6 Home Security Product Must-Haves That Will Make You Safer

I was once asked, “If there were only 5 security products for you to choose from, what would they be, and why would you choose them?” After giving it some thought, I came up with 6 must-have products that will make you safer.

The 6 must-have products that will make you safer are:

1) A Composite Door with a Dead-bolt lock
2) The Kimber Pepper Blaster II Pepper Spray Dispenser
3) The SimpliSafe Home Security System
4) A Roadside Emergency Kit
5) A Portable Door Bar
6) Surfshark VPN

A Composite Door with a Dead-bolt Lock

Not all doors are the same, but there is one type of door that stands head and shoulders above the others. It is called a “Composite Door”. If I were to build a home or replace my front door, this is the type of door that I would purchase.

Ask a home builder what type of door they recommend for home use, (I’m not talking about filthy rich homes, I’m talking bout a door for the average user), and undoubtedly, they would recommend a Composite Door.

What makes this door so special?

One can’t even take out a composite door with a sledgehammer. Take a look at the video below, (start at the 16 second mark).

Dead-Bolt locks are still considered to be the most reliable locks, and for that reason, this type of door lock has to be on the list of “must-have” products, one that extends through the doorframe and well into the walls of the house. Couple the composite door with a dead-bolt lock that extends through the door frame, and you will be super safe, (yes, I invented the word, super-safe, but you get the point).

Kimber Pepper Blaster II

Pepper Spray is a “must-have” on my list of “must-haves”, but I want to bring your attention to the delivery method of that Pepper Spray.

My son-in-law introduced me to the Kimber Pepper Blaster and swears by this, and that says a lot coming from him, given that he is a very security conscious guy. It actually looks like a very concealed gun, and can be holstered on your belt. It’s also legal everywhere.

To quote myself in an article I wrote, called, “Is Pepper Spray Good for Self Defense?”,

This small pepper blaster will shoot 2 separate shots of 4 million scoville heat units at 90 mph at a distance of up to 15 feet. When dispensed, it shoots out a “puff” of smoke, (not a stream), the ideal shot should be dispensed anywhere from 8 – 13 feet for maximum effectiveness.

I chose this this device as one of my must-have products because it is effective, compact, and cost effective. You would do well to add this device to your arsenal of security must-haves as it can be used anywhere, be it indoors or outside.

Simply Safe Home Security System

I personally own a SimplySafe Home Security System. When comparing it to other home security systems, it was a no-brainer decision on my part. Below are some of the reasons why I use SimplySafe.

Build to Order

I love that I can buy only what I need. I’m not forced to choose Option A, B, or C. I can build it to meet MY needs, not the needs of their business model. If I only have a small apartment, I don’t need to buy a “package” that is way more than I could even use.

On the other hand, if I have a huge house with lots of entry ways, I could go to town and buy as many security components as I need. I could even sell some or all of them online if I decided that I didn’t want to use SimpliSafe anymore. It is entirely up to you, and you are in complete control.

No Contract

One of the great things about SimplySafe is that when using their services, you are not tied to a 2+ year contract with fees and penalties if you “cancel”.

If you get laid off of work and are home all the time and don’t feel the need for a home security system, no problem. Simply call them and discontinue your service. There are no fees or penalties, in fact, because there is no contract.

Low Cost

The cost of the components are fair. It comes out to be .50 a day for their Standard plan and .83 a day for their Interactive plan. Think of that for a minute. You can protect your home for .50 a day.

For your convenience, I pulled the following table from SimpliSafe’s website

Service	Interactive	Standard
24/7 Monitoring + Dispatch information
Built-in Cellular Connection information
24/7 Fire Monitoring & Fire Department Dispatch information
Unlimited Camera Recording & Evidence Capture information
Emergency Medical Response & Dispatch information
On-Demand Video Recording information
Visual Alarm Verification with Priority Police Dispatch information
Advanced Phone Alerts & Family Friend Alerts information
Private Notifications for Access to Cabinets, Safes and more information
Arm your system with Alexa or Google Assistant information
Water Damage Detection & Monitoring information
Dangerous Temperature Detection & Monitoring information
Better Home Insurance Discounts information
NO CONTRACTS. CANCEL ANY TIME.	83¢/day  MOST POPULAR	50¢/day

When you purchase their products, you don’t feel like you are getting ripped off, and you are not renting what you purchase, you actually own them, which brings me to my next point.

Access Your Home Security System from Anywhere

I love gadgets, especially if it has to do with my iPhone, iPad or computer. With SimpliSafe, you can turn your home security system on as you are pulling out the driveway by simply tapping a button on your phone. Likewise, you can disable it the same way. Heck, you can enable it or disable it from across the entire country, or even from another country if you wanted!

