- 34% of burglars break in through the front door
- 22% gain entry using the back door
- 9% get in via the garage
Is Your Door Strong Enough?
An issue we see in many homes is people using an interior door on an exterior entry point. An interior door is one that you would most likely use for your bedroom or bathroom. These hollow-core doors are usually made of a thin veneer with a hollow center; they’re designed for privacy, not security.Reinforcing Your Door
Armor Concepts make a door reinforcer called Door Armor — essentially, a metal sleeve that bolts around the door in the area of the doorknob and deadbolt to give that part of the door additional strength.Selecting the Right Locks for Your Door
As surprising as it may sound, many burglaries happen to homes that were left unlocked. The burglar didn’t have to break in at all—just turn the doorknob. Sometimes people make burglars’ lives even easier by not closing the door in the first place. Talk about an open invitation! It’s more common to leave garage doors open, but police tell us they frequently encounter cases where apartment doors, dorm doors, and house doors have been left standing open, and a burglar seized the opportunity. It would seem obvious that the first things to do would be to close your doors and use the locks that you currently have. Any lock is better than no lock. But some types of locks aren’t much better than leaving your door wide open. You need the right type of lock on your door if you want any protection.Why knob locks aren’t good enough
One type of lock is the knob lock. It has a key slot in the doorknob on the outside and a thumb turn or button on the inside doorknob.- The locking mechanism is in the doorknob itself, which is vulnerable. All a burglar needs to do is saw off the doorknob, knock it off with a hammer, or twist it off with a pair of pliers. Once that’s out of the way, it takes a bit of finesse with needle-nose pliers or a screwdriver to open your door.
- Another problem with the knob lock is that the latch is too short. A burglar can defeat this type of lock by a shim attack, like using a credit card or similar object to push the latch back and open the door. Or the burglar can use a spreading attack, prying the door open with a large screwdriver or wrecking bar.
- Lastly, a door with a knob lock may be possible to kick open because the latch is so short and it doesn’t go deep enough into the strike plate to hold solidly when any real force is applied.
Why you should have a single-cylinder deadbolt
If all you’ve got on your door is a knob lock, you can add a second layer of protection with a deadbolt lock positioned 6–8 inches above or below your doorknob.- The locking mechanism is protected because it is inside the door where it can’t simply be smashed off.
- The deadbolt can’t be pushed back in after it’s fully extended, reducing the chance a burglar will be able to open the door with a shimming attack.
- The deadbolt is longer than the latch on a knob lock, so it will be harder for a burglar to “spread” the door and pry it open.
- The deadbolt goes far enough into the doorjamb wood and strike plate to hold when it is kicked (provided the strike plate is properly installed, which we’ll discuss later).
How to Choose a Deadbolt Lock
When looking for the best deadbolt lock, it’s important to choose quality over price. Sure, there are $8 deadbolts available at discount stores, but it’s important to look for a lock that meets the specifications outlined to adequately protect you. Do you often forget to lock your deadbolts? Get a smart deadbolt instead. With the Yale Assure Lock Touchscreen Keypad, you can lock and unlock your doors via your phone. That way, even if you leave for work one morning and forget to lock the door behind you, all you need to do is pull up your app and enable the lock with a single tap.Deadbolts that protect against key bumping
Recently, there has been a lot of buzz on the internet about key bumping to unlock deadbolt locks without damaging them. Locksmiths have been doing this for decades, but in recent years, lockpicking enthusiasts have produced all sorts of YouTube videos, instructions, and tools enabling anyone to open most ordinary deadbolts with ease.The most important thing about a deadbolt: Use it consistently
Before we leave deadbolts, consider this: Having the best lock in the world does no good if you don’t use it. You might have deadbolt locks on your doors right now. You probably lock the deadbolt at night. But did you lock the deadbolt when you left home this morning? Did you put the key in the slot and lock it? If you did, great! If you didn’t, that deadbolt lock wasn’t doing you any good at all. You were putting all your faith in your old knob lock, and we’ve already discussed how unreliable that can be. Locks should be locked when you are away from home and when you are home. We’ve seen cases where unlocked homes have been entered while the resident was outside working in the backyard, painting, or sunbathing. We’ve also seen cases where unlocked homes have been entered while the occupants were asleep, in the shower, or in another part of the home. That’s why—while it sounds so simple—it’s so important to keep your doors (and deadbolts) locked at all times.The Hidden Dangers of Windows Too Close to Your Door
