One of the most exciting things about going away to college is finally living independently with some of your best friends, in a house to call your own. For some, this may be a scary and new transition. Follow some of these tips for the best advice on how to keep yourself safe.
- Purchase security cameras
Security cameras are a great option to capture activity outside your college home that you may or may not see. There are multiple options for cameras that all do the same thing, ranging in prices that can often be very affordable. A popular option is a Ring Doorbell Camera. These devices act as a doorbell and start recording when there is movement, noise, or even a car driving by. These Ring cameras can easily be set up to connect to your personal cell phone and give you alerts when something triggers it to go off.
2. Window alarms
These security devices are especially useful for those who live on the lower level of their apartment building or house, where the window would be accessible to enter through the outside. Window alarms can be found on common sites like Walmart or Amazon, and are fairly cheap. They have a simple operating system, a magnet adheres to the window frame, and the alarm adheres to the window itself. After flipping the device on, once the window is moved away from the magnet on the frame, the piece on the window will emit a loud alarm sound. The best part about these devices is they can be turned on and off depending on if you want to let in a breeze or not.
3. Keypad locks
Locking your door is a no-brainer when wanting to keep out unwanted visitors. However, locks on doors can sometimes be easily manipulated and broken. Keypad locks are able to be customizable to whoever owns them. After getting one of these installed, whoever owns them can create their own private password containing of numbers, or sometimes even letters. You can easily give your password to guests or anyone else who lives in your house, but be careful who you give it to!
4. Signs and floodlights
In some cases, the simplest solutions may be the best option. Hanging up signs that say “Beware of dog” or “This Property is Surveilled by Security Cameras” may help deter people you don’t want on your property. Even if it’s not true, fake it until you make it. Flood lights that have a motion sensor have also proved to help notify of movement. Because they are so bright, you could place these special lights in front of windows so they are viewable and noticeable from inside when they are triggered to be on. Someone trying to break in, go through the trash, or snoop into cars at night will more than likely be scared off if a spotlight was all of a sudden shining on their wrong-doings.