5 Home Security Lessons Learned from Home Alone

There are many great holiday movies, but our favorite is easily the classic Home Alone. Why is it our favorite? The premise of the movie is how a young boy named Kevin McCallister comes up with innovative, do-it-yourself security measures to protect his home. The burglars are thwarted over and over. As a security company specializing in do-it-yourself home security systems, Kevin holds a special place in our hearts.

Now, we don’t agree with everything in the movie nor do we believe that this is how home security should be conducted. For example, Kevin should have called 911 immediately, not at the end of the movie. He should have also avoided confronting the burglars, but hey, that wouldn’t make much a movie!

Despite its faults, there are quite a few home security tips we can take from the movie. Here are our favorite home security lessons from Home Alone.

1. Get a motion detector.

   Kevin sets up a “motion sensor” so that when the burglar opened the door, a blowtorch turned on and burned the top of his head. Instead of going for this extreme route, a Motion Detector is the more sensible option. Its infrared sensors can detect movement in the dark to catch any sneaking burglars.

2. Lock the doors. 

   One of the burglars tried to enter through the front door, but ran into a problem. Kevin had heated up the doorknob to the door to extreme temperatures and caused the man’s hand to roast. A good defense, but we think just making sure it’s locked and protected by a door/window sensor is a better measure.

3. Lock the windows.
   

   The other burglar saw an open window and an opportunity. Kevin was already a step ahead and placed ornaments beneath it as a booby trap. Like the door, just make sure your windows are closed, locked and armed with a sensor.

4. Get to know your neighbors.

   A trusted neighbor can be extremely beneficial to keeping your home safe. Unfortunately for Kevin, he was terrified of his neighbor, who ended up saving him. Neighbors can help keep watch over your home while you’re away.

5. Make it seem like people are home.  

   The first time the burglars stopped at the McCallister home to break in, Kevin turned the lights and music on and controlled life-size cutouts to create the illusion of movement. A busy house is less likely to be a target. Take advantage of light timers, or better yet, integrate home automation into your security system.