Burglar Protection With Livy Protect: What Really Deters Burglars?
Every 2 - 4 minutes, there is a burglary in Germany and the loss of valuables is usually not the worst part. The high psychological strain not only causes fear of further break-ins, but can also lead to permanent trauma. But how can you protect yourself? Which tips should you follow? And how useful are smart alarm systems for burglary protection really?
Min
There is a break-in every 4 minutes
€
The average cost of a burglary
%
of the burglaries are between 10:00 - 18:00
%
of the burglaries are not solved
Germany is not a country where you have to live in constant fear of being burgarled. Even though the figures have risen slightly over a number of years, they are still at a low level overall compared to other European countries. Since 2015 the trend has even reversed - since then the crime statistics have recorded fewer successful burglaries every year.
Nevertheless, you may feel uneasy when you go on holiday for a long time and leave your house unattended. This fear is not completely unfounded, as the number of attempted break-ins is about a third higher than the number of break-ins that actually occur. And most of them occur at times of day when burglars assume that the occupants are not at home.
But with simple measures for burglary protection you can not only protect your apartment or house, but above all leave your house without worries.
Here is how you can make your house or apartment burglar-proof
There is no one-hundred percent protection against burglars. If someone wants to steal a very specific valuable item, they will probably find a way to do just that. However, most burglaries in average private households are spontaneous acts of opportunity.
The perpetrators wander through a neighbourhood in search of poorly secured housing and often choose the first promising opportunity. Apart from that, they are less interested in valuable family heirlooms than in high-quality everyday objects such as computers, televisions or bicycles, which can be quickly and unobtrusively turned into cash.
For this reason, a clearly visible alarm system or surveillance camera is often sufficient to deter burglars. It does not even need to be connected to a security service. But even without these technical aids, you can still secure your home by equipping windows and doors with secure locks, making it much more difficult for burglars to open them.
Other effective measures to make your house or apartment burglar-proof include:
- Avoid tilted windows and patio doors. Also not on the upper floors!
- Always lock the apartment door. Even if you are away for only a short time!
- Additional mechanical or electronic security devices are recommended for doors and windows.
- Avoid signs of your absence, e.g. through social media posts, answering machines, overflowing mailboxes, etc.
- Never hide your keys outside. Leave them with a trustworthy neighbour.
- If you ever lose your key, have the lock cylinder replaced.
Burglary protection - what good are hiding places?
You think that the best way to protect your valuables from burglars is to simply hide them well? Unfortunately, this strategy is rarely successful, because every burglar knows these hiding places:
5 burglary protection tips for a safe and secure home
Door security as protection against burglars
First, as a very simple precaution, never just pull the door into the lock, but always lock it several times if you are away for a long time. This makes it much more difficult to break the door open, and the chances of neighbours or passers-by disturbing a burglar will increase. A lock with a high-quality security cylinder prevents a door from being opened just when a burglar is passing by. Additional door chains increase security when you are in the apartment.
Those who attach particular importance to security will install a so-called cross bolt lock, in which solid bolts extend across the entire door width and provide stable security for the door from the inside. Generally, additional bolt locks, which you install on the inside of the door, are well suited to make your house burglar-proof. Each lock increases the burglar's effort - especially if there are different types of locks that have to be opened with different methods.
Please do not forget to install reliable security locks in balcony and basement doors as well. These doors are known weak points and are often used by burglars as a way of least resistance.
Window security
The second major weakness in your house or apartment are the windows. It goes without saying that you should never tilt the windows or even leave them open when you leave the house.
You should have good burglary protection especially with ground floor windows. Often, an improved locking system is sufficient to prevent the windows from simply being levered open. With lockable window handles, security is increased even further. These are now even available with an alarm function, which makes burglars flee from the loud signal as soon as they force their way through the window handle.
Old cellar windows with single glazing can be secured by attaching a robust window grill.
Video surveillance scares burglars away
The mere sight of a surveillance camera can deter burglars. In addition, it is an effective remedy for the psychological strain after a break-in. After all, a modern surveillance system not only records, but can also transfer the camera images to your smartphone or laptop in real time. With this, you always have your home in view and you do not have to worry about a possible break-in, even if you are away for a long time.
Alarm systems - effective against burglars
The principle of alarm systems can be used in different ways to make your house burglar-proof. Depending on the settings, the motion sensors can trigger special lighting, alarm signals or even an automatic emergency call to a security service. Because of this, alarm systems are not only effective burglary protection, but also there for your own reassurance.
Retrofitted sensors on specially secured windows or doors can be linked to the alarm system and can trigger the alarm in case of any unusual activity. Again, there is the option of connecting the alarm system to the smartphone via special apps, so that you know immediately if something unusual happens in your home.
However, it does not always have to be costly all-round monitoring. Products such as the Smart Ring from Livy-Protect also help to secure and monitor your home. This ring has an integrated motion detector and triggers an alarm if there is any suspicious movement in your home. The Livy App informs you immediately, no matter where you are.
Burglary protection from watchful neighbours
Burglars can only be successful if they remain undetected. Therefore, attentive neighbours are the best tool against burglars. Discuss this topic with your neighbours and support each other in burglary prevention. With the Community Function from Livy Protect, you can also digitally integrate your neighbours to your secure home.
If suspicious movements are detected in your house or apartment while you are away from home, not only will you receive a notification directly on your smartphone, but your neighbors will also be notified. They can then check on things and alert the police or fire department.
Community Function
Invite other residents, family, friends and neighbors to your location from your contacts. In case of an alarm, you and your community will be notified. You can use the Quick Chat to organize a response quickly and easily.
How can smart alarm systems provide more security?
Smart home alarms can be a helpful addition to mechanical burglary protection and provide peace of mind when you are not at home.
Smart home alarm systems can be controlled directly and wirelessly with the smartphone and the matching app. At home mostly via the home WLAN, but also on the road via mobile phone. The configuration differs greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer and also the composition of the right hardware components requires some experience.
Smart Home Alarm Systems: The sensors make the difference
Motion detectors not only conveniently switch lights on and off at dusk and dawn, but can also detect unwanted visitors and trigger an alarm signal. Infrared sensors are particularly clever because they compare the heat signatures and do not sound the alarm unnecessarily when the cat is hunting mice. The high-quality sensors work both in daylight and at night.