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Door Frame Reinforcement Kits
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items After my neighbor's apartment got broken into through a flimsy door frame, I spent three months researching and testing every door reinforcement product I could find. If you rent or own and your front door feels like it would fold with one solid kick...
Sections
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Heavy Duty Strike Plates and Hardware
Deadbolts and Smart Locks Worth Trusting
Door Hinge Security Upgrades
Security Cameras and Doorbell Cameras
Motion Sensor Lights and Deterrents
New Section
The frame is where 90% of kick-ins happen. The wood just splits right around the strike plate. I watched a police demo video that kept me up at night, then ordered all of these within a week.
Grab this first. My original strike plate had three tiny screws holding it in. This thing wraps the entire jamb in steel. Took me 45 minutes to install and I'm not handy at all.
Door Armor MAX 5 Piece Door Reinforcement Kit
Use this if you want something that sits flush and looks like it was always there. My landlord didn't even notice I installed it, which was the whole point.
Door Armor MAX 5 Piece Door Reinforcement Kit
Pair this with a frame kit for double protection. The steel bar braces against the floor. My wife feels safe when I travel for work now, and that alone was worth the thirty bucks.
1 Pack Door Reinforcement Lock
Keep this by the door if you're in a ground floor apartment. Slides into a floor plate in two seconds. I sleep differently knowing a shoulder ram won't get through.
EverPlus Buy Two Save More
Toss this on every exterior door you have. It's a brushed nickel brace that goes above the knob. My back door used to rattle in the wind. Now it doesn't budge.
Prime-Line U 10827 Door Reinforcement Lock
Try this if you don't want to drill into your door at all. It sits at floor level and redirects force straight into the ground. Renters, this is your best friend.
Nightlock Door Barricade Heavy Duty Lock
Heavy Duty Strike Plates and Hardware
Those little gold strike plates that come standard with most doors are a joke. I pulled mine out with my fingers once just to see. Replacing them with real hardware took ten minutes and changed everything.
Swap your factory strike plate for this immediately. It's 18 inches of steel with four 3-inch screws that bite into the stud, not just the trim. Night and day difference.
Prime-Line Door Strike Plate Satin Nickel
Get this if your door frame is already a little chewed up around the latch. The wider plate covers old damage and the longer screws anchor into solid wood behind the jamb.
Prime-Line Door Strike Plate Satin Nickel 5-1/2 & 6
Use this for doors where the gap between frame and door is a little wider than normal. It extends the lip so the deadbolt actually catches properly. Fixed a problem I didn't realize I had.
Don-Jo 9103-622 RC Extended Lip Strike Plate Black
Snag this if you're worried about someone slipping a credit card between the door and frame. The steel plate blocks that gap completely. Took five minutes to screw on.
Rockwood 085815 456.26D Straight Roller Stop
Pair this with a longer strike plate. The box recesses into the frame so your deadbolt sits inside a steel pocket instead of just soft wood. That's what actually stops a kick.
Prime-Line U 95397 Box Armored Security Strike
Try this for a commercial-grade option on a residential door. It's thicker gauge steel than most hardware store options. Overkill in the best way.
Haiabei 3Pcs Stainless Steel Door Plate
Deadbolts and Smart Locks Worth Trusting
I had a builder-grade deadbolt that a locksmith told me he could bump open in under ten seconds. Replacing it was the single biggest upgrade I made. Not all smart locks are flimsy either.
Get this if you want a deadbolt that just works and doesn't need batteries or WiFi. Grade 1 rated, which means it passed a brutal kick test. My locksmith recommended it by name.
Schlage Single Cylinder Front Door Deadbolt Satin Nickel
Use this if you're serious about pick resistance. The key pins rotate and lift at the same time. A lockpicking hobbyist friend of mine called it ‘annoying to even attempt.’
Medeco 11TR50319 Maxum Residential Single Cylinder
Pair this with your existing deadbolt if you want smart features without replacing good hardware. I can lock my door from bed when I realize I forgot. Happens more than I'd admit.
August Home Matte Black Wi-Fi Smart Keyless
Grab this if you're in the Apple ecosystem. Tap your phone or watch and you're in. Still has a physical keyhole for backup. Feels solid, not plasticky like some smart locks.
Schlage Encode Plus™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Century
Try this if you just moved and don't know who has copies of the old keys. You can rekey it yourself in about 30 seconds with the included tool. I rekeyed all three doors the day I closed.
Kwikset 980 Matte Black Deadbolt Lock
Switch to this if you hate fumbling for keys with grocery bags. The touchscreen is responsive even in rain. My code is the only thing I never forget.
Yale WiFi Smart Lock Deadbolt with Keypad
Door Hinge Security Upgrades
Nobody thinks about hinges until someone points out that three hinge pins are all that's holding your door on from the outside. I removed one of mine with a flathead screwdriver in four seconds. That was a wake-up call.
Use this on any outswing door where the hinges face outside. The pins are non-removable once set. My shed door used to be the weakest link on my property. Not anymore.
