Security screens or roller shutters: how to choose

What each one is for: a screen you look through, a shutter that closes off the window

A security screen is a framed mesh or grille panel fixed over a window or door. The National Security Screen Association (NSSA) describes it as a physical barrier to entry that allows airflow while keeping insects and intruders out, and says a product has to pass strict testing to the Australian Standard and carry compliance labels to be called a security screen. Its rule of thumb is short: if it's not labelled, it's not a security screen.

A roller shutter is a curtain of slats that rolls up into a box above the window and down over it when you close it. The Queensland Reconstruction Authority (QRA) describes shutters as solid plates mounted in front of windows and doors. A shutter is raised and lowered either by a motor, run from a remote, or by hand with a cord or tape that runs to a winder fixed on the inside wall.

So the two answer different questions. A screen is built to stay closed and locked while the window behind it does its normal job. A shutter is built to close the window off completely, and then open again when you want the view back.

Breeze, light and view: a locked security screen keeps the window usable

If you want the glass open and the house secure at the same time, a security screen is the one that does both. Once it's locked, the window behind it can stay open for the breeze, and the NSSA's description of a security screen is exactly that: airflow in, insects and intruders out. The security doesn't depend on the glass being shut.

A solid shutter that's fully down covers the opening, so the view and the outlook go with it. That's the trade for its strengths. External shading such as shutters blocks the sun's energy before it passes through the glass, according to the NSW Government's energy advice. That makes a shutter useful on a window that takes the hard afternoon sun.

An open window can also work against you. Most of the burglars in the AIC study said open windows flagged a lack of security. A locked screen over an open window closes that gap while keeping the air moving. The mesh you choose changes how much you see: our range of mesh page compares the meshes we fit for view, privacy and strength.

Security at home and away: both count, and no study ranks one above the other

Roller shutters do provide security, and so do security screens. In the AIC study, burglars described effective security as switched on alarms, security screens, roller shutters and dogs. They defined a house with minimal security as one without dogs and without working alarms, security screens and roller shutters. The researchers concluded that the harder a house is to break into, and the longer it takes, the more it deters active burglars.

The study doesn't rank shutters against screens, and no Australian government source we found does. The practical difference is when each one works. A shutter adds its security when it's down, which suits a house left empty for a few days. A security screen adds its security whenever it's locked, including while you're home with the glass open.

Proof of testing is easier to check on a screen. The NSSA says to look for the compliance label. For a shutter, ask the maker what the product has been tested against and ask to see it in writing. Our guide to whether security screens stop burglars covers the screen testing, and window bars vs security screens covers bars and grilles.

Storms and cyclones: only a tested rating counts, for either product

Neither a shutter nor a security screen should be counted on as cyclone protection unless that exact product has been tested and rated for it. The QRA's Cyclone Resilient Building Guidance for Queensland Homes says debris screens are different from sun screens and security screens, and that effective debris screens are rated by testing for their resistance to debris impact.

The same guidance describes what each type does. Shutters are solid plates that can absorb some of the energy from wind-borne debris and also reduce the water reaching the opening. Debris screens are open, grid-like elements that lessen the chance of glass breaking, but they aren't effective at keeping out wind-driven rain. A permanently fixed debris screen may double as a security screen. Both work better with enough space between the glass and the screen or shutter.

We don't publish a cyclone, storm, wind or debris rating for any screen we make, so we won't tell you our screens protect glass in a cyclone. Our guide on security screens and cyclone protection explains what a rating means and which questions to ask a supplier before you buy either product.

Power cuts and motors: plan a manual way to open every shutter

A motorised shutter needs power to move, so ask before you buy how it opens when the power is off. Shutter makers sell motors with a manual override; Rollashield, for example, describes the Somfy CSI motor it supplies as having a manual override that allows operation even if power is not present. A manual strap or winder model avoids the question altogether.

This matters most on bedroom windows. Queensland Police advise that security grilles and shutters be properly installed and allow an exit in case of an emergency. A shutter that's down on a bedroom window, with a motor and no power, works against that advice. Screens count too: where a room has only one way out, the Queensland Fire Department says to consider modifying barriers such as window screens and bars.

The wiring is a boundary. Queensland's Electrical Safety Office says you can buy electrical accessories that need to be hard-wired, but they must be connected by a licensed electrician, and DIY electrical work is illegal. A hard-wired shutter motor or wall switch is a job for a licensed electrician. The NSW Government's advice is also that larger, heavier items like shutters should be professionally installed.

Upkeep near the sea: gentle washing for both, and clean shutter guides

Both products keep working better in salt air if they're washed regularly and kept moving freely. Rollashield's roller shutter cleaning sheet says to spray the closed shutter with a mild detergent and wipe it with a soft brush or cloth in an up and down motion, so the individual slats don't misalign and cause operating problems. To clean the guides, it says to raise the curtain fully, sweep or gently hose out the dirt, and let the guides dry completely before closing the shutter again.

A security screen has fewer moving parts. The mesh, the frame, the lock and, on a sliding screen door, the wheels and track are what need looking after. We make our SCREENGUARD screens with 316 marine grade stainless steel mesh, chosen for corrosion resistance near the coast. Our guide on how to clean security screens covers rinsing salt off the mesh, and we do onsite repairs to locks, wheels and tracks in Cairns when something stops working.

Fitting matters for the screen too. The NSSA says compliant screens are made and installed to tight tolerances with specialised fixings, and that a screen put up without them may not provide proper security.

Using both: match each window to the job it does

You don't have to pick one product for every window. Choose by what each window has to do, then ask a screen maker and a shutter maker to look at the same windows. Whether one window can take both a screen and a shutter depends on the frame, the reveal and where the shutter box and guides sit, so that's a question to settle on site, at the measure, before you order anything. Every screen we make is made to measure and manufactured in Cairns, so each window can be quoted on its own terms.

• Bedroom windows you open at night: a security screen, with your fire escape plan in mind if that room has only one way out.
• Living room windows you open for the breeze: a security screen in a mesh you can see through clearly.
• West-facing windows that take the afternoon sun: a shutter or other external shading, which stops the sun before it reaches the glass.
• Rooms you lock up while you're away: a shutter that's down and a locked security screen both count as security in the AIC study.
• Windows you want covered for cyclone season: only a screen or shutter with a tested rating for that window, installed the way its maker requires.
• Any window with a motorised shutter: a manual override or winder, and a licensed electrician for the wiring.