How did it begin?
It could be a house or an apartment but we call it home and it’s supposed to be our safe place. Unfortunately, those safe spaces get invaded far too often.
According to the FBI’s crime statistics there were over 1.4 million burglaries and robberies of residences in 2017. Of those, 57.2% or 800,000 were forcible, where the intruder gained entry either through a window or door.
When you want to increase home security the first thing most people think of is the front door, the actual door. Not the lock. Not hinges. But the door.
The thing about the front door, and we will include the back door also, is you can get the biggest, strongest, sturdiest door on the street but it won’t last long if your lock or your frame reinforcement is not very good. Which is why when discussing the best doors for home security you should remember that the door is one part of the whole front entry.
What I think about it
You’ve probably heard it said that “your home is your castle” well, if you picture a medieval castle or any Game of Thrones episode, you’ll most likely envision a moat and a drawbridge and a gate and a second gate beyond the first one and probably some archers in the turrets on either side of the gate.
Most of us won’t have archers, drawbridge, moat and a second gate but the point then, like now, is to put enough obstacles and deterrents between you, your family and your belongings that it becomes too much trouble and not worth the effort.
I like to think of it like this:
Motion activated flood lights and wireless security cameras act like a moat and archers, they’re the first line of defense, a deterrent and some also act as an alarm to you with a smartphone notification. For a drawbridge you could have a video doorbell or peephole camera, usually these are motion activated and send you a notification once motion is detected. Then your solid front door with a strike and hinge reinforcement, a grade 1 dead bolt and a door security bar acts as the first and second gate.
The sheer quantity and quality of all the things that go into making your house a castle is overwhelming.
My goal is to put the information in front of you to help you make the choice that is right for you and your family.
This website is about doors, windows, locks, security cameras and steps you can take for your home to become your castle. This has become a passion of mine. My name is Bill Kiser and I have been in construction for over 20 years, 11 of those years as a door, frame, hardware and access control supplier and installer.
There were 3 different reasons I wanted to start this website:
- Too much wrong information on the internet from websites that offer suggestions. If you were to act on this information you would be wasting your money and time.
- Most laypeople have a basic knowledge of door hardware and the options available to them for securing their home.
- In my area, a large metropolitan area in the south, unfortunately there has been a rise in home invasions. Terrifying by themselves but knowing what can be done to prevent or deter beforehand is beneficial.
Some of the links on this website go to products that are affiliate links. This means that when you purchase an item from one of these links Amazon or another company pays a small percentage of that to me. It does not increase the price you pay for the item, but it does allow me to keep this website functioning.