If your home insurance premiums go up every year, then the chances are that you happen to reside in one of the locations in Australia that suffer from break-ins. In order to reduce the chances of a burglary occurring, many Australians now choose to fit security screen doors as a counter measure. With your home more secure, it can mean you need to spend less on insurance as well as helping you to obtain greater peace of mind. However, not all security doors are the same, so what properties should you be looking for when choosing one product type over another?
Security Standards
If you want to make your home less attractive to would-be felons, then the mere appearance of a security screen or door is often enough. However, a screen does not need to meet any official standards in order to be marketed as a security product. Some are surprisingly flimsy and easy enough to remove with little more than a screwdriver. Therefore, always ensure that any security screen you choose for your door meets Australian Standard AS5039/2008. If it does, then it will be tough enough to deter even the most experienced burglars. Screens that meet this standard are the only sort that your insurer will be interested in, in terms of lowering your insurance costs.
Material Considerations
Security door frames are made from a variety of materials. Steel is common for framing a door screen and is a very strong material that is hard to force past. However, aluminium doors frames are often preferred if you live by the coast because this metal is much less reactive to sea air and corrodes less quickly. The grille that is installed on the frame needs to be as tough as the frame. Conventional aluminium mesh is generally not strong enough, but steel mesh frames are. Having said that, structural-grade aluminium perforated sheets are now sometimes used and these are a practical and cost-effective alternative to stainless steel.
Locks and Hinges
Fixed hinge pins are the best ones to look out for. When the security screen is shut, it becomes impossible to tamper with the hinge fixings so that the screen cannot be removed. Larger hinges are superior to smaller ones because they are harder to force out of the wall using a crow bar. Of course, a security screen also needs a lock or it is no good at all. Five-pin cylinder locks are preferable, and make sure the locking mechanism comes with a warranty period to ensure it will be long-lasting.
Share18 November 2016
Mobile technology has made such a difference to our lives. It can be a valuable tool to help your business stay secure as well. This can be as simple as having a feed from your security cameras that goes directly to your phone or tablet, or as complex as having an application that measures the distance between your staff and their computer and automatically alerts them if someone is trying to log onto their computer while they are away from their desk. Using mobile technology to your advantage can be a great way to enhance your security at an affordable cost.
