How to Secure Your Home

How to Keep Your Home Safe & Secure

Your home is a space to unwind, relax, and connect with family. In other words, it’s a safe place. At myQ, we’re here to make sure it stays safe—both when you’re home and when you’re not.

If you’re wondering how to secure your home more effectively, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to discover our favorite smart technology products for 24/7 access and monitoring. Cameras, garage controls, smart locks, and more—learn how to combine everyday convenience with airtight security.

From securing entry points to creating a layered security approach, these are our home security tips and tricks.

How to Secure Your Home: Essential Tips for Modern Homeowners

Home security technology is one of the most comprehensive ways to keep your home safe. And we don’t just mean your physical property—although that certainly stays secure. We also protect your loved ones. From family members to furry friends, all home residents can stay safe with smart home security measures.

It should come as no surprise then that over 40 million homes in the US use a security system. But let’s break down the many reasons why.

Why Do I Need Home Security?

No matter how safe you think your neighborhood is, anything can happen, and your home can become the target of local crime. If you're wondering, "do I need a security system," consider that security measures can help you avoid or identify:

• Theft
• Break-ins
• Vandalism
• Property damage

What’s more, studies show that just the presence of a security system (like a video camera) deters burglars by 60%.

Monitor All Comings and Goings

Home security systems don’t just keep your home safe—they also keep you informed of all activity around your home. In addition to deterring crime, security systems can detect:

• When your kids get home
• Your dog chewing on a shoe
• Wild animals on the lawn
• Your neighbor knocking on the door

Thanks to smart technology, you can monitor activity in real-time, all from the convenience of an app.

Benefits of Smart Technology

Smart home security allows you to stay informed anytime, anywhere. In fact, 24/7 home monitoring is available right from your phone, offering a variety of customizable home security measures, such as indoor cameras, outdoor cameras, garage cameras, and more.

With smart features, you'll know not only what’s happening but also where and when.

Here’s how to keep your home safe with smart security.

Reinforce Your Doors & Entry Points with Smart Locks

Smart locks are a modern alternative to traditional physical locks. You won't have to worry about losing your keys, getting locked out, changing locks, or fumbling to unlock the door with your hands full. With smart locks, you can seamlessly secure your home’s entry points while enjoying keyless entry for you and your family.

Smart locks have many everyday benefits, allowing you to:

• Lock and unlock from anywhere – Forgot to lock the door? No problem. With a smart lock, not only will you be alerted, but you won’t even have to return home. Simply lock the door with the tap of a button on your smartphone.
• Share access – Grant family members and trusted individuals access to your smart lock via entry code or smartphone. It couldn’t be easier to let important people in even when you’re not home. The babysitter, dog walker, plumber—anyone can be granted access (and have it revoked just as quickly from the app).
• Receive in-garage deliveries – Securely receive Amazon packages thanks to smart lock technology, which automatically locks your house door during an in-garage delivery.
• Monitor door activity – By connecting video features to your smart lock, you can know exactly who comes in and out of your home (and when). Get notified at a moment’s notice when someone opens your door. Check that your kids got home from school, the dog walker took out your furry friend, or a relative came by to water the plants.

No traditional lock can provide enhanced security, convenience, and peace of mind like smart locks can.

Monitor Your Home with Indoor & Outdoor Security Cameras

Indoor and outdoor security cameras are key parts of smart home security. They protect your property while monitoring your loved ones. Knowing how to install security cameras properly ensures optimal coverage and maximizes their effectiveness.

Benefits of Real-Time Video Monitoring

Being able to monitor activity in and near your home provides unmatched peace of mind as a homeowner, whether you’re at work or out of town for the weekend.

In particular, these features offer enhanced security and convenience to your everyday life:

• Smart detection – Facial recognition technology allows cameras to provide intelligent alerts based on recognized individuals or unknown guests.
• Motion detection – People, pets, vehicles—you name it, and a smart security camera can detect it.
• Recordings – Security apps can store video data for a certain number of days, during which you can save or download video clips.
• Live streaming – Check in on your home anytime, anywhere via the myQ app. Access real-time streaming in the palm of your hand.
• 2-way audio – Stay in touch with video cameras that allow live, 2-way communication. The possibilities are endless—your kids can say hi when they get home, or you can tell Fluffy to stop scratching the couch.
• Alerts – Receive fast, customizable alerts based on motion detection, entry activity, and more.

