Do you know how easily someone could break into your home through one of the doors? If you don’t know, you need to find out. Almost 66% of burglaries occur in residences. 62% occur during daylight hours. 60% happen while people are at home. For this reason, door security is your first line of defense against intruders - at any hour.

Door security has four elements:

- The right door

- The right locks

- The locks in the right place

- The burglar or intruder alarm.

First, you need the right door. This might be a high-security steel door. If you have a patio or balcony, you might want to install French doors or a sliding glass door. This would not present a door security risk if you are above the second floor of a building. On the first or second floor, you might need additional safeguards.

The second step: put the right locks on the doors. Locks are not an item on which you want to sacrifice quality for price. They are a critical part of door security. Choose a door knob or door lever with a good lock. The best locks will be those that are opened by typing in a code or by recognition of fingerprints. An intruder will have a far more difficult time getting these open.

If you have doors with large amounts of glass, you might need a three-point lock. These locks penetrate the door frame at the top and bottom of the door, not just at the side. They are generally indicated for French doors, back and basement doors with a top half that is mostly glass, and any other type of door that is largely glass. A deadbolt that locks with a key on both sides is the second type of lock you will probably want on every door. Patio doors and sliding glass doors also frequently need another line of defense. You can purchase a small lock that attaches to the base of both panels of the door to prevent opening. There are also rods that either attach to the door or lay in the slide track to prevent opening. These types of locks should together cover this aspect of door security.

The third step: install all locks in the most advantageous place. This is essential door security. Positioning a deadbolt just above the door knob or door lever makes sense only on a solid door. Otherwise, you will need to consider where the glass is and where an intruder can reach the deadbolt. On most secondary doors, much of the top half is glass. In these cases, placing the deadbolt near the bottom of the door, beyond reach, is a more effective placement.

Finally, door security demands the right alarms. Once the right locks are installed in the right places, there are two ways to gain entry to the house - by opening the door or by breaking out the glass. There are, then, two alarms needed for door security. The standard door alarm works with magnetic bars in the door and the frame. If the door is opened once the system is activated, the magnetic attraction will be broken and the alarm will sound. But it does little good if someone breaks out a window and crawls through it. Therefore, a glass-breakage sensor is also installed near the door. These devices are programmed to respond to the sound of a window or door glass breaking. The sound activated the sounding of the alarm. Sometimes, this is enough to scare off an intruder.

You can keep your family safe at home by ensuring door security. You can choose and install good locks in the right places in the right doors. And you can install the right alarm system to protect your family.

Todd Cavanaugh is a 10-year home security specialist. Protech Security Systems installs home and business monitored security systems, 24-hour surveillance cameras, access control systems and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Visit his business web site for his recommendations on door security.

Tags: Home Security