The front door is one of the most likely points of entry in the home for a criminal. Even if you’re in a safe neighborhood, it’s a good idea to secure the area around your front door so that you can keep an eye on who is coming and going. You can add hardware to the door itself, but there are more creative approaches to security that don’t involve unattractive metal screens. Here are just a few ideas on how to think differently about front door security.
Door Camera
Wiring your own camera takes little more than a few pieces of hardware, and a program to record and capture images. You may want to set up a server, if you want to check in on your door while you’re away from the home, but you can run the camera from your desktop. Place it above the door, in a corner, to keep it inconspicuous. Don’t forget to the test the placement, recording yourself and making sure you can clearly identify the face of the person knocking at your door.
Strike Plates
Installing strike plates on your door will help keep blunt force from breaking your door down. When someone kicks a door, the force of the blow begins to dislodge the bolt from its housing. If no strike plate is present, a few kicks will blow the door wide open. With strike plates, the bolt is housed and reinforced. It will take several heavy blows to breach the door, giving you plenty of time to prepare for whatever may come your way.
Heavy Doors
Wood doors are excellent aesthetically, but they may not hold up to repeated blows. Even with a strike plate. For that reason, you may wish to opt for an aluminum door. These doors hold up to weather as well, giving you a glossy finish for several years after installation.
* ETO Doors is the premier custom door manufacturer of Los Angeles. ETO Doors runs a large warehouse in downtown, which is open to the public, and features its entire line of doors online. You can also read ETO Doors reviews for your favorite brands when you shop online.