How to Secure Your Home When Kids Go Back to School
Keep your family and your home safe, even when everyone’s busy
Keep your family and your home safe, even when everyone’s busy
Class is back in session, and that means children running to and from school, soccer practice, club activities, and so much more. With these changes comes an even greater need to protect your house and your family, even when you’re not able to be there. These home security tips will prepare you for this school year and the school years to come.
With summer over, your house is likely far less busy during the day than it was before. You’re off at work, the kids are off at school, leaving pets and other family members alone in the house — or leaving your house completely empty. That clockwork schedule creates a new opportunity for thieves to strike.
Securing your home during the school year means figuring out how your family’s departure and arrival times overlap so you can keep track of everything going on at the house. For example, if you work during the day, your kids will likely be home before you are. Meanwhile, package deliveries show up during the day when no one is available to receive them, meaning they’re left on the porch to potentially get snatched by porch pirates.
That’s where your video doorbell comes in. Setting up a security camera like the Arlo Video Doorbell to watch over the main entryway of your house allows you to see exactly who is coming, who is going, and when they show up or leave. Programming customized alerts via your security camera app will provide more specific information regarding who’s showing up, giving you a better chance at checking the feed or responding via 2-Way Audio if you need. They’ll help you give your kids a message at the front door when they arrive, notify delivery drivers where to hide packages, or do whatever you need to do to keep the front door safe, even if you’re not at home.
Setting up video cameras is only one piece of the puzzle. Check out these home security tips to ensure you and your entire family are ready to keep the house safe, even during the school year.
It can be easy to forget to lock a side door few people use during the day, but thieves are likely to try every entryway they can. Before you and the kids leave the house, make sure to ensure every door is locked and secured. Make it a daily routine so that the last person to leave goes around the house and checks each lock before they head out.
Some locks, home security systems, and other devices rely on a code in order to be activated or deactivated. Make sure your kids know and remember them so they can use these systems if they need to. These codes should not be written down for thieves to find, and they should not be shared with anyone outside of the immediate family or essential contacts. If you feel like a code has been compromised, change it immediately.
Sometimes emergencies happen when you’re unavailable. Having a contact available your children can trust can be incredibly helpful during these moments. Discuss this with a trusted neighbor or close family member, and make sure your kids have their phone number or other contact information handy should they need it.
Part of your back to school checklist should include taking some time to test out your entire security system. Check camera feeds, test out the lighting and audio, and confirm that your notifications are working like you expect them to. You’ll also discover if your security setup has any blindspots, which you can then fill with another camera like the Arlo Essential 3rd Gen.
Want to make sure your entire family’s on the same page should an emergency happen? The best way to do that is to create a home preparedness plan together and practice it. Take some time to think about potential emergencies your family might encounter in your neighborhood, find out if your family needs prescription medication or has dietary restrictions, and create some easy-to-follow steps to help get them safely away from any danger.
If you’re busy at work, you can’t always keep an eye on your security feed. Signing up for a security plan like Arlo Smart Aware can provide ‘round-the-clock human coverage of suspicious activity, automatically alerting you and first responders if the agent finds that the activity requires further investigation.
There’s more to home security than simply pointing a camera onto your property. You need a way to know exactly who’s showing up to your door so you can make the best security decisions for your family.
For example, Arlo Secure is powered by AI, which can detect specific people, objects, and other activity that happens regularly on camera. You could set up profiles for each of your children and other family members, and assign their names to your profile.
You will then receive a custom alert with that name attached whenever they show up on camera. That way, you’ll be able to easily tell the difference between the moments when your children show up at home after a long day at school or when a solicitor is knocking on your door.
Ultimately, home security should be something you don’t have to worry about until you need to. Arlo Secure is there to help make that happen.
Sign up for an Arlo Secure subscription and you’ll immediately receive a ton of helpful features and benefits, like:
Don’t wait until school’s out for summer. Pick up an Arlo camera, sign up for Arlo Secure, and keep your family safe all year long.
