THE BEST WAYS TO SECURE YOUR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

You may think that the only way to keep your home secure is to install an alarm system. Definitely an alarm system is a highly efficient way to protect your place of residence. However, there are numerous other effective ways to secure your home, which you can do yourself (or hire a professional to carry out) without spending very much money. Of course, your home can never be absolutely impermeable, so just keep your goal simple: Discourage potential burglars, and make it as difficult as possible for someone to break in. Be sure to involve the whole family, too, so that everyone at home cooperates to follow the security plan you establish.

 

Follow these basic home rules:

• Anytime you leave the house, and before you go to sleep, it’s important to lock the doors and windows.
• Don’t answer the door, unless you know the person. (If you don’t have a peephole, now’s the time to get one installed.)
• Unless you’re using it, always keep your garage door closed and locked. Leaving it open only tempts potential intruders.

 

We recommend these lines of defense:

Don’t keep keys and remotes near your door, or in any way visible to anyone outside. Instead, keep them hidden inside a drawer or cupboard.

Don’t keep a “hidden” key. Most thieves will quickly find a key you keep inside your mailbox or under the welcome mat. If you have a keyholder disguised as a real rock, expert robbers will probably already recognize it. Instead, give an extra key to a neighbor you trust.

Don’t leave any ladders outside. An intruder may pretend to be a contractor or handyman, and use your ladder to get through your second-floor window or balcony.

Make it difficult for a trespasser to hide. Keep your shrubs, hedges, trees, and all other plants properly trimmed. Also, avoid tall fences. You don’t want anyone to be able to hide.

Properly secure your air conditioner. You can prevent a robber from getting into an unsecured window by applying an air-conditioner bracket, corner braces, or a sliding window lock.

A barking dog can be a good deterrent. You might even play a recording of a dog barking, and post a sign that says “BEWARE OF DOG”!

Post a warning sign at your front door. This strategy is often enough to keep people away: “NO TRESPASSING” is the usual, but you could be more imaginative, putting up something like, “TRESPASSERS WILL BE SHOT.”

Outside, don’t keep valuables in plain sight, which will only tempt a potential thief. For instance, keep your luxury car safe inside the garage.

Inside, hide valuables well. Keep your curtains and blinds closed if you have any extraordinary possessions. Stash your emergency cash, expensive jewelry, and other treasures in unexpected locations. Be creative.

Reinforce your doors. A hollow door is of lower quality than a solid one, and thus it makes it easier for a burglar to break in. Your best bet is to install solid-core doors made of metal or wood.

Replace any weak locks. Deadbolts will always provide you with extra security. Be sure to install grade-2 deadbolt locks, which penetrate the doorframe. Heavy-duty is tougher and more dependable.

Avoid having windows on or near your doors. Windows are obviously vulnerable because they can be broken for entry. If your doors have any glass, install top-quality deadbolts. If you have any sliding-glass doors, even if they’re locked with a latch, they can often be tempting to a potential intruder. You can increase security by putting a wooden dowel cut to size, or an adjustable safety bar, in the floor track. Or, you can add a floor bolt.

Install exterior lighting. Install some lights, and put them on timers. Put them near the front door, the porch, back door, basement door, garage entrance, and any other entryway. Motion sensor floodlights are best, because they light up whenever a person passes by. Some outdoor lights are made to respond to changes in light, temperature, or sound. Not only that, some can even be connected to your smart device so no matter where you are, you’ll be able to detect undesirable activity and respond right away.

Whenever you’re not home, keep some indoor lights on. When you’re out for the day, or away for a longer time, you can make it look like somebody is still at home by using timers on your lights, radios, and TVs. You can even monitor and control these activities with a mobile app connected to your smart device, to keep your home looking as if it’s occupied the whole time you’re gone.

Don’t be too obvious. Professional thieves case neighborhoods before pulling a job, observing individuals’ comings and goings. If they see you’re home during the day, they’ll be likely to choose another house. Compare your home to your neighbors’ and adjust your façade accordingly. Display responsible upkeep rather than opulence.

 

These are more pricey, but worth considering:

Purchase a home safe, especially one anchored to the floor, to guard any irreplaceable valuables, crucial documents, or emergency cash. The best ones are waterproof and fireproof. A safety deposit box at your bank is also a good idea.

Add an electronic gate. Depending on your neighborhood, you may want to invest in a security gate, so you can monitor the movement of everyone who comes in. With a simple intercom system, a keypad, or additional more sophisticated measures, you can grant different levels of security clearance to people based upon criteria you establish.

A surveillance camera system can also be a worthwhile investment, if you feel the need. Depending on your budget and requirements, consider image resolution, and other technical aspects of your setup. Will you want to record and keep 24/7 video footage? Will you want sophisticated software with specific capture capabilities ~ such as time-and-date stamp code, facial recognition, vehicle number plate recognition, and so on? All these aspects will depend on your area, your property, and your pocketbook. When a person with criminal intentions sees your property’s access control system, they’ll think twice and move on.

