When it comes to the protecting the perimeter of your home, most people focus on the security of their doors. High-quality locks make sure that no one is getting in without a key. And solid core doors and meticulous upgrades can even repel most forms of forced entry. But none of that matters if your windows undermine the security of your doors. Take these concerns into consideration, and learn to better protect your home.
Unprotected Glass
The most likely attack on your windows will be brute force methods that simply smash the glass. Steve Barron, Owner of Designer Door and Window, stated in his interview with WFAA Channel 8, that “Criminals know the glass door is one of the weakest spots in the home. They realize how easy it is to break the glass without having to disturb the door or the alarm.” Without some form of a laminate, there is nothing keeping your window from being a criminal’s way into the home. This makes your door’s security irrelevant.
Laminated glass windows can be purchased with this type of construction, or aftermarket products can be used. Security film can serve to make any window stronger. After an impact, it should still be replaced, but the glass will be able to stand up to a significant amount of abuse. The strength of these laminates vary, but the strongest can remain shatter resistant even after being shot with a gun. The glass will crack, and even break, but the entire pain will not shatter like standard glass.
Window Size
In recent years, criminals have been entering the home through broken windows or glass doors. Instead of opening anything, if the window is large enough, a hole will be made to enter from. This will undermine the security of any alarms that sound as a result of doors or windows opening. It will not matter how many locks the door has if those locks are not being touched and door alarms will be useless.
Small windows are also not safe from this if they are separated by a thin material that can be bent or broken out. These types of illegal entries are often carried out from the back of the home where such work can be done out of sight. However, it is important that these types of weakness are not present anywhere on the home’s exterior.
Door Lock Proximity
Where your window is, in relation to the lock on a door, can greatly undermine your security. Even a small pane of glass can be broken out to access a nearby lock. If opening the door does set off the alarm, some criminals are extremely versed in disabling these devices. In other cases of smash and grab, the thief will attempt to leave the home before authorities or security patrols can respond.
How close the window is to the door lock can greatly affect the security of your door. If you don’t want to go through the difficulty of moving your window, you can use a double sided deadbolt on the door. A deadbolt with a keyed cylinder on each side will not allow the door to open even if the interior side can be reached. This is a must if you have a window in arm’s length of a door’s locks. Even with glass protection, small windows, etc., the proximity to the locks can undermine the security of your door.
Window Locks
If your window opens, it needs a lock. Burglars who seek a silent entry, which does not leave a trace, will check window locks. They will be looking for a few signs of underwhelming security. Firstly they will check to see if the window is free moving. If it is, that means there is either no lock or the lock is not being used. To defend against this, all you need is to install a lock or use the one already installed.
If you are using locks on your windows, you will need to make sure that they are secure. You may also need to repair window locks that are too old. Just because you are using a lock does not mean that the lock is secure. From age or neglect, it could be malfunctioning. It could also be easy to bypass using common burglary tools.
Conclusion
For the best possible home security, be sure that take the necessary precautions to make certain that your windows are not compromising the protection your doors offer. Protect your glass. Be conscious of your window size and their proximity to the door locks. And if your window opens, make sure there is a lock on it.