If you’ve got a window in your door or very close to it, you’ve got a potential problem. If you have glass within 40 inches of your lock’s thumb turn, you’ve got to do something. Here’s why. If a burglar breaks the glass in your door, all they have to do is reach in and turn the thumb turn to open your door.Window bars or grates
A more extreme option is to put bars or grates over your windows near your door. In fact, in areas with higher crime rates, you’ll see bars or grates over all the windows. Before you install window bars, however, consult your state’s fire code to be sure it’s legal. In some areas of the country, you may be prohibited from putting bars over bedroom windows. This is so that if there is a fire, the firefighters will be able to rescue you, and if the firefighters are in your house battling a blaze, they know they’ll be able to get out through a bedroom window.Double-Cylinder Deadbolt
Some people will install a double-cylinder deadbolt if there is glass within 40 inches of the door lock. A double-cylinder deadbolt has a key slot on the outside and a key slot on the inside instead of a thumb turn.Polycarbonate resin windows
A final solution to windows too close to your door lock is to replace the window glass with a piece of polycarbonate resin. Polycarbonate resin is available from a glass installer and is about 300 times more resistant to breakage that a standard glass windowpane. The downside? It’s more expensive, scratches easier, and may yellow with age. These windows must be properly installed because even though it is almost impossible to break, if polycarbonate resin isn’t installed properly, it is possible to knock the whole piece out of the frame to gain entry. Once you understand the potential issues presented by using bars, grates, double-cylinder locks, and polycarbonate resin to bolster security if you have a window on or near your door, you can see why replacing the entire door may be the easiest and safest option.Strike Plates
A critical part of securing your door is examining the strike plate. The strike plate is the piece of metal that is mounted to the doorjamb. It’s the piece that the deadbolt goes into when the lock is locked.- Check the length of your strike plate screws.
- Replace the tiny little ones with screws that are 2.5–3 inches long. Now the screws not only go into the doorjamb, but they go clear into the door stud, deep enough to hold when the door is kicked.
- Consider replacing your strike plate with a heavy-duty strike plate such as the Prime-Line U 9539 Armored Security Strike Plate. It’s made of heavier material and will be larger than the standard strike.
Security Chains Versus Peepholes
Does your door have a security chain? You know, one of those little chains that you can latch and open your door a couple inches, presumably to look out the open crack and still be safe? If you have a security chain, don’t count on it to protect you.Door Jammer
A door jammer is another option for additional door security. It is functionally similar to jamming a chair under the doorknob, but it’s more secure and sturdier than a chair.
The Buddybar Door Jammer
The Buddybar Door Jammer is a popular door jammer that provides your dwelling with an added measure of safety by reinforcing doors from intruders.
You can set the Buddybar up quickly and without tools. The powder-coated steel 16-gauge bar weighs 8.2 pounds and extends from 36 inches to 51 inches. Its 2-by-4-inch foot is rubber-coated steel and non-marring, which gives it a solid grip that works on wood floors, concrete, tile, or carpet.
The Buddybar is ideal for your home, apartment, dorm room, office, or hotel room, and it’s the stoutest home security bar currently on the market.
GE Personal Security Door Stop Alarm
Another door jammer option is the GE Personal Security Door Stop Alarm. Weighing only four ounces, it looks like a standard doorstop but has a built-in 120-decibel alarm. This door jammer does not just help keep intruders out; the alarm will alert you to their presence, giving you more time to react.
The GE Personal Security Door Stop Alarm is easy to use: You don’t need wires, and it runs off one 9-volt battery. (A battery indicator light lets you know when it’s time to change the battery.) To install the device, position it at the base of a door. If the door is opened, the Door Stop Alarm’s 120-decibel alarm will sound.
The Door Stop Alarm’s rubber foot works on carpet, tile, vinyl, and wood. With its gripping ability, the device functions as a doorstop that prevents a door from being opened.
This doorstop alarm is small enough to be easy to take anywhere. With this little device, you’ll be able to secure your apartment, dorm room, hotel room, or any room in your home.
Conclusion
Properly securing your doors is an investment of time, money, and energy. But the protection it provides is essential to keeping your home safe.
Consider this: What is the potential cost of not securing your door?
Just remember: when a burglar can’t get in through your door, they’ll try your windows next.