Living alone after a divorce, I’m looking to boost the break-in deterrence for my 1910s 1.5-floor rental. I prefer to avoid smart devices due to concerns about hacking and data privacy, so my focus is on making it loud, time-consuming, visible, and otherwise difficult for anyone to enter the apartment.
Current Setup:
- Two solid wood entry doors with sturdy old deadbolts and thick brass strike plates. The doors open into anterooms with similar exterior doors.
- Main concern: window security (10 two-pane vertical sliding windows).
Ideas for Improvement:
- Window Security:
- Wooden Dowels: I plan to secure wooden dowels with velcro to prevent windows from being opened.
- Impact Sensors: I’m considering installing impact sensors that trigger an alarm if someone tries to break the glass. However, I’m unsure if I need to mount sensors on both panes of each window, which would require a lot of sensors. Ideally, I’d prefer small, unobtrusive sensors that could be mounted on the wooden window frames.
- Lighting and Deterrence:
- Faux Security Camera with Motion-Activated Light: I’m thinking of placing this inside the back anteroom, which faces an alley and is likely more attractive to intruders than the front anteroom that faces a busy street. The motion-activated light could serve as a deterrent.
- Additional Considerations:
- Strike Plates: I might check the length of the screws in the strike plates and replace them with longer ones for added security.
- Security Stickers: I’m hesitant about using faux security stickers, as they might give the impression that the place is more secure than it actually is, potentially inviting more scrutiny from intruders. However, since my landlord already has a faux ADT sign in the back, I’m considering adding a few stickers and offering them to the other first-floor tenants.
Questions:
- If the dowels hold, do I need to worry about open/close sensors on the windows?
- Are security stickers worth it, or do they risk sending the wrong message?
I’d appreciate any thoughts or suggestions on improving the security of my rental while keeping it “smart-free.” Thanks in advance!