Installing a burglar alarm or home security is a great way to protect your home.  But since most intruders enter homes through doors and windows, there are other simple precautions you can take to help protect your home and property.

Most burglars will leave if breaking in is too much of a hassle.  So the right window locks can add an important layer of security that can deter and frustrate them.  If the locks can be seen from the outside, so much the better.  Window locks can also help protect your children since there’s no danger of falling from a locked window.

Windows and sliding glass doors are especially vulnerable to burglars, because a thief can simply break the glass.  Or the glass be lifted out of the tracks.   Before you install window locks, replace your old glass with tempered, layered, polycarbonate, or reinforced glass.  This will make the windows less easy to break.

Several kinds of locks are available.  A sash lock with a key is the most effective.  Those that just use a thumb latch provide some protection, but if the glass above the lock is broken, an intruder can just reach in and unlock the window.  If you install window locks that use a key, be sure the key is in a handy spot and that everyone in your home knows where to find it. In the event of fire, windows are a common escape route, and you’ll want to be able to open yours quickly.

Street-level windows are the most attractive to burglars, but don’t neglect second-story windows.  Intruders will often borrow a neighbor’s ladders or climb a tree to gain entry through an upstairs window.

Double-hung sash windows can be secured with steel deadbolts or pin locks.  For windows that slide horizontally, a simple wood dowel cut to length will keep the window from sliding open.  But new sliding window locks or latches are inexpensive and easy to install.

For sliding glass doors, you can buy a piece of 1” wooden dowel that’s cut ¼” shorter than the track next to the door when it’s closed.  This will prevent someone from forcing the door open.  You can also buy a Charley Bar which screws in but operates on the same principle.

Use pins that go through both the sliding door and the wall or upper-track screws to ensure that someone can’t life the door out of its track.

If you’re not sure what kind of window locks will work best for you, take a picture of your windows to your local hardware store.  They’ll be able to help you select the locks that will do the best job protecting your home.  Or call a locksmith for a consultation.

Find more home security tips at http://burglaralarmtips.net/category/home-security-tips.  And learn more about burglar alarms and home security systems at http://burglaralarmtips.net.