Most burglars work with a system. Burglars often leave signs on the property itself, so that they can identify it quickly when they come back. Learn which signs to look out for, and you’ll be able to protect your home from break-ins more effectively.

Most burglaries occur between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., since that’s a prime timeframe where many homes are not occupied. Our research for this month’s issue found a lot of new and interesting facts about home burglaries and their criminals.

Accessing Unlocked Doors & Windows Tactic: Most burglars like to operate without forced entry. More than 60% of thieves come through unlocked doors and windows. Two thirds of break in entries are through the front or back door, or a ground floor window.

These are the most common points of entry for home break-ins:

1. Front door: 34% of burglars twist the doorknob and walk right in.
2. First-floor windows: 23% use a first-floor open window to break into your home.
3. Back door: 22% come in through the back door.
4. Garage doors: 9% gain entrance through the garage.

At night, turn on your lights, open your curtains and walk around the exterior of your home. You’ll see what’s visible to a burglar from your yard or sidewalk. Then have someone turn off the lights in your home. You may be surprised how much you can still see from street level.

Burglars Know Where to Find the Goods One of the first things most people don’t think about is a burglar typically is looking for a suitcase, bag, or pillow case to use for carrying out all of the stolen goods. Then, they open drawers and look on counters for a jewelry box or drawer full of jewelry.

Ring promises to “make neighborhoods safer” by deterring and helping to solve crimes, citing its own research that says an installation of its doorbell cameras reduces burglaries by more than 50 percent. Thirteen were able to confirm arrests made after reviewing Ring footage, while two offered estimates.

Ring will now let its police partners publicly request video footage from users through its Neighbors app. The change ostensibly gives Ring users more control when police can access their doorbell footage, but ignores privacy concerns that police can access users’ footage without a warrant.

Markey added that Ring’s policies “are an open door for privacy and civil liberty violations.” “Ring does not own or otherwise control users’ videos, and we intentionally designed the Neighbors Portal to ensure that users get to decide whether or not to voluntarily provide their videos to the police.

The Tamper-Proof Cover uses a unique locking mechanism to prevent strangers from stealing your device. Ring devices are designed with security screws to mount them to the home, making them difficult to remove without proper tools.

six to 12 months

Run your camera’s power cable along a hidden route in the room, such as behind furniture or shelving, so that it’s harder to spot and unplug. For an even tidier look, you can install cable clips to help keep the power cord attached to the wall. Check your local hardware store for availability.

Extremely cold weather has unfortunate effects on lithium-ion batteries such as those used in Ring devices. As the temperature drops, these batteries begin to have trouble holding a charge and if it gets cold enough, they’ll stop working altogether.

No. Everything you need to install your Ring device including tools, screws, and wires is included in the box when you purchase the product.