12 Home Security Devices Under $20 Retired Cops Say Actually Work

You don’t need an expensive security system to make your house harder to target. This video ranks twelve home-security devices that cost around twenty dollars or less, based on what retired cops and a longtime locksmith say actually changes burglar behavior. Some make noise. Some reinforce doors and windows. Others make your home look occupied before anyone even reaches the yard. The list includes door alarms, portable locks, sliding-door dowels, window stops, motion lights, longer strike-plate screws, cameras, and simple protection against key-fob relay theft. But the number-one device costs about ten dollars. It doesn’t strengthen a lock or sound an alarm. It simply makes an empty house look occupied at unpredictable times—because the best burglary prevention starts before someone chooses your house in the first place.