So, you're convinced about the benefits of having a safe as part of your home security catalogue, in addition to sensible home design, alarm monitoring etc. How do you choose the safe that is right for you? We've got six top tips to help you protect your valuables properly.

1. Decide in advance what you will be storing in the safe. If you'll mostly be keeping documents in the safe, you'll need a different fire rating than if you were storing disks with information on them, jewelry, furs, etc.
2. Look for products that are UL listed, not just 'tested to UL standards'. Note that the second sentence doesn’t actually say that the product passed the test … if it had, it would be on the UL list. UL stands for Underwriter's Laboratories.
3. Check that your floor will support the weight of the safe. If you have wooden floors, are planning to put the safe on the second story of your home, or even install it in a wall, it will need to be light enough not to crash through or cause any damage.
4. Do you really, really need a 3-hour fire safe? In most cases, the 1-hour safe is more than adequate. A house fire usually burns at around 800 F for about 20 minutes. The lowest rating of fireproof safes protects documents for an hour at 1,700 F. Unless you know something about your house that we don't … there's often no need to spend the money.
5. Do you need accessories? If you have a lot of things in the safe you want to keep organized, you'll need to price shelves or drawers for the inside of your safe separately.
6. Will a standard combination lock do? Unless you have items that would be valuable to international espionage teams in your safe, the ordinary house burglar will not be able to get past a simple safe combination lock. There are no easy tricks for cracking the code, as television makes you think. And if you have an alarm monitoring system in place as well as your safe, having biometric locks on a safe is usually overkill.

The 6 Worst Dog Breeds for Home Security

Guard dogs are an excellent addition to your home security system. While they can only go so far (they aren’t machines, after all, and you should never train them to attack as this can backfire on you), they are a valuable part of a Houston home security system. We all have a rough idea of what a good guard dog should look like - fairly big, strong jaw, etc. Rottweilers and pitbulls are generally thought of as good guard dogs. However, some of the breeds on the 'worst' list might surprise you! If you've been thinking about getting a guard dog for home security purposes, read this first.

Worst Breed #1: Bloodhound

Bloodhounds might be hunters, but they are extremely affectionate towards humans and notoriously unresponsive when someone comes into the house. They are very shy dogs -- not the type that will want to stand up to an intruder.

Worst Breed #2: Newfoundland

These dogs are almost as unresponsive as bloodhounds to intruders -- they often don't even bother barking. They are intelligent and readily trained, but just don't have a protective instinct.

Worst Breed #3: Saint Bernard

They're lovers, not fighters, these dogs. Unless your burglar has a drool-phobia, a Saint Bernard is not a crucial part of a home security system.

Worst Breed #4: Bulldog

Despite looking a little like they have been in plenty of pub fights in their life, bulldogs are not the ideal security breed. They are more lapdogs, and their floppy ears may inhibit their hearing.

Worst Breed #5: English Sheepdog

English sheepdogs may try to herd people, but they generally do not try to attack or scare them away. Again, the heavy fur may inhibit their hearing, making them less useful as home security.

Worst Breed #6: Basset Hound

Basset hounds are a small dog -- which doesn’t immediately preclude them from being good guard dogs -- but in this case, they really are terrible! They are gentle and non-confrontational, so while they are good hunters, they certainly are not home protectors. A monitored alarm system would stand you in much better stead.