Old houses are a great choice for those who want a stylish dwelling at a more affordable price.
Unfortunately, this means you have to compromise on other aspects, such as security. As it is, older homes offer much less in terms of safety compared to modern designs. That means you might have to replace parts of your house such as antique doors and windows and consequently harm the looks of your place. However, it might be possible to give your older, stylish doors and windows a new lease of life and make them smart and safe. Below are some tips on how to achieve just that.
Instead of throwing away your old doors, consider installing a door access control system to increase the overall security of your place. If the solution above is too expensive for you, you can mount a simpler smart lock on your stylish door. Your old windows can benefit from smart sensors and even have the panes replaced with smart glass. Explore the tips below and learn how to make your older dwelling safer than ever!
Access Control System Could Save Your Old Door
Door access control systems are a great way to make your home safer. Rather than throwing away your priceless door because its antique lock is so easy to pick, you can simply stop relying on it entirely. Access control systems usually involve a door reader of some kind, allowing you to determine who gets access and who doesn’t.
One of the simpler solutions here involves installing a keypad reader. It’s much harder to defeat because it doesn’t rely on a physical key that can be stolen or substituted with something else. Instead, you use a combination of numbers or a passcode to unlock it. The only way someone will get it is if you tell them the right combination.
You can also opt for a swipe card or a fingerprint read system. However, both of them are a bit less optimal than the keypad option. As the name suggests, swipe card readers rely on magnetic cards which can be lost and used against you. On the other hand, fingerprint readers are often very expensive and might simply be too much of a commitment.
Consider Using a Smart Lock In Your Old Door
If the idea of installing an entirely new system seems like too much for you, you can choose a simpler solution. You can replace your easy-to-pick old lock with a smart solution. This way, the security of your home increases significantly without the need to install a stylistically mismatched modern door.
Investing in a smart lock is a great choice because of the convenience it offers. You no longer have to worry about leaving your keys somewhere or outright losing them. All you need is to connect your smart lock to the wifi at your home, and you can lock and unlock your door using authorised smartphones. This way, you can even let friends and family use your lock if they need access to the place while you are away.
There are two types of smart lock solutions that you can use – those that require you to replace the entire mechanism and those that fit over the existing lock with only minor modifications.
Place Smart Sensors Next To Your Old Windows
If you want to keep your old windows and doors, you can make them safer by fitting them with smart sensors. These sensors will detect any changes in the environment, such as a break-in attempt or a fire. The first thing you should do is to fit each window with a sensor. These sensors can be quite inexpensive but don’t require much work to install.
Some of them can be simply mounted on the glass pane, while others might require a more invasive approach. After you install the sensors, they should start monitoring the situation 24/7. When something out of the ordinary happens, they will notify you immediately. This way, you will be able to act immediately and try to stop the threat before something bad happens.
Replace The Panes With Smart Glass
Another way to improve the safety of your older windows is to replace their panes with smart glass solutions. Older glass is usually very thin and brittle, and a smart glass pane should be a noticeable improvement here – it can even be as strong as laminated and tempered safety glass.
But this is not the main function of smart glass. Its main selling point is that it can change the opacity based on the presence of electric current. To put it simply, you can make it look opaque by switching a button. It might be a good security measure to make your windows look frosted when you aren’t at home. This way, unwanted individuals won’t be able to see your possessions inside and may be less inclined to burglarise your home.
Conclusion
Older houses might seem like a bad choice for everyone who wants a safe and modern home. Don’t worry – there are ways to enhance the security of your place without having to throw away your antique doors and windows.
An access control system will make your doors much safer and more difficult to pick. A smart lock is a great choice for people who want to keep their old doors secure without breaking the bank. Smart sensors and smart glass are great safety additions to your old and stylish windows. Using these ideas, you can make your decades-old doors and windows much closer to contemporary solutions with minimal compromise on their retro looks. Good luck!
