglars who won't hesitate to use brute force and smash in a glass window. And this can be more difficult to stop, as a locked window won't really stop an intruder from smashing. This isn't as common as walking in through an open door, but it certainly does happen, and you really should be prepared.

There are two sensor types that come to mind for detecting broken windows. The most obvious is a glass break sensor. These devices will actively listen for the sound of glass being broken, and they work great with nearly all types of windows. You might also consider installing motion sensors in rooms with windows. Then an intruder will be detected as soon as they enter through the window. It is always a good idea to back up a glass break sensors with a good motion sensor. There are instances where a glass break sensor cannot detect glass breaking. An example of this is when a bullet is fired through glass.

Through the Garage Door

Forgetting to close your garage door on an attached garage can provide easy access to your home. It can be easy to have that daily task slip your mind. There are many times when we get home tired after a long day, and just forget to close the garage door. Or maybe you forgot to close it as you were leaving for work. It happens to all of us. But a potential burglar walking by will see this as an opportunity!

Just like the other points of entry for your home, garage doors can be monitored. There are special garage door sensors available for this exact purpose. You might also consider getting a Z-Wave garage door controller for the system. This way, you can use Total Connect 2.0 or Alarm.com to close your garage door from pretty much anywhere. This is great if you ever forget to close it!

Climbing a Tree or Fence

Okay, you might think this is a bit silly, but we're serious here. If you have a multi-story house, don't think that an intruder will hesitate to use your home's surrounding to gain entry to a higher floor. This could include climbing a tree or a large fence and then entering through an unlocked window. Like we said, it's best to be prepared for any and all situations.

There are a few things you might do to combat this. The most obvious is to always make sure all your windows are locked, even the ones that cannot be easily accessed. But you might also want one or more outdoor motion sensors to detect any movement that may occur around your home. Outdoor security cameras are also a great idea!

Skylights

If your home has skylight windows, don't rule them out as a point of entry for an intruder! These high up windows look great in a home, but they can be easy pickings for a burglar who can reach these points. This isn't something every homeowner will need to worry about, but do keep this possibility in mind if your house has this decorative feature.

Many of the previously mentioned devices are good for monitoring skylights. You can put motion sensors in a room with skylights for the system to detect if anyone comes in from high above. Glass skylights are also perfect for use with glass break detectors. And installing some security cameras in the room never hurts!

Alarm Grid is here to help you provide top-quality protection for your home. We have all the gear you need to make sure that your system can detect intruders from any point of entry. If you need help choosing equipment, or if you want to learn more about our monitoring services, please reach out to us. The best way to contact us is to email support@alarmgrid.com. You may also call us at (888) 818-7728. Remember that our support hours are from 9am to 8pm ET M-F. We look forward to hearing from you and helping you set up the perfect security system!