Today, it is important to securely protect your home and family. These days you can't leave your doors unlocked and your windows open.

A professional burglar can defeat an ordinary alarm system and probably pick any lock, but these things do take time and add to the chances of the burglar getting caught.

The lock on your entrance door is your first line of defense against unwanted intrusions. The most common type of lock today is the pin-tumble variety that is opened with a matching key with the right number of accurately spaced notches. When the key is inserted and turned, a number of individual tumblers inside the lock cylinder are raised by the correct amount due to the notches on the key being cut to a precise depth. Before the cylinder can be turned, all the tumblers must be lined up by the key. Of course, the lock will be harder for the burglar to pick if it has a larger number of pins. Buying quality locks makes sense, because it will take the burglar longer to pick a good quality, five-tumbler lock than an inexpensive, three-tumbler lock.

Deadbolts or deadlatches offer full resistance to prying or forcing and are the best type of lock. They make prying difficult because they have steel latch bolts that project far into thedoorjamb. A one-half inch projection is considered minimum, a one-inch is better. The bolt has a blunt end (not a sloping end like a spring latch) with a square or rectangular cross section. It's thickness should be a minimum of one-half inch. The best ones will have a round steel roller on the inside so that it is almost impossible to cut through it with a hacksaw blade.

Sliding glass doors can be made more secure by installing a sliding door lock that screws to the top and bottom of the fixed frame. A key-operated bolt prevents the door from sliding or from being lifted off its track.

Window locks also add extra protection from thieves. Most double-hung windows with conventional latches offer little resistance to intruders. Sliding a thin metal blade up between the two sash frames from the outside can give easy access. The catch releases in most cases with a sideways push.

Windows located on the first- or ground floor levels should be made secure with either a key lock or a simple pin inserted from the inside. The pin goes through the upper rail of the lower sash and the bottom rail of the upper sash. In a high-risk area if more protection is needed for basement or first floor windows, consider iron grilles or bars. These are best installed by a professional.

Another product to consider to secure your home is rolling security shutters. They can be opened and closed from inside the home, not from outside. They also serve as extremely effective thermal barriers. The less sun in your home the cooler it will be.

Burglar  systems  are  becoming  more  popular  today  for  the  home.  Any  system  can  be customized to secure your home. The perimeter-type alarm is one of the most dependable systems. Windows and doors are protected with a sensoring device that sets off the alarm as soon as someone tries to force his way in.

Space alarm systems or motion detectors sound off when someone is detected inside the room or area that  is being protected. Some models detect movement in a given area by ultrasonic sound waves. There are other models that use photoelectric cells and hidden light beams that sound an alarm when someone breaks a beam, and other systems make use of heat-detecting infrared rays that sense body warmth.

Research the various security systems that are on the market and check with a security system company for an estimate on a system to protect your home and family.