How vulnerable is your home

There are many different reasons why a burglar may break in to your home, although some are opportunistic whereby they will take the opportunity when it arises i.e. a door or window is left open, others will scope out your property beforehand. Therefore it is important to evaluate the security of your home to ensure your home isn’t targeted by a burglar whether it is opportunistic or pre-planned.

Ask yourself the following questions when evaluating the security of your home:

·         Are the locks on any doors and windows visible?

By making sure these are visible will help to deter a burglar as they will be able to see it will be harder to break in.

·         Are any doors or windows left open, even if it isn’t easy to access them?

Make sure all doors and windows are locked before leaving your home.

·         Ensure all your windows are locked and closed at night

When closing up your windows for the night ensure they are all locked and securely shut. If any small top windows are accidently left open or open to let in cold air overnight a burglar can easily reach through and open a large window internally.

·         Do you have any lights with sensors fitted to the exterior of your property?

Fitting lights with sensors to the outside of your home will ensure your home is well lit if an intruder was to approach your property. These will not only help to alert you and your neighbours but may deter an intruder from breaking into your home as they tend to be confident when working in the dark.

·         Is the front of your home visible from the road?

Having high walls and hedges can give a burglar protection from being seen therefore making sure your home is visible is important.

·         Is accessing your home noisy?

Consider having gravel placed on your driveway as it is impossible to walk on gravel without making a noise. The more difficult you make it for a burglar to access your home without making a noise the less likely you are to be a victim of burglary.

·         When you are on holiday or away from your home is it obvious that your home is unoccupied?

Make sure that when you are going to be away from your home for a long period of time that you do the following:

-          Ask a trusted neighbour, friend or family member to keep an eye on your home whilst you’re away. Ask them to open and close curtains etc so that it appears that your home is occupied.

-          Cancel any deliveries such as the newspaper or milk.

-          Use the Royal Mail’s Keepsafe service to hold any letters or parcels whilst you’re away to avoid any post piling up whilst your home is unoccupied.

·         Are there any ladders or equipment lying around that can be used by a burglar to gain entry to your home?

Make sure that any ladders or equipment that could be used to break in to your home are stored securely in a locked garage or shed.

Make sure you check out www.keytekshop.co.uk’s wide range of burglary deterrents to protect your home from opportunistic burglars!   

We built a shop!!!

So its launch day! Locks, shopping carts and logos have been the topic of conversation here in the

Keytek™ office the last couple of months, as we continue to look for ways to improve our services and our customer needs by offering better access to excellent security products.  In the recent months we’ve been doing just that with the creation of our first online lock shop, which you may have heard about from our recent blogs and on our social media. After months of hard work we are all very excited to announce the launch of our new online shop, Keytek shop, now security really can be brought to your door, quite literally!

The project started back in March 2015 when we felt we needed to offer our customers a means of improving their security at home with great products. The idea of not only providing a locksmithing service for changing your locks and emergency call outs, but also to pass on our knowledge and recommendations to help you purchase new security items for your home from a trusted and respected  brand. Keytekshop has been packed with all the best security products we could find ranging from Yale laptop safes to intruder deterrents to decoy safes in the shape of soup cans, all on a simple, clear shopping platform. With Keytekshop, improving your home security couldn’t be easier. However if you do struggle, or are not quite sure we’ve added in a helpful online chat service with an expert on hand to help you with choosing the right product. So go on over to our shop and have a look through our range of products to see what you can find to help secure the things you love and as a gift on us we are giving you 20% off on ALL products on our site and free delivery on orders over £40.

Also don’t forget to sign up to our weekly newsletter if you would like to receive offers, promotions and useful tips on improving your home security. More information and advice on the products we stock can be found at keytekshop.co.uk         

How to turn your old smart phone into a home security camera

The majority of us will have some sort of unused smart phone lying around our house, there are many different ways you can utilise your old smart phone so that it doesn’t remain unused. One way to ‘recycle’ your old smart phone is relatively easy and can bring you peace of mind when you are away from home is to turn into a home security camera.

Below are the different methods for turning an Android or iOS smart phone into a home security camera...

How to turn your old Android phone into a home security camera

1. Download the Home Security IPCamera App (Free) from the Google Play Store 

2. Follow the installation instructions on the Home Security IPCamera App 

3. Login to Trackview using the Home Security IPCamera App, you can login using your existing Gmail account user name and password. 

4. Set up your smart phone anywhere in your home you wish to monitor. Using the Home Security IP Camera App you can monitor, track or buzz using the smart phone you carry with you every day. You can also check the alert messages, record and playback your clips.

5. The Home Security IPCamera App allows you to use more than one device so if you have more than one unused smart phone lying around, you could use the steps above to set it up as an additional home security camera (just make sure you use the same login for all the devices you wish to use). 

How to turn your old iPhone into a home security camera

1. Download the Manything App (Free) from the App Store 

2. Follow the installation instructions on the Manything App

3. Register your device

4. Press record

5. Login into manything.com to watch live, playback to any point in time and to create and share your clips from your desktop computer or the iPhone you use every day.

6. The Manything App also allows you to connect to connect to any smarthome features you may have installed your home via the IFTTT channel.

Stay secure at a festival this summer

Stay secure at a festival this summer with our guide to festival security.

Did you know that one in seven festival goers have been a victim of theft at a festival?

As figures suggest, the risk of crime at a festival is relatively high and can be considerably costly for those who attend, with it being reported that an estimated £190,000 worth of possessions were stolen at seven of the UK’s biggest festivals.

1. Take only the essentials

Try to take only the essentials to a festival. The fewer valuables you take the least likely are you to be a victim of theft.

