How do you enter the new year with peace of mind?

Gone are the days when you could leave your door open when you weren’t home. We don’t want to say that the risk of burglary is 100%, but it will make you feel better knowing that your home, your belongings and your family are safe. Fortunately, there are several brands that offer you products to protect your home against theft. Still, there are some simple tips you can use to maximize security.

Tips from a burglar

To secure your home and property, you need to know what a burglar looks for and what deters him or her. Who better to hear that from than a burglar himself? Ring called in ex-burglar Evert Jansen to hear from him what to look out for during an attempted burglary.

Jansen gives a number of tips that you can easily apply yourself. It may not surprise you, but these tips are very obvious. Lock your windows and doors, even if you are only going away for a short time. A burglar only needs 7 minutes to rob you of your valuables, a round with the dog takes longer. It is also a good idea to keep valuables out of sight of the outside world. If there is no visible reason to enter a house, they will not.

The latter also applies to the lighting in and around your home. Dark corners and alleys give those who are after your stuff the chance to get to your house undetected. Therefore install lighting with a motion sensor, because it only turns on when necessary.

Ring broke open the market for video doorbells, which many other brands have now jumped into. Ring’s mission is, among other things, to offer you products that protect your home against theft. Ring gave us the opportunity to ask some additional questions to Dave Ward, Ring’s managing director for Europe and International.

Can you also collaborate with the neighborhood or neighbors when you use Ring?

“The sense of community makes neighborhoods a nice place to live. We want to contribute to that with our products and services. For example, people with a Ring Protect subscription can choose to download and share the images from their video doorbell or security camera with their neighbours, for example via the neighborhood WhatsApp. In this way, they can keep the neighborhood informed about what is going on.”

“Other ways to collaborate is through Ring video doorbells that communicate directly with parcel deliverers via the two-way talk function on the device, so you can ask them to leave the parcel with a neighbor if no one is home. for the residents, but also for the deliverers.”

What home security advice can you give for those going on vacation? Is there a possibility to share a login for the smart home devices?

“Before you go on holiday, check all the different security elements of your home: are the windows locked? Are the curtains drawn? Have you made sure that spare keys for your car, for example, are well hidden? Don’t forget your garden. Are all valuables those in the garden properly stored? Is the shed properly locked? And, importantly, have you put away any garden tools that could be used to gain access to the house?”

“You can easily keep an eye on your belongings with a plug-in indoor camera, which allows you to check the situation at home from your smartphone. And install a video doorbell at your front door so that you know who is passing by while you are away. cameras equipped with motion-sensitive floodlights provide a live image of your home, and they also illuminate dark corners when motion is detected.”

This is also the time to check that the security system is properly set up. If you are using battery-powered devices, such as a Ring Video Doorbell 4, make sure the battery is fully charged before you leave. Also check the app to make sure make sure the cameras are filming the most important parts of the house. If there are family members, friends or neighbors who have a spare key to your house, you can add them as a shared user to the Ring devices. Finally, before you leave : Turn on the alarm. This gives you extra peace of mind when you’re away.”

Do you also need to secure the windows on the first floor and above?

“It is important to secure your entire house, including the windows and doors. The great thing about this is that you can do it entirely to measure. You look at what suits your house best. This way you can use a Ring Adding various alarm components to expand the whole, such as contact sensors at windows and doors, with which you immediately receive notifications on your smartphone when they are opened. This way you stay connected to what is happening at home.”

Of course, your home security is only as good as its weakest link. How do you make sure everyone in the house knows what to do?

“The useful thing about smart home security is that you are connected to it, no matter where you are at that moment. So if you, the children or housemates forget to set the alarm, it is possible to turn it on via the app And also when you’re not at home yourself.”

“In addition, with a video doorbell you can also communicate directly with the children when they leave the house, reminding them to set the alarm or close the shed. You can explain the convenience of smart home devices to them. We always used to lock the door when we left the house, but nowadays we can activate the alarm before we leave the house.”

“For older children or roommates, it can be helpful to give them direct access to the Ring account on their smartphone as a shared user, so they can arm and disarm the alarm when they leave or come home.”

Do pets set off a camera or alarm system?

“Because our pets are part of the family, it’s only natural to want reassurance that they’re okay when you’re running errands or away from home. With Indoor Cams and the two-way talk feature, you can, for example, check in with your dog and tell him right away not to touch your lunch.”

“In addition, it is nice to know that when you can activate an alarm system without this having an effect on your four-legged friend. The most important thing is, of course, that our pets always feel safe and comfortable and are not left alone for too long.”

Photo by vu anh on Unsplash