Plus, as we mentioned earlier, the presence of a security camera helps significantly reduce the risk of burglary.

Where Should I Put Security Cameras?

While certain homes may require other setups, we generally recommend these key placements for security cameras .

Areas inside of the house include:

• Entry points (front or back door, garage entry door)
• High-traffic hallways
• Living rooms
• Pet areas

Areas outside of the house include:

• Doors
• Driveway
• Garage
• Large ground-floor windows
• Other non-residential structures (e.g., shed or pool house)

Of course, this is just a starting point, and every homestead is different. You may also prefer to have cameras in every room. Ultimately, it’s up to you!

Don’t Overlook Your Garage: Securing a Common Entry Point

Garages are a truly multipurpose area of the home, and it’s important to give them as much security as the rest of your property. Some homeowners only use the garage for car storage, some families solely enter and exit through the garage, and others use it recreationally (garage band, anyone?). No matter the case, if you’re not careful, a garage can become an access point for intruders.

Fortunately, you can keep your garage safe and secure with:

• Cameras – Monitor garage activity around the clock, from family entries to package deliveries. With a smart garage camera , you’ll receive real-time motion detection alerts right to your smartphone.
• Garage controller —Open and close your garage door wherever you are, for any reason. Did the kids forget to close it on the way out? Is your neighbor coming by to drop something off? No problem—control all movements from your app.
• Video keypad – Enjoy the best of both worlds a video keypad. Set unique PINs for family members and guests, schedule open and close times, monitor vehicle and visitor detection, and seamlessly connect to your garage door opener or smart controller.

Monitoring who enters and exits your garage, all while controlling access from your smartphone, is a crucial way to protect your home, family, and pets.

Final Home Security Tips & Next Steps

No matter how you choose to safeguard your home, always use a layered security approach.

Layered security is a buzzword for the digital workforce—you may have heard it in relation to IT and cybersecurity. When it comes to home protection, the methods are different, but the strategy is the same: Implement different lines of defense, at varying degrees of protection, to ensure holistic and comprehensive security across your entire home.

When implementing a layered security system, measures like smart locks and security cameras offer high levels of defense in terms of monitoring and control. Consider bolstering your security system and filling in any potential gaps with additional security measures, including:

• Motion sensors
• Automatic lights
• Alarm systems
• Video doorbells

Ultimately, layered smart security integration is the future of protecting your home. And by controlling all layers of security measures from an app, homeowners like you can always stay one step ahead.

Safeguard Your Home with myQ Smart Security

Safety is a top priority when it comes to your home and loved ones. That’s why at myQ , we’re committed to making access and security a simple part of your busy life.

Our smart locks, security cameras, garage controls, and related products can be easily managed from the myQ app, providing seamless control at your fingertips. Plus, with myQ Video Monitoring , you can stay on top of every movement in and around your home thanks to vehicle, animal, person, face, and motion detection technology.

Take advantage of 24/7 live streaming and 2-way audio communication, available in up to 1080p HD. Need to monitor access after the fact? Optionally record and save all video footage for up to 30 days. Clips can be downloaded and shared straight from the myQ app, where we keep all data safe in our encrypted cloud.

At myQ, we know how to protect your home—and what matters most—from the inside out. Shop our top-of-the-line home security products today.

Sources:

Consumer Affairs. Home security statistics 2025. https://www.consumeraffairs.com/homeowners/home-security-statistics.html.

Yale. What is a smart lock? https://www.yalehome.com/global/en/stories/news/what-is-a-smart-lock

Forbes. Layered Security: A Holistic Approach For The Modern Workplace. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2021/06/08/layered-security-a-holistic-approach-for-the-modern-workplace/.