Take it With You

One really nice thing about SimplySafe is that when you move, you can take it with you. This is no small thing. Anything that you purchase from SimpliSafe can easily be moved from one location to another. This is great news for renters. The investment you make into your home security system is yours forever. Weather you move one time, or 50 times, your SimpliSafe home security system will work in your home every time.

When you install SimpliSafe, it will take about 45 minutes to set up, . . . . and keep in mind that I’m not a handy-man construction kind of guy . . . at all. Because I’m not a construction kind of guy, I love that it does not require one to completely re-wire their house, running lines inside walls from one room to another. There is no need to hire construction workers to install SimpliSafe. You can do it all within 45 minutes because it is entirely wireless.

I chose this home security system as one of my must-have products because it is easy to implement, portable, and very cost effective. I really don’t think you will be disappointed with this home security system.

Roadside Emergency Kit

Have you ever driven down the highway on a figgy night, only to see a stranded vehicle with its flashers on at the last second? It’s unnerving to say the least, and every time I see that car, I feel bad for them. Not because they are stranded but because they can’t be seen, which increases their risk of getting hit from behind.

If you drive, you need a roadside emergency kit. I’m talking about the kind that has all of the following. If your “kit” does not have some of these items, stop at your local Walmart and pick the up the missing items.

• A good set of jumper cables
• A portable air compressor
• A powerful flashlight, or a hand crank flashlight, (because batteries die)
• 2 or 3 reflective warning triangles
• Tow rope
• 1X Emergency Hammer
• 1X Emergency Poncho
• An emergency blanket (wool blanket)
• A heat blanket (some call it a space blanket)
• A pair of gloves so that you can change a tire without getting all dirty.
• Bungee cords
• Cable ties
• Electrical Tape
• Duct Tape (If it’s good enough for Apollo 13, it’s good enough for you)
• A First Aid kit

I chose a roadside emergency kit as one of my must-have products because it would be foolish not to have this stored in the trunk of your car. You can easily obtain all of the items listed in the kit I created, or buy one with everything in it. They are extremely effective, compact, and cost very effective.

Portable Door Bar

A portable door bar is widely used all over the world, and for good reason. It just prevents people from opening the door. Couple this with a composite door that has a dead-bolt lock that extends well into the door frame, and an intruder is just not going to make it through the front door, period.

This is an easy to use bar that is used in apartments in places like New York City, Chicago, and every other major city where the crime rate is high, (or where the perceived crime rate is high).

The one thing that I really like about this is the feeling you get when you see that bar in place. You just feel secure. You know that it works because you can see that it works. You can try opening the door yourself and see just how obstinate that door becomes when you apply force, but it’s not going to move.

I chose this this device as one of my must-have products because it is so easy to use and yet so effective. It offers so much protection for the money.

Surfshark VPN

Remember, security also includes keeping you safe online. In short, a VPN makes you invisible on the internet. To quote Surfshark:

We encrypt all the internet traffic sent to and from your device. Also, we hide your IP address to make sure nobody can see what you do online. On top of that, we block ads, trackers, malware and phishing attempts.

Companies have been using a VPN for years to protect their data from prying eyes. With SurfShark, you can now get all the benefits of a VPN when using any and all of your personal devices that access the internet.

There are other VPN services out there, so why do I like Surfshark? Because they over-deliver and under-charge.

With your subscription, you get all of the following, regardless of which plan you subscribe to.

• CleanWeb
  CleanWeb works as an adblocker when surfing the internet. It blocks ads and malicious links on your browser.
• Whitelister
  With Whitelister, you can choose which websites are not accessed or which apps are not going through the VPN.
• Multihop
  Multihop is a feature that allows your internet connection to hop from one server to another. This adds yet another layer of protection should you need it.
• Kill Switch
  When enabled, if for some reason you happen to disconnect from one of the Surfshark servers, your internet connection will promptly drop until you reconnect to a Surfshark VPN server.

With your monthly subscription of only $2.49 you get to connect UNLIMITED devices at the SAME TIME, and it runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, iPadOS, and even FireTV Stick apps!

Surfshark VPN is a must-have for me, because with it, I can ensure that all of my devices are safe from hackers, and free from advertisers.

I chose Surfshark VPN as one of my must-have products because it is works. It works on all of my devices, (Desktop computer, Laptop, tablet, Smartphone, Windows, Linux, Mac), and is ridiculously inexpensive. They even offer a 30 day trial!

Closing Thoughts

My list of “must-have” security products may differ from yours, but perhaps in reviewing my list, you might find a product you had not considered. The goal of this article was to help expand your thinking to other areas of security that you may have otherwise overlooked. Just remember, that when you think about security, it not only includes you personally, but your family and your online activity.