Best Security Practices For Garden Offices
Garden offices have gained popularity among those working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, providing a peaceful space that encourages productivity while simultaneously cutting commute times.
However, security must always remain a primary consideration in garden offices. Garden office owners must protect their equipment against physical threats as well as secure any sensitive data stored therein.
Secure Your Doors and Windows
Garden offices can add extra space and provide you with a dedicated workspace at home, but as they’re separate structures from your house and contain expensive items, it is crucial that they’re protected properly if you work from home.
Garden offices can sometimes become targets for burglars because of their timber construction and isolation from main residence. Thankfully, quality garden offices often follow house-like construction standards when constructed so as to remain just as secure as your primary house.
One of the best ways to secure your garden office is with door and window opening sensors. These simple devices can be fitted directly onto windows and doors and will set off an alarm whenever someone approaches, alerting you immediately. There are even systems available which allow you to check whether it was one of your family members who triggered it instead of someone outside – saving any unnecessary trauma from occurring.
If your garden office features large windows, double or triple glazed windows may be beneficial in deterring thieves from breaking in easily. Lockable handles should also be fitted to these windows to stop anyone opening them quickly.
Installing motion sensor lights is another effective security measure, as they will detect when someone attempts to gain entry and flash in order to deter criminals from breaking in. You can adjust sensitivity levels depending on your needs and requirements.
Consider installing a security safe in your garden office to store valuable equipment and files you must keep safe, as this will add another layer of protection and be difficult to crack or open without breaking its seal. Alternately, portable items could be moved inside or covered so as to not attract intruders passing by.
Install a Security Alarm
Garden offices have become more prevalent since working from home became necessary during the Covid-19 pandemic, yet they’re not immune from security risks. Burglars tend to target properties containing valuable items they can easily take. To address these challenges, it is wise to employ an effective security strategy by employing both physical and digital measures that protect against intrusions into your garden office space. By keeping everything private while making use of digital security features you can help make sure it remains a peaceful working space.
Security alarms are one of the most essential features in any garden office, providing protection from intruders by sounding an audible alarm when activated and discouraging them from breaking in or helping catch criminals red handed. Depending on what kind of alarm system you have installed, it may even connect to an ARC for quick notification to keyholders and/or police in case of an attempted break-in.
Your garden office should be protected with either hardwired alarm system, or wireless system you can manage from your smartphone. Either will detect various activities within and alert you whenever there is activity detected within. Plus, CCTV integration means you’ll know exactly who comes and goes through your office doors!
Install motion-sensing lights to your garden office to further deter burglars. These lights can be set to activate automatically when they detect movement, emitting bright illumination of any intruders who come near. Furthermore, having your office face towards the house ensures any suspicious individuals can easily be noticed by those living within.
Security safes are another great way to keep your garden office secure by providing you with an area to store the items most valuable to you, like laptops and equipment. They can be placed either inside your garden office or the main house and offer you somewhere secure to keep your belongings when not being used. Whenever portable items cannot be moved easily into either, cover them up so they are no longer on display.
Install Security Cameras
Garden offices have grown increasingly popular as a result of changes to working practices and commuter patterns during the COVID19 pandemic, providing people looking to work from home an ideal solution. Unfortunately, however, garden offices also present themselves as easy targets for burglars due to their close proximity to main houses and potentially holding valuable equipment like laptops which contain sensitive business information.
As such, it’s vital that proper garden security measures be put in place in order to prevent these attacks on your office garden. A simple alarm system or more advanced CCTV solution may prove extremely effective at discouraging criminals from targeting it.
Garden offices use doors and windows fitted with multi-point locking systems similar to those found in houses, making it very difficult to break in. Unlike sheds which typically feature thin timber skin walls, garden offices feature thicker layers creating a strong structure which would take more time and effort for thieves to break into. Doors that open inwards protect hinges while windows that can be locked from within can be particularly effective if equipped with locking handles for ease of access from within the structure.
There is a wide range of CCTV systems to fit every budget, such as smart home integrations that link with voice assistants and enable control with your phone. Some systems feature night vision capability and infrared imaging as well as alert capabilities configured to alert you of any movement around your office space; others can even be activated by heat or motion sensors.
Alternatively, consider positioning it closer to the house by angling it towards it – this will signal to any intruders casing the building that there’s someone watching from inside and may discourage further attempts by them to enter your garden office. It would also help if any IT equipment were to become stolen; with asset marking kits readily available in case it needs returning or replaced quickly and efficiently.
Keep Your Valuables Out of Sight
Garden offices can be great additions to any home and provide work-from-home opportunities for many people, yet these outdoor structures pose unique security threats that must be considered when making this decision. Here are some tips for protecting your garden office against break-ins.
First and foremost, make sure all access points to your garden office are secure. Install a lockable door or implement an access control system requiring codes in order to gain entry – these steps will deter burglars while guaranteeing only you have access to it and thus reducing theft of personal possessions from being lost or taken.
Install a CCTV camera in your garden office that you can remotely monitor with smart devices. Such cameras can detect movement and send alerts or live images directly to your phone when there is any. They provide an invaluable way to keep an eye on work and property when not present.
Position your garden office so it faces towards your house rather than away, to make it easier to see who comes and goes from it and serve as a deterrent against criminals who may attempt a break-in. Motion sensor lights may also prove helpful as they can detect movement around it and be activated to trigger alarms, making thieves think twice before breaking in! Motion detector lights with alarm systems may further deter thieves by drawing their attention away and scaring off potential victims.
Consider securing all windows in your garden office with shutters or strong locks. This will prevent anyone from breaking through to access your possessions; thieves often target tools, exotic plants and garden ornaments stored outdoors as potential targets.
Your garden office should also be protected with security markings like UV marking or etching to identify it and help police trace it if stolen.