This question often comes up in my seminars “How can I completely burglar proof my home?” And the answer is tricky. There is no such thing as 100 percent security which “burglar proofing” suggests.
However burglar proofing can conceivably be achieved if you consider that most burglars don’t have the necessary wherewithal or tools to compromise some heavy duty layers of installed protection like shatter proof glass, heavy doors, security cameras, monitored home alarm system and good strong locks. And you can certainly do lots of other creative things to reduce risk.
One weakness that almost everyone has is their doors. Even with good locks, kicking in a door isn’t all that difficult. All that separates a burglar or home invader is about ¾ inch pine and the stock strike plate with ½ inch screws that comes with the deadbolt and doorknob. It’s pretty scary when you actually take a look at some of the videos these companies produce showing how easy it is to kick in a door.
There are basically 5 different kinds of door reinforcement devices:
Door knob/dead bolt wraps. These are devices that are installed on the door itself strengthening the area around the locks.
Door braces. These are usually floor mounted alloy metal devices that come in two parts. One is the horizontal floor plate screwed right in the floor and the other is a vertical plate that inserts in the floor plate tightly fit up against the door.
Door bar jammers. These are bars that fit under the doorknob and pitch to a 45 degree angle to the floor.
Strike plates. These are generally no more than 3-4 inches long and are thicker than a regular strike plate.
Door frame reinforcement: These are often made of steel and are up to 4 feet in length and are installed on the door jamb center, right over the exiting strike plates.
I’ve recently had the privilege of talking to two different companies that offer door reinforcement devices. Each has a different style brace for a different application, and both are designed to keep the bad guy out. More on those in parts 2 and 3.
Robert Siciliano personal and home security specialist to Home Security Source discussing ADT Pulse on Fox News. Disclosures