Most crime experts agree that the best crime tool is one that prevents the crime in the first place rather than just trying to foil it as it is taking place. There are plenty of ways to send a clear signal to would-be intruders that the security of your home and family is a high priority to you, and that they would do well to try to choose a less challenging target elsewhere.

Of course, some security measures, especially those inside your home may be best kept discreet or even virtually undetectable. But before a burlar can break into your home they have to size it up from the outside. They will be looking for clues about how prepared you are as a homeowner and how difficult you have made things for them to be able to get in and out as quickly and stealthily as possible.

So the outside of the house is where you can make a clear statement to potential burglars that your home is not a good choice for intrusion. One way you can do this is by using home security video cameras in prominent and also strategic areas of the outside of your home. You can bet that burglars will be looking for these cameras when they go through a neighborhood as the last thing that they want is to have their image captured on video where it can be used to help identify and prosecute them.

So if you choose to use a camera system outside, it's actually a good idea to make them large enough that they can easily be seen from the street. Put them in a prominent location that can't be missed by an outside observer. Make sure that they cover any vulnerable areas of the home and major entry and exit points too. That makes the planned break-in so much harder to accomplish.

You can even consider using fake security cameras for this job if money if a major consideration in your home security budget, and you just afford the real thing yet. Many fake cameras look identical to real ones and can't be distinguished as not being the real thing unless you actually take them apart. Remember, the strategy in this case is to try to prevent the crime more than actually catch the criminal in the commission of the crime.

Many criminals will not want to take the chance of breaking into your home if they get the impression that you are well prepared and that you have a good security plan in place. So plan ahead to try to prevent the crime before it can even begin.