The Anatomy of a Burglar-Proof Front Door

Smart-Home

The FBI reports that 34% of burglaries enter through the front door.

What can you do to give your home’s main point of entry a better line of defense?  Do some springtime touch-ups on its hardware and security features, or replace it with a newer, more secure model.

Here are the basic features every front door needs:

  1. This should be obvious, but with so much going on in our busy lives, the simplest critical error many victims make is to leave their front door unlocked. Even the strongest deadbolt in the world won’t work if you don’t use it.
  2. Invest in a great deadbolt lock for your front door. It should be made of solid metal with exposed screws and a throw bolt (that comes out of the door) that’s at LEAST 1-inch or more. If you struggle with installation, don’t mess around; get an experienced person to help you.
  3. Cylinder guards (metal pieces that go around the area where you insert the key) prevent burglars from taking a hammer or crowbar to the lock.
  4. Round-head carriage bolts will keep locks from being unscrewed. Many locks come with these features, but if yours doesn’t, you can purchase them separately.
  5. Reinforce your doorframe with simple products to install from Lowes or Home Depot.  Products like EZ Armor or StrikeMaster hinge reinforcements make it very difficult for a would-be intruder to kick in your door
  6. Strike plates take a lot of wear and tear, and should be replaced regularly. A strike plate is the metal plate that surrounds the lockset, or the hole in the doorframe where the lock bolt enters. All exterior doors should have strike plates with four 3-inch screws. Make sure the screws can go all the way through to the stud and do not just attach to the doorjamb.
  7. Install Peep Holes.  You need to be able to see out without being seen or opening your front door. If your front door doesn’t have a peephole, install one now. Look for a wide-angle viewer, and one with a built-in cover to prevent people from looking back in with a peephole viewer device.
  8. A metal plate across the bottom of a front door isn’t there just for the aesthetic image of the front door; it provides another layer of protection
  9. If you have a hollow-core door, or one with lots of decorative glass, your front entry is extra-vulnerable. Replace it with a solid-core door made of fiberglass, solid wood, or a solid wood core (veneer over solid wood.) Metal doors are fine, but don’t make sure they are reinforced inside and have a lock block, or they can be bent out of the doorframe.

Of course, the best line of security is one that protects all of your home’s doors and windows. A security system monitored by EMC can keep watch over every entrance and exit, and with redundant cellular monitoring and video security, you can control the locks and who comes in or out.

Request Your Home Security Evaluation

Want to know more? Call us at 770-963-0305 to request an evaluation of your home’s security needs.