While people in urban and suburban neighborhoods are far from being free of crime and threats related to home invasion, they at least benefit from the fact that services like police and neighborhood watch groups can keep an eye on their property without being eternally vigilant. For those who live in remote areas as well as those that may live in rural areas where the home is far from the road - maintaining a secure home brings with it a series of unique concerns that need to be addressed. Let's take a look at some things that every man should consider if they want to keep their home and family safe and secure when living in a remote place.
Living remotely can take many meanings, but for the sake of argument, we’re talking about anyone that lives outside of cities or towns. You’ve got a home, probably in the countryside, that’s surrounded by fields and greenery. If it takes you more than five minutes to walk to your nearest neighbor, then you live remotely!
As you can deduce from the title, there’s a problem that comes with living remotely. You tend to lack the security of more urban settings. If your house is on a street, you’ve got hundreds of eyes keeping unofficial watch. Some properties are in gated communities, offering even more security. Out in the country, there’s very little stopping someone from breaking into your home. In fact, if they know people live there, they can easily plan a burglary.
With that in mind, how do you beef up security when living in a remote setting? It can be challenging, but here are some ideas to try:
Walls - prevent people from reaching your home and property without authorization
Surveillance - know who's coming before they reach your home and record them incase something happens.
Defense - protect yourself in case of emergency should the wrong person reach your home and threaten your family.
Install Walls Around Your Property
Yes, it’s nice living out in the open, but you have to enclose your property somehow. We're not suggesting that you turn your home into a fortress but the saying that "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" is more true than most people will want to admit. Additionally, we have to assume that most people will respect boundaries - while malicious people will find ways to breach barriers regardless of how formidable.
As a result, we suggest that you consider installing a perimeter of some sort to define your property line. If you are on a ranch with many acres of land, this could be as basic as a wire fence so that hunters, hikers, or trespassers will at least know that your property isn't some open public land.
In certain circumstances you may also want privacy fencing or shrubs around the house itself to add an extra level of privacy as well as a fence around the house itself to both help keep kids and pets in ... as well as intruders out.
As a final layer of protection around the perimeter of your property, consider adding a gate with flanking walls on your driveway to make it challenging for folks to circumvent the gate if they want to gain access to your home by vehicle.
Consider A Surveillance System
We’re lucky to live in a world where some pretty advanced surveillance technology is available for regular people. Depending on your needs, it might be good enough to simply install some CCTV cameras and motion sensors on your own, or you may want to work with a security consultant to design a surveillance system.
Immediately, you have two things: a way to deter thieves, and a way to spot them.
It’s easy to be paranoid in the evenings, looking out from your window with some binoculars. This paranoia can be put to bed with a CCTV/motion sensor system. You’ll instantly be alerted if there is movement from the sensors, and then you can use the cameras to take a look.
Good Home Defense Is The Ultimate Protection
While motion sensors and surveillance are beneficial, they often aren’t enough. Home defense has to come from you and your family.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with firearms training, at least through the basics of firearm safety and self-defense in preparation for a home invasion scenario. Taking classes can also give you an added layer of mental preparation for these circumstances, as there is more to defending your home than simply having a weapon on hand.
Likewise, it helps if all members of the family know important details about the property - such as alarm codes, hiding places, emergency exits and contact information - so that everyone will be prepared if needed.
Finally, in remote areas, it might not be good enough to simply know how to escape the house to reach safety so installing a safe room is an option that you should consider. This will allow you to contact authorities and still be secure till they are able to arrive and help rescue you.
Remote Areas Can Be Wonderful But You Gotta Be Prepared
In conclusion, living remotely presents unique security challenges that not every homeowner has to deal with. But, by taking advantage of the technology available and preparing yourself and your family for emergency situations, you can successfully protect yourself from potential threats.
Ultimately, good home defense is the ultimate protection from intruders or criminals looking to harm you or your family. So be prepared!
You see, there are plenty of threats when you live remotely, which is why you must consider security more sternly than you would in an urban setting. It might seem extreme but think about it as all part of home ownership. You love your house - and your family - and wish to keep them safe. Taking a few extra steps to secure a remote property will help you do just that.
