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I bet most everyone you can think of comes to your front door when they visit, whether family, friends, neighbors, or those lovely sales people. Why? It is likely because few are comfortable coming through an open garage or walking through a backyard; and it’s just basic courtesy. However, bad guys like the front door too; so we need some basic front door security measures in place to help discourage them.

All anyone needs to do is walk right up to your front door from the driveway or street. And, believe it or not, bad guys often choose to come in through the front door too when they ‘visit.’ This is why we talk about some front door security measures you can take to make your front door less attractive.

The Front Door

It seems counterintuitive at first, bad guys choosing to break in through a front door versus another entry point. In reality, just over one third of all break-ins occur using the front door. That’s not to say that there are not other ways almost as popular. First-floor windows and back doors are the next two most popular means of breaking into a home. However, the front door seems to be consistently at the top of the list.

… just over one third of all break-ins occur using the front door.

How to Make Your Front Door Less Attractive

You may be thinking, “Why would I want to make my front door less attractive?” What we are really working to do is making our front door less “enticing” for being the place to try and break in.

Most everyone who lives in a house, whether they rent or own, probably wants to make their front door more attractive and not less and rightfully so. It is the first place guests are likely going to see, even from the street; and a front door is most likely the main place where you are going to welcome folks into our home. However, when it comes to our security and our family’s safety, we also need to make efforts to make the front door (and other entryways) less attractive or less inviting for the bad guys. Here are some front door security measures we can take:

Locks

First and foremost, use them! Lock your doors.

It is amazing how many people do not lock their doors, even at night. I know; right? I’m not kidding. This is one of your most important lines of defense. Simply lock your doors (and windows).

If you want to slow down the bad guys, even a little, lock your doors (and windows). I often say that while we should be able to live in the world as we wish it was, we ultimately have to live in the realities of the world we actually live in. Locking (all of) our doors is just a basic way we can easily keep ourselves and our families that much safer. Get in the habit of going through your house before you leave it and before you go to bed to make sure everything is closed and locked up. It is one of the most basic security measures you can take for yourself and your family.

Other lock-related tips:

• Install quality deadbolt locks, a minimum of a Grade 2 with a minimum of a 1 inch throw. Ideally, opt for Grade 1. Avoid cheap locks.
• If you move into a brand new house, you may want to upgrade the locks installed, as builders will cut corners and install the lowest grade.
• If you move into a previously-owned house and have not swapped out the locks yet or at least had them re-keyed, do so ASAP. How do you know you have all the keys that ever got made? You don’t.
• If you have glass on either side of or in your door, consider replacing single cylinder deadbolts (with a thumb turn on the inside) with double cylinder units.

Consideration: If you plan to rent your house, be sure to check for any rental regulations in your area for restrictions on the use of double cylinder locks in your doors. Some regulations may restrict the use of double cylinder deadbolts due to potential implications if there were ever to be a fire. It is likely because using a key may be a tad slower than flipping a thumb turn, assuming the door was locked in the first place.

Lights

Do bad guys, who work in the dark, like lighting? Something tells me, if they had a choice, they really do not want to be seen. I realize some are more brazen and operate in broad daylight. However, we want to discuss lighting at your doors and how lights can be a great security measure against bad guys working in the shadows of the night.

Usage

If you have lights at your front (or any) door, start using them. Much like locks or anything else, if you have them but don’t use them; they do you no good. Get in the habit of turning those lights on at dark. Plus, anyone coming home after dark will appreciate them being on.

Consider mixing it up by not turning them on at the exact same time every night and not turning them on for multiple nights in a row. In other words, mix in a bit of randomness. Doing so may help make it more difficult for anyone to learn your patterns and figure out your routines. 

Motion and Light

Consider installing motion and light sensing fixtures or bulbs. A light gets turned on when a motion sensor picks up motion within its range (usually adjustable) and then stays on for a period of time you set. The light sensing aspect turns on a light at dark and turns it off when it gets light again. Personally, I like the element of surprise when a bright light suddenly turns on when it gets tripped.

Get Smart

Smart bulbs in your front (or back) door light fixtures are a great way to go as well. You’ll need a Wi-Fi router that can support the extra devices and has the range; but the smart bulb option will afford a couple of luxuries you usually would not have.

If you go the way of the smart bulb, you will be able to control your lights remotely, which is reeeal nice, and you will be able to set them up on a schedule or on a timer, all from your smartphone. You will also be able to control that randomness we mentioned.

Bulbs

I would also recommend replacing any incandescent bulbs with LED, if you have not before now. Not because of any minuscule cost savings they may offer; but because they can be brighter, run cooler, and usually last considerably longer (dependent upon usage and bulb quality).

Doors

At the very least, any door to the outside should be solid core, if it is not solid hardwood. Assuming you are utilizing the proper door types for the entry points to your domicile, we are going to focus on the surrounding pieces and what you can do to help fortify those parts as well as the doors themselves.

Glass

From purely a security perspective, I have never been a big fan of glass in or around doors. I know it can be pretty and certainly adds a touch of elegance to most any house; but glass can be broken; and then that door can be opened.

Lock Type

If you have glass in or around your doors, you should consider utilizing those double cylinder deadbolts. This eliminates the possibility of a thumb turn in a single cylinder lock being turned after glass gets broken.