Cardinal Gates Door Guardian Home Security
Grab a few packs of these. They replace your standard hinge pins with ones that have a setscrewed collar. Even if someone pops the pin, the door stays attached.
Door Hinge Security Pins, 10 Pack, Yellow
Toss these into your existing hinges. They're little steel tabs that interlock when the door closes, so removing the hinge pin doesn't free the door. Cheap and effective.
N350-793 Spring Door Hinge, 4-Inch, Oil Bronze
Swap your hollow core hinges for these solid ones. They come with built-in security studs and hold way more weight. My old hinges were actually bending under the door's weight.
Everbilt 3in Bright Brass Square Corner Door Hinge
Keep your door from slamming open and damaging the wall while you're at it. These thread right onto the hinge pin. Two problems solved with one cheap part.
Jack N' Drill Hinge Pin Door Stop (7 Pack)
Try these for exterior doors exposed to weather. Stainless won't rust out over time like the painted steel ones. Found that out after my back door hinge pins corroded into nothing.
Richelieu 2-Pack Onward 3.5in Stainless Steel
Security Cameras and Doorbell Cameras
Reinforcing the door is step one. Knowing who's standing on the other side before you open it is step two. I got a doorbell camera after a stranger kept ringing at odd hours. Turned out to be a confused DoorDash driver, but still.
Get this if you want motion alerts that actually show you a few seconds before the person rang. The pre-roll buffer caught a porch pirate walking up my steps last December.
Ring Battery Doorbell Plus - Home Security
Use this if you're already in the Google Home world. It recognizes faces after a while and tells you who's at the door by name. Creepy and wonderful at the same time.
Nest Video Doorbell (Battery) with crisp HD video
Pair this with your doorbell cam to cover the driveway or side gate. Runs on solar so you never change batteries. Mine has been running eight months with zero maintenance.
reolink
Snag a two-pack for the back of the house. Battery lasts about two years on normal use. I set mine up during a commercial break and it was recording before the show came back.
Blink Outdoor 4
Grab this if you want a wired camera for under thirty dollars that actually produces a clear image at night. The color night vision is genuinely useful, not a gimmick.
Camera V3 No Color
Try this for the sharpest image quality without running wires. The 2K footage let me read a license plate from forty feet away when someone sideswiped my mailbox.
Arlo Pro 5S 2K Spotlight Camera
Motion Sensor Lights and Deterrents
Dark porches and entryways are an invitation. My front door used to be completely dark after sunset. Adding motion lights was the cheapest security upgrade I made, and probably the most effective at scaring people off.
Use this if you rent and can't hardwire anything. Runs on batteries, sticks on with included hardware, and throws a surprisingly bright beam. Installed two in my carport in five minutes.
Beams Mr MB360XT-WHT-02-00 Wireless
Pair a few of these along your fence line or walkway. Solar powered, no wiring, and bright enough that my neighbor thought I installed floodlights. They were twelve bucks each.
Solar Motion Sensor Lights Outdoor, 151 LED, IP65 Waterproof
Get this if you want a camera and floodlight in one unit above your door. The siren is loud enough to wake up half the block. I tested it once and my dog didn't speak to me for an hour.
Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus
Swap your old porch light fixture for this. Looks like a normal light but clicks on when someone walks up. The adjustable sensitivity keeps it from triggering on every squirrel.
Heath Zenith SL-5411-GR-C Motion Sensor
Toss these along your front path for about five bucks each. They charge during the day and glow all night. More about visibility than security, but a well-lit path says 'someone's home.'
URPOWER Solar Spot Lights Outdoor Adjustable
Try this if your driveway is long and you want a heads up before someone reaches your door. The sensor sits near the road and a chime goes off inside. Gives me a solid 30-second warning.
Guardline 1320 Foot Long Range Wireless Driveway
Window and Sliding Door Security
I reinforced my front door and then realized my sliding glass door could be lifted off its track with two hands. Felt like locking the vault but leaving the window open. These fixed every other weak point in the house.
Use these on basement windows that face a hidden side of the house. They adjust to fit most standard windows and bolt into the frame. My basement went from easy target to not worth the effort.
Ideal Security Sliding Window & Patio Door Bar
Grab this for your slider. It replaces the flimsy factory lock with a real hook-style bolt that grabs the frame. I could not force my sliding door open after installing this, and I really tried.
Prime-Line Patio Sliding Door Loop Lock
Keep this in the track of your sliding door as a backup. It's basically a steel charlie bar that stops the door from being forced open. Low tech, extremely effective.
Burglabar 2 Pack Sliding Patio Security
Snag this if your sliding door's existing lock is garbage but you don't want to replace the whole mechanism. Mounts at the top and adds a secondary locking point.
Cardinal Gates Patio Door Guardian, White
Toss these on every window for four bucks each. They shriek at 120 decibels when the magnetic contact breaks. Stuck one on my kid's window too, mostly to know if he's sneaking out.
UltraPro Personal Security Window and Door Alarm
Try this as a budget option for your slider. It telescopes to fit most standard doors and has a rubber tip so it won't scratch the track. Works the same as bars twice the price.
AceMining Door Security Bar, 20-50 in