 

Do your homework:

There are still plenty more relatively affordable and easy ways to enhance your home’s security. To learn more about your options, if you’re located anywhere in Schaumburg, Illinois, request a free consultation from a reputable locksmith company. Schaumburg Locksmith, for example, has mobile locksmith professionals on staff 24/7 to assist you.

Article source here: THE BEST WAYS TO SECURE YOUR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY

Schaumburg Locksmith: How to Deal With A Car Key Stuck in the Ignition

Imagine yourself in this scenario: you drive for several hours to get to the spot you and your friend or family agreed to for a nice getaway trip, eager to get to your hotel room for the night so you can get some sleep and then go exploring in the morning. You’ve had a long drive, and you can’t wait to just climb into bed and relax. Or, you get home after a long day at work, ready to get inside and cook some dinner. In both situations, you are happy to be at your destination. But then a problem arises…when you go to cut the ignition, because you finally arrived to your destination (wherever that might be), you realize that the key is stuck. You try to pull it out, but it doesn’t budge. You try the trick of gently moving the steering wheel from one side to the other, but it doesn’t loosen the key. It is completely trapped. What are you supposed to do?

Call in an expert!

Schaumburg Locksmith is an experienced locksmith in Schaumburg, IL that offers some suggestions. These are beneficial for those all over the country who are dealing with a car key that is trapped in the ignition. You can try to avoid breaking the key or doing any damage to your vehicle. Of course, if you don’t want to deal with it at all, you can just pick up the phone and call a local lock and security provider to help you. Many companies offer 24 hour a day emergency assistance for problems such as this. How convenient!

Steps to take

What you don’t want to do is pull the key too hard. You can end up breaking parts that are important. If the key truly can’t be removed, then ignition cylinder replacement is generally the next step. But here are some things to try if your key is stuck in the ignition (remember to first try moving the steering wheel from side to side in the event that the key is locked in)…

1. Check the position of the key. Is the key in the lock position? Ignition cylinders can start to show signs of age, meaning they can get easier to turn over time. If your key has heavy objects attached to it on the same key ring, you could be putting too much pressure on the ignition cylinder over time. One way to prevent putting too much pressure and weight on the ignition cylinder is to avoid having heavy key chains attached to the same key ring as your transponder key. This might sound simple, but one might be surprised at how many people are lugging things around they don’t need.

1. Make sure that the problem isn’t something else, such as a dead battery. If you noticed a dashboard light go on, you might have a dead battery, which could prevent you from removing the key. It sounds simple enough, but when a person is in a state of panic, they might neglect to check the basics.

1. Note your parking position. If you can’t get the car into the park position, meaning you are still able to move the gearshift lever even though the car is turned off, there might be a problem with the linkage being worn out.

1. You can attempt to use a household object to loosen the key. If you happen to carry around pliers or a bobby pin, you might be able to use them to wiggle the key out of the cylinder. If you have some sort of oil or electrical lube, you could use these in an attempt to loosen the key as well.

1. Assuming your vehicle is turned off, you can attempt to start the car again, and then turn the wheel in either direction. Sometimes, this helps when it comes to removing the key.

1. Try WD-40. While the issue with your key being stuck could in fact be the console – over an extended period of time, wires can become loose, and then the vehicle will not recognize if you have shifted into the park position. If you have determined already that wiring is not the issue at hand, then you could try spraying WD-40 into the key hole. This can add the lube you need to get the key loose.

These are just some of the things to look into if your key is stuck in the ignition. It is easy to become panicked and to want to force the key out by pulling it excessively – do not do this. Try to take a deep breath, stay calm, and try the steps listed. You should also be able to reach out to a locksmith in Schaumburg, Illinois or wherever you happen to be located, as they tend to offer 24/7 emergency assistance as previously mentioned.

It shouldn’t matter if you drive an Acura, Audi, Honda, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Chrysler or any other vehicle. The steps to take are the same. No one wants to have to deal with being stuck somewhere because of a problem that was completely out of their control. The safest option is generally to call in a professional as they will know what they are doing and will not cause any damage to your car. A good piece of advice is to keep the phone number of a local locksmith saved in your smartphone, whether you live in Schaumburg, Illinois or anywhere else. You can never know when 24 hour a day emergency service might be needed.

Bring any questions to a locksmith. If you are in Illinois, don’t forget about Schaumburg Locksmith. Experts will be able to walk you through steps and then dispatch a professional to your location so that you can get back on the road again in no time if you are located in the area.

Article source here: Schaumburg Locksmith: How to Deal With A Car Key Stuck in the Ignition