For most Americans, there is a general level of anxiety about keeping family members and property safe. And whether you live in the safest neighborhood in a small town or the center of a bustling city, this is always a pertinent concern. After all, we live in a nation where the news sometimes likes to amp up the fear level, and it makes sense that after years of this, minds are conditioned to worry.

While calming down and taking a realistic look at things often is a helpful way to live, it is equally important to actually take to heart the concerns that face homeowners and renters alike. After all, if you are working from home or simply retiring to your house to sleep, there is a lot at stake if a robber does happen to break in. And in tougher economic times, home security is often neglected when it should be strengthened. As the logic goes, why spend less on taking care of your living space when others who have nothing are considering more desperate measures?

Many might think that making changes to safety and security end up costing a bundle, but the fact is that a combination of high-tech innovations and low-cost common sense is the best way to keep a property safe. After all, homes that shell out a ton of money to buy the best protection often don’t learn how to work it, and any burglar who is enterprising enough to find the right wire can render even the most expensive of protection utterly useless. Here are some affordable home security innovations that keep families and properties alike secure and at ease.

New sensors. If you’ve had an alarm for awhile, you might need to relocate some of your sensors. After all, you could have changed the layout of your home, or older ones might have stopped working as well. If you make the investment in even a few new sensors, you might have an alarm that’s more on top of things than ever before.

Deadbolts. Putting on a deadbolt automatically makes a door twice as strong. If you already have deadbolts but never remember to lock them, start to take the couple of seconds extra to do so. After all, pieces of equipment designed to better your home security cannot do their job if you don’t use them.

Light timers. These are inexpensive and crucial. After all, if your home appears to be occupied, it automatically becomes a far less desirable target to anyone who might be trying to break in. Spending a little bit on these timers means that it looks like people are home to anyone who might be casing your residence, and that could mean the difference between a break-in and no trouble.

Go wireless. One of the biggest worries that homeowners who are familiar with the workings of a home security system have is that the robber will somehow know how to outsmart it, rendering all of that investment useless. But the good news is that today, there are wireless options available. And in a situation where something is wireless, there is nowhere to cut the right cord. Make the upgrade and sleep a whole lot easier, no matter where you might be.