The trouble is, with few exceptions, I have not seen a lot of double cylinder deadbolts put into doors that have glass in and/or around them. Could this be due to building codes? I hope not! Either way, after you take ownership of a house, you do what you need to in order to make your home more secure for you and your family. Of course, I’m not giving legal advice here.

Consideration: Some quality locks with longer (deeper) throws may not fit door jambs where glass is on the side where the strike plate goes. A longer throw may not be able to go as deep due to where the glass likely stops. This is not ideal.

Protective Films

There are protective films that can be applied to glass that can make it more difficult to break. However, it generally needs to be applied to solid, flat panes of glass; and it may not maintain the look you were hoping for once applied. Additionally, it can get to be a bit expensive depending on the amount of glass needing to be covered.

Grills

No, not the cooking kind. We are talking about steel security grills being another option to consider when glass is in use in or around a door; but they may be ‘ugly’ to some.

Cover and Privacy

One consideration for those with glass in their doors or the frames is some sort of covering such as tint, blinds, or curtains; but again, all of those will change your view and the appearance of the affected entryway. Another option is to utilize frosted glass. Whatever you choose, you shouldn’t be giving everyone an easy, clear view into your home.

The Extreme Option

The last resort would be to replace any door or frame space with glass with a solid option to provide an overall more secure entry. This would obviously require the most effort and be the most expensive to implement. I do not expect most would choose this approach.

Glass around or in a door can be pretty; but it may not be practical when it comes to your and your family’s security.

Frame

Replace any stock screws used in the hinges and to hold the strike plate in place with 3-3.5 inch screws. This allows for a much deeper connection into a door’s frame making it more difficult to kick in. Next to locking your doors, this is the minimum security measure you want to take for front door in order to make it less attractive to the bad guys.

Consideration: If there is glass on either side of a door, the recommended longer screws may not work due to where the glass starts within the surrounding frame itself. In other words, shorter screws are necessary as the longer screws would penetrate past where the glass is. This is another reason why glass down one side or the other of a door is not ideal.

Additional Items

If you are so inclined, you can always consider additional security measures for your front (or back) door such as:

• Elongated strike plate.
• Jamb shield.
• Door wrap.
• Door reinforcement lock.
• Strike plate lock.
• Door barricade.
• Security bar.
• Horizontal security bar.

Any of these can serve to further fortify a door in efforts to prevent or at least hamper someone trying to break in. They serve to compound any other front door security measures you put into place.

Another item to note is that many of these will have varying degrees of aesthetic impact to the inside of a doorway. In other words, some of the items may in fact make the inside of your door less attractive to you. Looks or your family’s security? Your choice.

Security System

I read something more recently citing that something like only 25% of houses in the U.S. have security systems. I get it. They can be expensive; and some may feel they are just unnecessary maybe due to where they live. I will submit, however, that you should consider having a quality security system installed, many of which you may be able to install yourself.

You will want to at least ensure all of your doors are covered and at minimum first-floor windows. After that, you can consider upstairs windows and things like motion sensors placed in key areas, like main living spaces or garages, etc.

Many window sensors will have glass breaking sensors; but you will want to confirm. And, you can tie in smoke detectors and security cameras into many systems. Your sales representative should be able to guide you.

And most importantly, you will want to have your system monitored as there is no guarantee any alarm will scare anyone off, even though they can be loud and obnoxious, or anyone else will hear or pay attention to it. Your alarm being monitored is key for having law enforcement dispatched, especially if you live out in the sticks (that’s slang for when you live out in the middle of nowhere).

Bonus Tip: To try and save some money, look to smaller independent security companies where things like installation and monitoring can be less expensive. Sure, the big boys may practically give away their equipment at times; but they make it up with their monitoring fees or even installation. Shop around like anything else; and do not be pressured into anything.

Cameras

It seems cameras are sometimes said to not be much of a deterrent as a security measure. I am not sure why this is, as I think they can be effective if they are placed in the right spots. Plus, they definitely will allow you to see what is going on around your house, including your front (and back) door.

While they do get talked about for supposedly not being effective in deterring crime, it is interesting that they are referenced as being at least partly effective in deterring bad guys from breaking into our residences, which is nice. So, yes, I recommend everyone consider putting up quality cameras around their properties with a focus on the front door (and back), the driveway and garage/carport area, any places that are more difficult to see, and those you feel you would just like some visibility into, and in that order of priority.

Landscaping

Keep shrubs, bushes, and tree limbs cut back and cleared away from the house and your doors. Doing so eliminates possible hiding places and allows light in too. Plus, keeping things groomed helps your house look cared for, like someone is around regularly.

Renting or Leasing?

For those that do not own a property, some of these security measures may or may not be options. Be sure to get your landlords permission before tackling any security measures on your own or to see if your landlord is willing to do any of them for you, as a tenant. If you’re renting or leasing, you still have the right to be safe and secure. It is something to take into consideration before committing to any rental property or lease.

Conclusion

Nothing is 100% guaranteed. All we can do is make sure we have done our part to make our homes more secure through our front door security measures. Our job is to proactively make things as difficult as possible for the bad guys. We can do this by hampering the efforts of anyone with nefarious intent when making our front (and back) door less attractive as an entry point. Keeping ourselves and our families safe and secure is 100% our responsibility. This is true even when we may want to live the way we think the world should be.

What security measures do you take for your front door? Leave them in the comments below.

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