The reason perimeter security, for example, in a suburban area is so difficult is because your neighbor (s) may not give a whit about it, and so, threats can literally be right next door. You can’t control who enters your neighbors’ property in most instances. Imagine the houses lined up along your street are a chain with links. One weak link in the chain or row of houses, in this case, means the entire chain is weak. Hard to control, so you would not be able to establish layers, with the first layer being your perimeter.

The first layer of security has to be such that once a breach occurs you have time to react. In an urban area, you wouldn’t generally have advanced warning, because houses can be literally feet apart. Whereas, in a rural area you can set your perimeter out far enough, so anyone defending the structure can be warned, and thus, prepare.

In military jargon, this is referred to as the three rings, with each ring increasing difficult to penetrate. The third ring would be a hardened room inside the structure, a safe room in other words.

We here have written extensively on home security and security measures once you have reached a bug-out location. However, more and more Preppers in our opinion are realizing that bugging out is not a viable option. Evacuation, on the other hand, is, but always with the thought of returning after the threat has diminished or disappeared. For bugging out to be practical, you would need a safe haven with a shelter set up and functioning before something happens and not many are in a position to make this a reality, so bugging in is probably the only choice most of us have.

You can’t walk the grounds 24/7 looking for intruders, so you do have to embrace technology. Game cameras, which are battery operated, can be used and some of the most popular units are trail cameras that send pictures/videos to your phone via text or to an email address. Many can take stills or videos in darkness without a flash, so, technology can take the place of humans, but careful consideration must be given as to the placement of the cameras.

While the cameras operate in stealth mode at night, no lights, in other words, they can, however, be spotted during daylight hours, so they must be camouflaged and/or placed so they cannot be easily vandalized.

Avenues of approach must be established. Once you have decided the most logical route someone would take when trying to get to your home, you then would monitor the avenue using cameras, or personnel, both are ideal.

Keep in mind the average criminal would take the path of least resistance, while a trained operative would not. Someone with insertion training would have figured out the most accessible pathway would be monitored, and they would realize you may have established barriers, physical and psychological to funnel any intruders onto a path of your choosing.

A physical barrier is a fence that is high enough to make it difficult to climb over, while a mental barrier could be a thicket of brambles, rose bushes, or any thorny type shrub. The shrubs would not stop anyone physically if they came prepared, but just the thought of dragging yourself through the thorns is enough to give your average person pause.

You would use the thorny hedges in conjunction with low fences, which have a gate. The gate would be the so-called choke point. An intruder would think they have outsmarted you by walking the fence until they discovered the gate. The fence and shrubs would not be designed as a physical barrier but would be used against the intruder because they would look for an easier ingress point before jumping over and plunging through the brambles. You have dictated their movements, and the gate and other choke points would be monitored. Once the camera is tripped, you are sent a text or email in real time with pictures so you can get prepared.

Most people cannot plant shrubs and build fences around their entire property so again placement is key and only you would know the most logical points of approach, because who knows your property better than you.

Install cameras on the roadway leading to your driveway if traffic volume is low enough so you are not getting messages every few minutes, again you would know the traffic volume. In other words, is there any other reason for a vehicle to be on the road other than to seek your home out?

Your first layer is the perimeter, so the second is your home. Windows and doors are obviously the ingress points someone would use. These would have to be hardened. Doors and casings must be changed out to prevent someone from kicking the door in, taking an ax to the door, or picking the lock. Doors and hardware specifically for “hardening” can be purchased.

Security bars on the outside of the window make the most sense or shutters that can be secured from the inside. This prevents someone from simply smashing the glass and crawling through the opening. Consider sliding glass doors and all upper story windows as well.

Generators, solar panels, and wind turbines can be vandalized. It is assumed that solar panels would be on the roof of the structure and the wind turbines’ operating components would be 20 feet or more in the air reducing the opportunity to vandalize the alternative power sources.

Generators can be fenced in similar to how dumpsters are at some establishments. You can build a sturdy fence with a lock on the gate.