You’ve probably thought about securing your home with a home security system such as a front porch camera, or a video doorbell camera, but what about the basement? You may not have thought about it, but this less conspicuous area of your house is a common target for burglars. Starting from the windows, we’ll show you what you can do to keep your basement safer. Keep your basement away from prying eyes and hands with our top five tips for basement security.

Window visibility is crucial

You might think that keeping your basement windows discrete would help deter burglars, but it may actually have the opposite effect. In contrast, by keeping your windows (and the surrounding areas) highly visible, it can help reduce suspicious behavior.

A common mistake is to neglect the area causing overgrowth, or decorating the area with large bushes. However, this makes it easy for people trying to break in by using this as coverage. Keep overgrowth and large bushes in check, and instead consider more miniature sized landscaping options when designing around your basement window.

Home surveillance systems give peace of mind

This is probably one of the first things to come to mind when securing any part of your home, and with good reason. And don’t be deterred by the notion that you need a super high-tech, fancy home security system. There are a lot of devices on the market now which cater to budgets of all sizes.  You can buy single smart home cameras to monitor your basement, or integrate several together such as using outdoor cameras like the Toucan Wireless Outdoor Camera with wireless doorbell cameras and alarms. Motion sensors and window alarms are good choices too. There’s a huge market for do-it-yourselfers when it comes to home security, so you don’t necessarily need to hire expensive professionals to do the job for you. Whatever your goal and budget, there is a suitable product for you.

Valuable items should be kept out of sight

Keeping clear visibility for basement windows and the surrounding area may keep suspicious behavior at bay, but that doesn’t stop people from looking. Many people get the notion that a basement should be a safe place for storing things, and to some extent it is, but only if you take the right precautions. It’s surprising how many people store valuable items within line of sight in their basements. A simple remedy to this is by Installing blinds or opaque film over basement windows. Or if you like to keep more natural light, make sure you lock valuables away in containers, storages bins and closets. Also consider moving things out of sight, and be sure to take a walk outside by your basement window to get a sense of what others can see.

Furniture nearby windows makes for a convenient entry

Furniture such as couches, chairs, or shelves placed directly under basement windows makes for a convenient break-in for intruders. With these objects, they can easily climb down and be greeted with a soft landing. On the other hand, if their descent to the floor required more acrobatics, then it could be just what was needed to deter them. By creating more difficulty for them to enter, or the possibility of making loud sounds, that could mean the difference between stopping a burglary or losing your valuables.

Install motion sensing lights and video

The dark of night is when most criminal activity is most likely to take place. Minimize this behavior around your house by installing motion sensing lights. Better yet, pair this with wireless indoor/outdoor cameras in case anything does happen. Just a simple light above your windows can drastically reduce the chances of you being victim to a basement break-in if they believe they are being watched or seen. The advantages of motion sensing lights vastly outweigh the costs of running them when it comes to keeping your home safe.

We wouldn’t think twice about securing our front porch with cameras or doorbell cameras like the Toucan Wireless Video Doorbell, but what about our basements? Make sure to treat the basement just like the rest of your house when it comes to home security with security cameras near the window opening or even as an indoor camera in your basement. Many people are already taking simple steps like these to stay secure at home. Your home security is only as strong as the weakest link, don’t let that link be the basement!