The Spring Security Reset: 5 Front Porch Upgrades for a Safer Spring

Spring ushers in brighter days and more time spent outdoors, but with that comes increased activity outside our front porch. Along with growing foliage reducing visibility, this makes it more difficult to spot suspicious activity, particularly as we spend more time away from home.

To keep your porch secure and protect spring deliveries from being stolen, security professionals have revealed five simple but highly effective fixes that improve your home security this season.

So, to be able to go away for the weekend and not worry about your home, these are the five simple but effective upgrades you can make for true peace of mind.

5 Easy Front Porch Upgrades for a Safer Home This Spring

'Spring represents a critical period to reassess porch security,' explains Jeff Ketelaars, co-founder of Security Guards Only. 'As the weather improves in northern states, outdoor activity increases, making pedestrian presence more common and less suspicious.'

It's also the time of year when foliage grows, reducing visibility, and people start to vacation away, leaving homes unattended. It's the ideal time to invest in your home security, and here are five expert-recommended ways to do so that are easy to install and less expensive than you may think.

1. A Solar-Powered Camera for Effortless Security

A solar-powered camera is a simple, affordable, and easy-to-install upgrade that can instantly improve your home security. It provides a clear view of your front porch from a vantage point, meaning you get a broader view of the surrounding area, too.

'A solar floodlight camera combines bright motion-activated lighting with recording, so it both startles someone and captures evidence without wiring,' shares Gene Petrino, lead advisor at Security.org.

This combination of evidence capture and active deterrence makes it one of the best security measures for a house.

Moreover, the benefit of solar power is that you don't have to wire cables around your property and protect them from the elements, a challenging task that requires savvy DIY skills. In winter, you may have to occasionally charge the battery yourself, but now that it's spring, there is no shortage of natural energy.

The Reolink GO Ultra at Amazon is a stand-out choice, with 4K picture quality and human detection, that can hold 24 hours of battery life from just 10 minutes of solar charging.

2. An Interactive Video Doorbell

While a solar-powered outdoor camera is a strong and fuss-free security solution, one of the best video doorbells adds a layer of deterrence and closer interaction. As a video doorbell is positioned directly at your front door, it captures facial features, uniform branding, and even vehicle registration plates if the resolution is high enough.

'I would start with a video doorbell,' recommends Kortney Paul, president and CEO of Ideal Partners. 'Many models can be installed by your average homeowner and provide instant benefits, such as real-time alerts, two-way communication with visitors, and recorded footage of activity around your front porch.'

You can also speak to anyone lingering by your front door, either with your own voice or using preset responses.

Certain video doorbells have anti-intruder sirens, too, such as the Arlo 2K and the Philips 7000 Series that we loved after weeks-long testing. These sirens offer active deterrence against porch pirates and potential intruders, as the loud noise attracts attention from neighbors, eliminating the opportunity of slipping away unnoticed.

Now that it's spring and the sunshine is brighter, video doorbells are a stand-out home security choice as they have software that adapts the video for dynamic lighting. So, if a person is backlit on a sunny day, the camera can adjust so that facial features are still visible.

3. Motion-Activated Lighting to Increase Visibility

Rod Sides, president & CEO at Loxx Boxx, advises that camera-based options are most useful when paired with outdoor lighting: 'Motion-activated lighting eliminates dark corners and makes a porch feel less inviting to linger on.'

Motion-activated lighting is particularly useful because, for potential intruders, it creates the feeling of being seen. As opportunists thrive in moments of low visibility, this directly affects how easily your home appears targetable.

'Spring is the right time to act because foliage can hide sightlines as it grows, people travel more, and the moving season increases vacant or staged homes that attract attention,' Gene advises.

4. A Smart Lock for Tighter Protection

Smart locks can remove the need for a key, offering greater protection against break-ins. They can be unlocked using a keypad, your smartphone, or often biometric methods such as your fingerprint or palm veins.

'Smart locks improve security by giving homeowners more control and visibility over access. Instead of handing out spare keys, you can create unique entry codes for family members, house cleaners, or dog walkers and remove those codes whenever access is no longer needed,' explains Garrett Lovejoy, SVP and general manager of connected security at Fortune Brands Innovations.

The eufy Smart Lock C33 is an inexpensive, highly rated option that offers fingerprint and keypad unlocking. If you pair it with a video doorbell, you can also unlock the door for couriers while you're out of the house.

5. A Parcel Drop Box for Secure Deliveries

Finally, a parcel box is a guaranteed way to prevent opportunists from quickly taking packages left on your doorstep.

'If you want one upgrade that actually stops porch theft specifically, it’s a secure, physical drop solution: A lockable parcel box or secure delivery receptacle that keeps packages out of sight and out of reach,' recommends Rod Sides.

A large parcel box can be a more stylish addition to your front porch decoration than you may think, too. The Architectural Mailboxes Elephantrunk Parcel Drop Box at Amazon is one such option, designed to match the architectural style of your home's exterior, offering a safe location for parcels to be left while you're out of the house.

Next, learn how easy it is to improve home security as a renter.

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