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Home Security: quiet layers that work.
Locks, lighting, alarms, cameras, and the daily habits that make opportunistic crime less likely. This section follows what the research shows works, for renters and owners alike, and skips the fear-based products.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from government agencies, university extension services, and other published sources. See our sources
FROM THE FIELD
Break-ins rarely start with anything clever. Burglar interviews and victim accounts describe the same openings again and again: a door left unlocked, a spare key where anyone would look, a window left open, a door frame that gave way at the strike plate. Households that went through it describe the same regret, and it is rarely the gadget they skipped. It is the basic layer they meant to get to. The guides below start there, then build outward.
Why this matters
Most break-ins are ordinary. So are most fixes.
Household burglary in the United States fell by more than half between 1994 and 2011, from 63.4 to 27.6 victimizations per 1,000 households.[1] It still happens, and it is still mostly ordinary. In federal survey data, about half of household burglaries involved no forced entry at all, and nobody was home in roughly seven of every ten.[2]
That is why the improvements with the most return cost little. A locking routine everyone follows, a door frame that holds, and light where people approach the house do more for most households than any single product. Burglars themselves describe it that way. In a survey of 422 incarcerated burglars, about 83 percent said they check whether a home has an alarm before choosing it, and about 60 percent said an alarm would send them to a different target.[4]
These guides are written for renters and owners alike, in apartments, townhouses, and houses on acreage. Where a step needs a landlord's permission, the guide says so. Home security here means deterrence and delay. No lock or system prevents every break-in, and none of these guides promise that.
What this section covers
- What the research on residential burglary shows, and what it does not
- Seven layers of security, from the property line to daily habits
- Doors and windows: deadbolt grades, strike plates, hinges, pins, and film
- Lighting, alarms, and cameras, chosen without overpaying
- Daily habits: the locking routine, spare keys, garage discipline, and visitors
- Not covered: firearms, self-defense, or confrontation. The research points to light, locks, and neighbors instead.
All guides in this area
Eight guides. Start with the first one.
Each guide stands alone. If you read only one, read Home Security Without Paranoia. It sets out what the research shows and where your effort pays off, and the other seven go deep on each layer.
Home Security Without Paranoia
What the research on residential burglary actually shows, and why lighting, locks, and habits outperform fear-based products.
Read the guide →
The Layers of Home Security
Seven layers from the property line to daily habits. How the layers work together and where to start.
Read the guide →
Door Security
Deadbolts, strike plates, door frames, and hinges. The highest-return upgrades for the entry points that matter most.
Read the guide →
Window Security
Locks, pins, security film, and sensors. Practical improvements that don't require replacing your windows.
Read the guide →
Lighting and Visibility
Motion sensors, lumen ranges, and placement, plus a randomized trial in New York City public housing where added lighting cut outdoor nighttime crime by at least 36%.[3]
Read the guide →
Alarm Systems
Monitored vs. self-monitored, entry sensors, glass-break detectors, and how to choose without overpaying.
Read the guide →
Security Cameras
Placement, coverage, local vs. cloud storage, and privacy considerations for indoor and outdoor cameras.
Read the guide →
Daily Security Habits
The locking routine, spare keys, garage discipline, visitor protocols, and what to keep quiet about a household's resources.
Read the guide →
From the field · Accounts describe the shock making it hard to even list what was taken, often for days, and claims landing short on jewelry and heirlooms nobody had photographed. A home inventory done now is the cheapest fix on this list.
Quick start
Three steps with the most return.
Before reading every guide, these three steps close the most common gaps. Together they can cost under $60 and fit in one afternoon.
Lock every door, every time
Make locking a routine, not a decision: front, back, garage entry, and sliding doors, including while someone is home. Then check where every spare key actually is. A key under the mat or in a fake rock is the first place anyone looks. Give the spare to a trusted neighbor instead. Estimated cost: $0.
Time: 15 minutes · Renter-friendly: yes
Fix the strike plate screws
Most strike plates are held by short screws that reach only the thin door jamb. Replacing them with 3-inch screws that reach the framing behind it is the highest-return door upgrade there is. Estimated cost: $10 to $20. The Door Security guide walks through it.
