Garage Door Security – Vitally Important for Home Protection.
Your Garage Door Security is only as good as its weakest link.
Of
all your exterior doors your garage door is likely to be the most
vulnerable. It is the door most likely to be left unlocked and even left
open.
If you have an attached garage with a door through to the
rest of the house, this is a double security risk. Once inside your
garage the thief can work unseen on breaking through that connecting
access door.
Burglars love cover, they can take their time if there is little chance of being observed.
Being inside your garage is the perfect cover.
You
should treat an access door to your home as an external door, not an
internal one even though it is inside your garage.
Make sure that it is
fitted with a good deadbolt lock, is of solid construction and that the
frame is strong and in good condition.
The garage access door should be as secure as your front door.
Even
if you have a detached garage or there is no access door to the rest of
your home, you still do not want a burglar in your garage.
Think,
what do you keep in there, apart from your automobile that is, likely
you keep a whole lot of items many of which will be valuable to you.
|
Your garage is likely to contain your golf clubs and other sports equipment, various tools, bicycles, maybe In particular you do not want |
Garage Door Security – Close and Lock That Garage Door.
It’s a fact, many home burglaries are committed via a garage door
left open or unlocked.
 For effective security keep your garage door closed and locked at all times. |
It is all too easy to think that as you are only
going to drive to the store, spend a few minutes there, and come right
home again, it is not worth closing and locking your garage door. . .
Wrong!
All
the thief needs is a few minutes, probably less.
Sure, it can be a
pain backing out the garage, stopping to close the door and lock up,
only to unlock and open up again when you return. But, unless you have
an automatic garage door opener it’s what you have to do, it’s common
sense security.
When you think about it, there is absolutely no difference between having the best garage door security and the poorest . . . if you don’t use it!
If
you often leave the door to your garage open simply because you forget
to close it, think about installing a Wireless Garage Door Monitor.
These are easy to install and will warn you, usually by a flashing
l.e.d. and a beep, that the door is open.
Automatic Garage Door Openers.
When the first generation of garage door openers went on sale, many
years ago, much was made of the convenience of having the door to your
garage open at the press of a button. However, no thought was given to
garage door security.
All of the remotes used the same code. When the thieves caught on to
this fact they armed themselves with a remote transmitter and had
themselves a field day.
To overcome this issue, second generation
remote transmitters were introduced that included a row of dip
switches.
It was necessary to change the setting of these switches,
usually a row of 8 – 12, from the default setting and change also the
dip switches in the garage opener system box.
Unfortunately many homeowners forgot to do this and a thief with a remote set at default could open the door.
Another security weakness with second generation openers was that thieves equipped with code
grabbers, devices that can capture and retransmit the signal from your
garage door remote, could wait, perhaps parked some way from your home,
until you used the remote, and grab the code – you drive off and he has
access to your garage.
Garage Door Security – Rolling Code Technology.
The latest generation of garage door openers employ rolling code
technology (hopping code) to use one of millions of different codes
every time you use the remote.
As a new code is generated
with each use, there are no switches to set – and it is virtually
impossible for thieves to “grab” your code. This means that automatic
garage door openers can be used without garage door security concerns.
Do
not leave the remote in your car, should a thief break in to your car
and steal the remote he has a way into your home. Consider purchasing a
key-chain remote, you should be able to find one compatible with your
system.
Your garage door is only as secure as its weakest link. It is of little
benefit in having the best of locks if the door itself is flimsy.
Likewise a strong and sturdy garage door will not give you the best
security if it is fitted in a weak frame.
Garage doors get a lot of use, eventually they will show signs of
wear and tear.
It will pay you to regularly check the condition of the
door and frame, check for any sign of rot or corrosion.
Look with
the eyes of a burglar, how would you break in to your garage?
Are the
doors constructed out of a single sheet of metal or fiberglass? If so,
it is possible a burglar could gain leverage and bend them enough to get
inside, he could not easily do so with reinforced steel or solid core
wood.
- Make sure the door from your garage into your house is as secure as your front door.
- Always lock the door from your garage into your house.
- Ensure that the door to your garage is in good condition.
- For effective garage door security keep it closed and locked at all times.
- Do not leave your door opener in your vehicle.
Home Door Security
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Garage Door Security.
Garage Door Lock.
To protect your vehicle it pays to install a garage door lock that will defeat most thieves.