Do you discuss your homes and swap decorating tips with your neighbours? Complain about the grass getting too long? Share home security ideas? Lots of neighbours exchange ideas over the fence, while some take to online forums and social sites to make recommendations. Recently, we asked on Facebook what home security tips they're working towards this year - here are just a few of them.
Little changes make a big difference
It may seem obvious, but a great first step is to make sure that all doors and windows are locked and although it's tempting, avoid leaving spare keys outside of the house.
One of our respondents told us they were going to pay more attention to make sure their "gardening tools are all put away." It's indeed always best to keep valuables like gardening equipment, tools and bikes out of sight whenever possible.
As many neighbours pointed out: it's mostly the little changes that make a big difference.
Keep an eye on your favorite furry friends
Since a lot of people are besotted with their pets, many wanted to make sure that they can keep an eye on their four-legged friends. One Ring user told us that he "would love a Stick Up Cam to keep an eye on the cat, to make sure he hasn't brought in a bird, mouse, squirrel or bat!"
Do you have dogs or cats? Do they like to roam in and out? Then the versatile Stick Up Cam is certainly an option to consider. Its wire-free design means you can put it where you need it and move it whenever you need to. This way you can always keep an eye on your favourite furry friends.
Add protection, night and day
One tip that we saw again and again was to shine a light on outdoor areas. "My resolution is to get some outdoor lighting for my back garden, as it’s so dark and we cannot see what’s going on out there."
Spotlight Cam is a smart solution for people who want to add some light outside the garden shed or down the side of their home. It is available in a number of different power options and mounts almost anywhere outside the home.
Speaking of outside the home: if you want to set an environmentally-friendly example for your neighbours, you can easily add a weather-resistant Spotlight Cam Solar. You only need a few hours of sunlight everyday to keep your Cam charged around the clock, courtesy of the sun.
If you want to light up a larger area of your outdoor space, to keep an eye on your car or illuminate your driveway, Floodlight Cam features brighter beams. This way you add protection, night and day.
Include friends or family members
Many folk were keen to share tips on how they can include friends or family members in their home security setup.
For people that work from home, it might make sense to add family members to the Ring app using the Shared User feature, so those at home can see who's at the front door - convenient if there are lots of packages being dropped off.
Adding Shared or Guest Users to Ring Alarm might also be smart, if you want family members to be able to turn the alarm on and off, when they are coming home or heading to bed. This way you can protect even better, together.
Hungry for more neighbour tips? Perhaps the experiences of Jamie and his young family from Scotland, his parents Reg and Linda, or the Amsterdam couple Randi and Jake - who yes, live on the water - will give you some inspiration to get started.
Got your own home security ideas? Follow us on Facebook and leave a comment!