During the summer, it's common to be away from home more often because you are on a business trip or just enjoying the nice weather outside your home. When you are away from your home, it may be at a greater risk of someone breaking into it. Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect your home.

Install an Alarm That Includes Cellular Monitors

Install an alarm system that is not connected to your power grid. Instead, install an alarm system that is connected to cellular monitoring. This means that a smart thief will not be able to cut the power and take out your alarm system. Your alarm system will be powered by batteries, and it will still go off and alert you via your phone if it is going off. That way, no one can sneak into your home, regardless of the power situation.

Use a Remote Monitoring Service

Next, use a remote monitoring service. That way, if your alarm goes off, it is not just sending out a loud, annoying noise. With a monitoring system, a call center will be notified that your alarm is going off. They will call you to verify the alarm and will send someone out to your home to check on things. They will notify the proper authorities and make sure that someone comes out and helps you.

Lock Up Your Home

You need to lock up your home when you leave. It can be tempting to leave the window open to allow the house to stay cool, but when you leave the home for the day or the weekend, you need to walk through and make sure that all the windows are not just shut but are also locked. Do the same for all your doors as well. An open window is an open invitation to your home.

Get Rid of the Hide-A-Key

Hide-a-keys are overdone. Almost every theft knows where to look for a hide-a-key. If you have someone outside of your family you want to have access to your home, give them a spare key. Don't hide one around the outside of your home that an unwanted guest could use to gain access. Ditch the hide-a-key; it's just an easy way to break into your home.

Add More Outdoor Lights

Finally, you need to add more outdoor lights that turn on automatically or are motion-activated. No one wants to break into a well-lit home; the entire point is to not be seen or noticed by anyone, and someone climbing into a window or forcing a door open on a house that is all lit up is more likely to get noticed than someone doing the same thing to a dark home. Add lights to the outside of your home.

Keep your home safe this summer by installing a cellular monitored alarm system that is connected to a monitoring center that is staffed 24/7. When you leave your home, shut and lock all the windows and doors. Ditch the hide-a-key, and add more lights to the outside of your home. For more information, you can contact companies like Sonitrol Security Systems.