Don’t be fooled: 6 ways to secure your home after Halloween is over
By Tyler Lacoma | Published: 2025-10-31 17:10:00 | Source: CNET
While I’ve covered tech tricks for keeping your kids safe during Halloween and other ways to prepare your home for a spooky good time, I wanted to tackle a somewhat more difficult issue: what to do if you’re worried about Halloween safety once trick-or-treating is over.
Fortunately, Halloween is generally harmless and can be safer than a random night out because more community members take to the streets to keep an eye on things. But if you’re worried about vandalism, burglary and other incidents, try these security-approved tricks to protect your home.
Bring whatever technique you used to Halloween
Take your Halloween tech inside before heading to bed.
Many homes are using small devices to help with house haunting, from outdoor smart plugs and hidden speakers to smart lights, fog machines, blowers, and more. If you’ve put some technology outside for Halloween, remember to bring it in before bed. These appliances will be better off indoors and you can remove any potential temptations for thieves.
Set your smart lock to lock automatically
Auto-locking locks like Schlage locks help when life gets busy.
Smart locks are one of my favorite devices for providing simple home security that anyone can appreciate. But they’re often a distraction on Halloween when you have to open the door often, so many users turn off notifications and other settings.
Remember to take a few seconds once visitors stop showing up and enable the settings you disabled. One of the most important is the automatic lock, which locks the door on its own after a certain period of time has passed (five minutes, for example). This way, with all the other Halloween activities, you don’t have to worry about remembering if the door is locked.
Turn on motion detection lights and cameras
Security cameras with floodlights can help monitor your garden.
If you have any motion-activated flood lights or motion detection cameras, make sure they are ready to go on Halloween night. These cameras can provide warnings if it looks like someone is trespassing in your backyard, etc. You can also set motion and privacy zones so that smart devices only focus on a specific area.
Review your driveway and protect your vehicle
New Ring alerts gain AI features for Premium users, like describing what’s happening your way.
Not everyone has space in their garage for all their cars. If you’re going to leave your car overnight on Halloween, consider moving it as close to your home as possible. Lane movement sensors, motion-sensing LED lights, and even vehicle security systems can help. Check out my complete guide to trail safety here. The latest security cameras come with AI event captions to let you know what’s going on — like people walking next to your car versus alerts when someone stops and tries to open the car door, etc.
Check your pet’s location
Pet trackers can help you locate your pets at any time to ensure they are safe.
When you’re done with your Halloween fun, make sure you know where your pets are. If you have one, now is a good time to check out the use of a pet tracker through your app. If you’re not using a tracker or smart collar, focus on bringing your pet inside at night if necessary and giving them a treat – all the comings and goings of clients may have made them anxious.
Rearm any home security systems
Rearm security systems when night falls.
It’s common for home security systems to be disabled specifically for Halloween and other holidays that see a lot of comings and goings. You don’t want any kids or partygoers setting the alarm by accident, after all. But when evening comes, remember to reboot your system to its usual nighttime settings before heading to bed.
For more ways to improve your home, check out our guides to the best smart speakers and plugs anyone can use.
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