How to Keep Your Home Secure in a Metro Area

Living in a bustling metro area comes with its unique challenges, including ensuring the safety and security of your home. While the convenience and vibrancy of city life have its benefits, urban dwellers often face higher risks of break-ins and theft than in rural and suburban areas.

With that said, there are plenty of simple steps you can take to enhance your home’s security without having to compromise all the joys of city life. Let’s take a closer look at some of these strategies and tools to make your home as safe as possible, no matter which metro area you live in.  

Common Metro Area Crimes

With different cities often come different types of crimes. Some deal with package theft and vandalism while others deal with car jacking and home intrusion. No matter where you live, it’s important to stay up-to-date on the crimes common in your area so you know what precautions and steps to take when protecting your home. In general, metro areas may face crimes such as:

• Burglary: Entering a building illegally with the intent to commit a crime, especially theft.

• Theft/Larceny: The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.

• Motor Vehicle Theft: The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle, including cars, trucks, motorcycles, and scooters.

• Arson: Any willful or malicious burning or attempting to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, or personal property of another.

• Cybercrime: Crimes committed using computers or digital technology, including hacking and identity theft.

All types of crimes can significantly affect individuals and the broader community. Notably, crime statistics influence housing prices, business operations, and the overall cost of living. These figures can either deter individuals from moving to a city or, if perceived as a "safe" neighborhood, attract them. 

It's important to recognize that perceptions of crime can often be subjective. Cities may be unfairly branded as "unsafe" without a nuanced understanding of the actual safety conditions. In any case, there’s no place in the world without any crime at all, and any person living in a city should find ways to keep themselves as safe as possible. 

7 Ways to Secure Your Home in the City

Regardless of all the various crimes that can potentially take place in a city, people who live in them are generally proud to call cities home. Crime existing in a given city is often not enough of a deterrent to keep people from building their lives there, because crimes just naturally come with the territory. That being said, there are always you can protect yourself if you live in a metro area:

• Understsand the common crimes in your neighborhood: The first step in fortifying your metro-area home is understanding the specific security challenges of yourcity. High-traffic neighborhoods may face different threats compared to quieter, residential parts of the city. Stay up to date on latest crime trends in your area, and engage with your local community and law enforcement to get a grasp of common security concerns and tailor your approach accordingly. 

• Get to know your local community: Join or form a neighborhood watch program, and/or get involved on local social media pages and forums to know what’s going on in your area. Get to know your neighbors, as this can be one of the most effective security measures to have any place. Exchange information and keep each other informed about any suspicious activity.

• Light up your home: A well-lit exterior can be a powerful deterrent against burglars and vandalizers. To help keep yourself and your property safe, make your home a place where trespassers would easily get caught. One way to do this is to install motion-sensor lights around your home’s perimeter, especially near doors and windows. This not only scares off potential intruders but also alerts you and your neighbors to unusual activity.

• Secure your home’s points of entry: It may go without saying, but as your doors and windows are the primary entry points for any intruder, you’ll want to make sure they are difficult to bypass. Ensure all doors are made of solid wood or metal and have deadbolt locks on them. For sliding doors, consider adding a metal bar in the track to prevent them from being forced open. Similarly, reinforce windows with locks or window security film to resist shattering, as well as entry sensors or glass break sensors. 

• Upgrade your locks: In addition to securing your doors, windows, and any other entry points, you’ll also want to invest in high-quality, pick-resistant locks. It’s also worth considering installing smart locks on your exterior doors. This can offer an additional layer of security with features like remote access, history logs, and unique user codes. Remember, a lock is only as strong as its frame, so ensure the door frame and the door itself are sturdy and in good condition.

• Install cameras in strategic locations: Security cameras can go a long way in keeping your home secure if you live in a metro area. Video cameras should be installed over the main entrance of the home to get the most of the camera’s range and field of view. Take care to select an outdoor camera that allows you to customize activity zones. With activity zones, you can block out pedestrian-heavy areas such as streets and sidewalks that are often busy in metropolitan areas so you aren’t constantly inundated with unnecessary motion alerts. 

• Consider a home security system: A reliable home security system is the best line of defense against intruders in metro areas. Systems range from basic alarm setups to comprehensive solutions that include door and window sensors, motion detectors, and surveillance cameras. 

Here at SimpliSafe, you can customize your system according to your budget and what needs the most protection. In addition to adding professional monitoring and other devices, SimpliSafe has all the security solutions mentioned above:

• Entry Sensors: Designed to detect when doors or windows are opened, perfect for the main entry points in your home.

• Motion Sensors: Ideal for covering large areas inside your home. They can detect movement and trigger the alarm system.

• Wireless Outdoor Camera: Both indoor and outdoor cameras can help you monitor your home in real-time. Features like night vision, motion alerts, and cloud storage can be incredibly beneficial.

• Video Doorbell: SimpliSafe’s Video Doorbell can help you keep a better eye on who is outside your home with real-time video streaming, motion alerts, and two-way audio communication. 

• Smart Locks: These can integrate with your security system, allowing you to lock and unlock doors remotely and track who is entering your home.

Level Up Your Metro Area Home Security With SimpliSafe

Crime is an inevitable part of living in a metro area. But, just because crime exists doesn’t mean you can’t live there with peace of mind. Smart home security systems — like those from Simplisafe — offer affordable and customizable home security options that can keep you and your neighbors safe from all the potential crimes that can happen in a city. Start building your system today!