Time: 20 minutes · Renters: ask the landlord in writing first
Light the doors you use after dark
A motion light at each entry makes anyone approaching the house visible to you and to your neighbors. A battery motion light needs no wiring and costs about $19 to $35. A wired porch fixture with a sensor runs about $30 to $110 and replaces the light you already have.
Time: 30 to 60 minutes · Renter-friendly: battery models
Before you buy
Four handbooks. Read before you shop.
Security hardware is maintenance, not an emergency purchase. Each handbook explains what the ratings mean, what is worth paying for, and what to skip, so what you buy fits your door, your budget, and your lease.
Locks & Door Reinforcement
Deadbolt grades, strike plates, reinforcement kits, and window locks. Where a few dollars of hardware does the most.
Home Alarm Systems
Monitored or self-monitored, contracts and fees, and which sensors a home of your size actually needs.
Home Security Cameras
Wired, battery, and solar cameras, local versus cloud storage, subscription costs, and privacy.
Motion Security Lighting
Battery, solar, and wired fixtures, brightness that helps without glaring at the neighbors, and sensor placement.
Ready to compare products? See our reviews of deadbolts, door reinforcement kits, DIY alarm systems, security cameras, video doorbells, and motion security lights.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start with home security?
Start with what costs least and does the most. Lock every exterior door every time, move the spare key out of its hiding place, and replace short strike plate screws with 3-inch screws that reach the framing. Then add motion lighting at the doors you use after dark. In federal survey data, about half of household burglaries involved no forced entry, so habits close the largest gap first.[2]
Do alarm systems deter burglars?
In a 2012 University of North Carolina at Charlotte survey of 422 incarcerated burglars, about 60 percent said an alarm would lead them to choose a different target, and about 83 percent said they would try to find out whether a home had one first.[4] An alarm deters and shortens a break-in. It does not stop every attempt. The Alarm Systems guide covers monitored and self-monitored options.
Do security cameras prevent break-ins?
No camera prevents a break-in, and a camera does not lock a door. Cameras are most useful as a visible deterrent and as a record afterward, for police reports and insurance claims. Where the footage is stored decides whether you still have it after an incident, which the Security Cameras guide explains.
What can renters do without changing the locks?
Most of the highest-return steps are habits and need no permission: the locking routine, spare key rules, and battery motion lights. For hardware such as longer strike plate screws or a new deadbolt, ask the landlord in writing first, because many leases restrict lock changes. The renter preparedness guide covers the rest.
Why make a home inventory before anything happens?
After a break-in, shock makes it hard to list what is missing, and an insurance claim depends on showing what you owned. Photos or a short video of each room, serial numbers for electronics, and appraisals for jewelry make a claim faster and more complete. The home inventory guide takes about 30 minutes.
Connected guides
Home security connects here.
After a Break-In
If it already happened: the police report, the insurance claim, what to fix first, and the weeks after.
Know Your Neighbors
A neighbor who notices is one of the oldest layers of home security. How to build those connections on your street.
Make Your Home Safer in One Weekend
Five practical actions across safety and security, including one security layer, with time and cost for each.
Renter Preparedness
Deposit-safe preparedness for people who don't own the building, including what to ask a landlord before changing hardware.
Apartment Emergency Preparedness
Shared entrances, building management, and preparedness in a small space.
Family Safety Planning
Turn the locking routine and spare key rules into a plan the whole household knows and practices.
Shelter & Home Security
Back to the full section: fire and utility safety, weather readiness, shelter-in-place, and more.
Sources
- Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Household Burglary, 1994-2011." NCJ 241754. June 2013. bjs.ojp.gov. Accessed October 2026.
- Bureau of Justice Statistics. "Victimization During Household Burglary." NCJ 227379. September 2010. bjs.ojp.gov. Accessed October 2026.
- Chalfin, A., Hansen, B., Lerner, J., and Parker, L. "Reducing Crime Through Environmental Design: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment of Street Lighting in New York City." National Bureau of Economic Research, Working Paper 25798. nber.org. Accessed October 2026.
- Blevins, K. R., Kuhns, J. B., and Lee, S. "Understanding Decisions to Burglarize from the Offender's Perspective." University of North Carolina at Charlotte. December 2012. Accessed October 2026.
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