2. Register any valuables

If you do decide to take any valuables with you such as a smart phone or tablet make sure you register them so if the worse did happen it will help to make recovery easier. You can register any valuables for free by visiting www.immobilise.com

3. Don’t leave any valuables in your vehicle

By leaving any valuables in your car you could be leaving yourself vulnerable to being a victim of theft as your car will be unattended for long periods of time whilst you enjoy the festival.

4. Remove any suction marks from your windscreen

If you have used a sat nav to find the festival’s venue make sure you remove any suction marks from your windscreen as failure to do so could alert a thief that there may be valuables such as a sat nav stored inside your vehicle.

5. Don’t bring large amounts of money, expensive jewellery, watches or costume jewellery that appears to be of value.

6. Use a site locker to store anything of value

If you do decide to bring any valuables to a festival don’t leave them in your tent or car instead use the site lockers to store them. These can usually be booked in advance and are open 24 hours a day.

7. Mark any valuables

Any valuables you do take to a festival should be marked with your details using a UV pen.

8. Extend your home insurance to include personal belongings

Home insurance provider Aviva advise extending your home and contents insurance to include personal belongings cover otherwise you may end up facing a bill of replacing lost or stolen items.

Keytek™ get ready to launch new home security shop

If upgrading your home security is on your agenda this summer or your thinking of protecting something special, then checking in with Keytek™ should be at the top of your list.

The Keytek™ brand is expanding, and exciting times are approaching for us all here at Keytek™, as the final touches are added to our very first online shop. It’s not far from launch day and after weeks of sorting through picking and discarding products; we are all pleased to let you know that in the next few weeks our shop will be open for business. Keytekshop will be supplying you with lots of high quality additions for your home security, from some of the best brands in security - just in time for summer!

Home safes, cash boxes, and additional home security options are some of the many things we’ve included in our product line from top brands like Yale and Master lock. So if you’re in need of a little upgrade on your home security or would like to protect something valuable Keytek shop is the perfect place to find it. You can also expect to see lots of additional benefits from us to make you’re shopping as care free as possible like our online chat support, return policy and after sales service, along with a low price guarantee. 

To kick it all off we’ve got lots of amazing discounts, giveaways and promotions ready for our launch! But we can’t give too much way too soon, so keep posted on our social media for all our updates on the countdown to open day. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on the launch and special offers for email subscribers!  

Avoiding a repeat burglary

Did you know that one in four burglary victims have had their home targeted again after the burglary occurred (Victim Support)?

Unfortunately as figures suggest if you were to be burgled a second time it is likely to be by the same person as they will often believe if they didn’t get caught the first time they won’t get caught the second time therefore your home is more likely to be targeted again. He or she already knows the layout of your home and will most likely wait until you have replaced any stolen items.

If you have already been a victim of burglary, you should take action to prevent it from happening again...

1. Review the security of your home

Take a look round and use the Home Security checklist which you can download here to review the security of your home. Alternatively call a local locksmith on 0800 035 0451 to book in a home security and insurance compliance check.

2. Replace all damaged locks

Make sure any locks on doors or windows that were damaged as a result of the first burglary are replaced by a locksmith. This will also be the best opportunity for you to upgrade your locks to ones that will help to protect your home should a burglar strike again such as the ABS High Security Euro Cylinder. The ABS High Security Euro Cylinder is designed to prevent a burglar from using the snapping method to gain entry on an uPVC or double glazed door.

  

3. Fit lights with motion sensors

Have motion sensing lights fitted to the outside of your home so that the exterior of your home and garden is well lit. This will act as a great burglary deterrent as they are often more confident in the dark.

4. Fit an alarm system

Yale has designed a range of alarms called the ‘Easy Fit Range’ which will allow you to easily install a DIY home alarm system. Each product in the range harnesses pre-programmed wirefree technology and comes with Velcro strips so you don’t have to drill into your wall.  The range is available in four different kits, alongside a range of accessories so that you can tailor your alarm system in order to suit the security of your home.

5. Join your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme

You can find your local Neighbourhood Watch by visiting www.ourwatch.org.uk

Garden Home Security

Keep your garden and home secure by taking these simple home security steps...

1. Keep your garden tidy

Keeping your front garden tidy and secure could help to prevent a break-in. Generally a tidier garden will deter an intruder from even trying to break-in your home as it gives the impression your home may be more secure and harder to break into where as an untidy garden could give the opposite impression.

2. Trim your hedges

Trim back any hedges and make sure the front of your house is clearly visible from the road as a burglar will be more confident if they cannot be seen by your neighbours or any passersby. Gates, fencing, walls or hedges shouldn’t be more than 1 metre high.

3. Use gravel pathways

Using gravel for pathways will be impossible for an intruder to walk on it without making a sound and will help to alert you to their presence.

4. Fit lights with motion sensors

Have motion sensing lights fitted to the outside of your home. This will act as a great burglary deterrent as they are often more confident in the dark.

5. Make sure your shed or garage are secure

Garden sheds and garages are often an easy target for a burglar as they are often over looked in terms of security. The contents of a shed can add up to hundreds of pounds especially if you are using it to store valuables such as lawn mowers, strimmers, tools and bicycles. Therefore it is definitely worth investing in additional security for your shed or garage.

• Where appropriate fit additional security such as a padlock, padbolts, hasp and staple.

• A wireless alarm can also be fitted, although this won’t be connected to your home’s burglar alarm system the siren will alert you and the neighbourhood when a burglar has tried to break-in.

• Where there are windows fit curtains so a burglar cannot see the contents of your garage or shed.