If you've been thinking about making an investment in your home's security, stop mulling it over and pick up the phone. Nobody deserves to feel vulnerable and unsafe in their own home and having a good Optimum home safety can put you at ease. The following article will provide you with useful tips and helpful information.

Make sure you always do your research before hiring a company to install your home security system. Find company reviews on the Internet and make sure they are in good standing with the Chamber of Commerce and Better Business Bureau. You are hiring this company to furnish your home with a security system, and you want to make sure that you can trust the company your dealing with.

Broken windows can cause the cold to get into your house. Worse, it is an open invitation for a burglar to enter your home. So, if one of your windows is broken, be sure to have fixed right away. The same applies to broken front doors, back doors, and garage doors.

Don't hide your spare house key in an obvious place outside. The days of safely hiding the spare key under the doormat are long gone. Placing your key in an obvious area like this now may help you if you get locked out, but it could also be an invitation for a thief to enter your home. It's best to avoid hiding spare keys on your property. You should either keep a spare key with a trusted neighbor or get a fingerprint or keypad door lock.

If you have a door that does not have a peephole, you should work on installing one. It is very dangerous to open a door when you are not sure who is on the other side. This is a great way for you to keep you and your home safe from harm.

If you are entering a house that has already been occupied, you should first change your locks. While you may trust those who lived there before you, you have no idea who lived there before them. You can install locks yourself to make sure you're the only one who has a key.

Don't rely on just a spring lock. Spring locks can easily be broken, sometimes just using a credit card. These locks are just too vulnerable. Have a deadbolt lock installed instead, which is much harder for an intruder to get around. Make sure there is no way a burglar can saw the deadbolt, though.

Install metal security bars on all sliding doors and widows. Sliding doors and windows are vulnerable to being forced open by a determined intruder. A simple metal bar, set into the track, adds considerable security for a small price. Make sure that the bar is long enough that the door or window cannot be opened far enough to fit through.

You can increase your Optimum home safety by updating your entry method. Key locks can only do so much for your doors. You can try a high tech addition in the form of a digital lock. Some digital locks use key cards, while other use fingerprints or even keypads. Any one of these options can be a viable security boost.

Invest in solid wood or metal entry doors. Many inexpensive doors are hollow, making them easy to kick in or destroy by a determined intruder. A metal or solid wood door is more secure, especially if you take the extra step of installing it into a metal frame as well.

If you buy a new, expensive electronic, such as a television or computer, do not leave the empty boxes on your curb. If a burglar sees your empty box, he or she will know that valuable item is inside your house. That's good motivation for a break-in. Break them down and put them in a bag or take them to a recycling center.

Feeling afraid in your own home is a terrible way to live; make the investment in a security system and breathe a sigh of relief. A reliable system will not only protect you, it will act as a deterrent to would-be criminals! Hopefully this article has answered your questions and shown you the way to a safer home.