How to select the best PIN for your security alarm

Your home security system is an excellent tool to protect your house against a burglary; as soon as an alarm is triggered, you have the peace of mind that dispatch is on the way. However, there’s an extra layer of security that you control: your PIN. 

Hopefully, you and your family are the only people who ever enter your home (or if you have a regular guest like a dog walker, they can have their own PIN), but for someone who isn’t supposed to be there, the first thing they’ll try to do is to disarm your alarm system. By making your PIN a challenge, you add an extra layer of security. 

The big question though is how do you choose the best PIN?

Eliminate Common Factors

First and foremost, you need to remember your PIN. You’ll use it every day multiple times and you need to ensure that you are one of the people who can easily turn off your alarm system. The challenge is that many people pick things that are too easy to remember like significant dates in your life such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. In addition, most years that people will choose begin with either “19XX” or “20XX” and it gives the burglar a great chance of accidentally stumbling upon the correct one.

It’s also a good idea to keep your PIN varied. It’s good to stay away from sequential numbers, as well as a sequence of even or odd numbers. The more numbers you use, the harder it is to guess! 

One more thing to keep in mind: Have different PINs for different accounts! There’s no need to make your home security system PIN, your bank account PIN, and your voicemail PIN the same number. 

How to Select a Better PIN:

Now that you have a couple of tips under your belt, it’s time to set your security PIN. Try selecting a four digit number that may mean something to you (with no easy record of it) such as the last four digits of the phone number from your childhood home. You can also take a four letter word and use it’s numeric counterpart, like on a telephone. This way, no one will be able to know what word you selected, let alone translate it into numbers. 

Though it's important to know and remember your PIN, it's a good practice to change your PIN regularly. With a SimpliSafe Home Security System, it’s easy to change your PIN easily through the keypad or online through your customer account. 

Your PIN is an important layer of your home’s security. Be smart when you choose your PIN, and anyone trying to guess it won’t stand a chance. Your home is safe and secure when you know you (and your family) are the only people who can access it.