Gaming systems, whether they be older consoles or high-end gaming PCs, are worth a lot. Sometimes “a lot” means “a lot of money”, while other times “a lot” means “a lot of memories”. Either way, you want your gaming systems and setups to be protected.

There are two kinds of threats that gaming systems need to be protected from: Physical theft, and digital intrusion. These two problems need two very different kinds of solutions.

We are going to cover both.

Protecting Your Gaming Systems from Theft

The best way to think of Melissa home security is in terms of “layers”. You have your outermost layer, which is the security of the home itself. That means the locks on its doors and windows, as well as the alarm system that alerts either you or the police (or both) about intruders.

The Outermost Layer

When you create the outermost layer of your home security, the thing you have to do is think like a thief. A thief is expecting to run into locked doors and windows. There is a saying in the home security industry: A lock will only stop an honest person. 

This is why alarms are so important to the outermost layer of your security. Without them, there is no threat you can offer to a thief who tries to break into your home while you are not there.

The Inner Layer

Beyond the locks and alarms is the security within the home itself. When it comes to things like gaming systems, the best thing you can do is make obstacles for intruders. Going back to thinking like a thief, a thief is always looking to get in and out as fast as they can.

Especially if they know they have set off an alarm, a thief will make a point of skipping over anything that is too hard to steal. That means that for things like consoles and computers, you do not have to make them impossible to steal. They just have to be not worth the time. 

The best way to do that is with plug locks. A plug lock is an accessory that you can attack to any electronic with a plug. It goes around your computer or console’s plug and binds it to the outlet to which it is plugged, as well as binding the chord to the computer itself.

As a result, the only way to easily separate the computer from the wall is by severing that power cord, which is not easy to do even if you plan on doing it. You might say that you could rip the outlet itself out of the wall, but that is even harder, not to mention dangerous.

In short, the only way to steal a console or computer locked up like this is to have a plan to destroy the whole house and all its live electrical wiring in advance. And if you can name a time a thief actually did that, we would love to hear about it.

The Innermost Layer

At the very center of all of this security is you. It is important that you think of yourself as both the most valuable asset in your house, as well as a component of the security. But you are not a component of the security in the way that a watchdog is: You should not actively participate.

Your involvement in the security of your home should exist on two levels. The first is the decision making involved in the security. And the second is how you interface with those decisions. What do we mean by any of that? Well, let’s talk about it for a bit.

The decisions you make are what tools you employ in your security. The locks, alarms, and cameras you use to make your home safe. The way you interface with them is how you control those tools. Most people control them directly. But that can be incredibly inconvenient.

If you want an easy way to control these things, consider getting a security app. This will allow you to arm, disarm, and check the status of your cameras and alarms without having to control them directly. This can get rid of a lot of hassle.

Protecting Your Gaming System from Intrusive Logins

The other type of home security you will want to invest in is digital home security. Every device you have offers pathways for intruders. Especially things with Bluetooth connections; you may have heard the horror stories of people hacking into homes through Bluetooth doorbells.

Gaming consoles and PCs are no different. Gaming consoles in particular have constant Bluetooth connections for things like wireless controllers. They also have their own security protocols for them, but it pays to invest in your own digital security options.

For just about every device imaginable, there are apps (both first party and third party) that allow for two factor authentication. This is a common form of security, but it is also one of the best. Especially if you link a device to a third party two factor authentication app.

This means that even if someone is able to connect to one of your devices remotely, they might not be able to log in and do anything with it. That can make a huge difference.

Conclusion

To summarize, protecting your gaming systems is important. A lot of time, money, and emotional investment goes into them. Do not trust too deeply in locks, as they are static and unchanging. All someone needs to break through them is time.

Alarms are better because they limit the amount of time a thief has, which forces them to ignore stealing certain things. Once you know any thief in your home is on the clock, then you can employ simple methods of security to slow them down, like plug locks on electronics. 

And finally, you should get an app to help you control these things. That means an app for controlling alarms, as well as one for two factor authentication into your electronics.