People often overlook the importance of garage security. For convenience, many homeowners place their garage door remote on their car’s visors. However, if you are not properly closing up at night, this might invite robbers to have easy access. Even if your house is attached, they will be able to access your garage once they get the garage door remote.
It’s crucial to assess your security measures on a regular basis and consider how you might make them stronger. If your garage connects to your home, a thief might easily get entry to the remainder of your home via a weak point.
Even if you don’t intend to replace your current garage door with one that is more secure and up-to-date in terms of safety features, you may take a read into this article for tips to increase the safety of your garage.
Why Garage Security is Important?
Before diving into our list of tips, let’s discuss why garage security is essential.
- A secure garage can deter burglars from entering your home.
- Unsecured garages are a haven for pests and animals.
- A well-organized garage can help you better protect your belongings.
Top 24 Essential Garage Security Tips:
Check out the tips below if you’re ready to start securing your garage.
1. Keep your Garage Door closed at all times
And we mean always, never leave the garage door open. This will give you more time to perform a quick check of the property, and help prevent any theft from taking place.
So if you leave your garage door open you can anticipate that at some time you’ll be playing host to all kinds of unwelcome visitors including but not limited to squirrels, mice, feral cats, raccoons, snakes, birds and more. Once they’ve made your garage their permanent home, they may be quite tough to evict.
2. Clean up your Garage
We know this is an extra step that you don’t really have time for. But, you should make time to keep the garage clean and organized.
The most efficient garages make use of all available wall space, from ceiling to floor. Use hooks and shelves to maximize the vertical dimension of your room. You may choose to store seasonal and lightweight goods up high, while year-round essentials are best kept within hand’s reach. Make a rough drawing of your walls and some storage options. The goal should be to establish zones for grouped objects, such as keeping all of your gardening equipment or tools in one location.
This way, you’ll be able to stand guard over your belongings and keep them safe from intruders.
3. Install a Motion Sensor
This is another simple step that you can do to help prevent Garage break-ins while keeping an eye on your property at all times. Even if you’re not home, an intruder could be taking a look around without you knowing it.
4. Put up a Video Camera
Security cameras for the house are a terrific addition to any system since they allow you to keep an eye on things no matter where you are. Having just one camera set up is a common error. Although most cameras have limited rotation and zoom capabilities, this does not mean they are useless. Home security cameras, like door and window sensors, should be placed strategically around the house.
Before deciding on the precise amount of security cameras to set up, think about where in and around your house you’d get the best possible views. While every house is different, most have obvious weak points such as hallways and garages.
5. Use your Home as a Safe Zone
You should consider putting up a Safe Zone sign or window decal. This will give the appearance that the property is occupied, and it’s a perfect way to deter potential thieves.
6. Keep a Spare Key in a Safe blind spot outside of your Home
Any person may find themselves locked out of their own home, and the experience is irritating at best. In addition to saving you time and money, having a backup key may help you get into your home in an emergency. It’s not uncommon to hear frantic phone calls from parents who have locked their small kid inside the house while putting the trash out.
It just takes a moment of forgetfulness to lock yourself out. Keep your key in an inconspicuous location, away from prying eyes. This is just in case you lose your key or lock yourself out of the house.
7. Keep a Spare Key inside your Wallet
Your ID and credit cards are one of the most important keys to your house. If you lose those, you might want to keep a spare in a separate location that is safe and secure.
8. Watch out for Suspicious Activity
When there are people outside that appear to be chasing the neighborhood, take extra steps to make sure that nothing happens. Once you’ve found out that some of your neighbors are looking for an easy way in, make sure to tell them about it.
9. Keep your Car Windows Shut
It’s always best to keep your garage door shut when you’re not using it, even if you’re only taking a couple of minutes out of the house.
10. Choose a Sturdy Lock
Whether you use your garage as a place to keep expensive items or run a company from home there, installing a security system is a good idea. If you value the safety of your garage you should seriously consider installing an automatic garage door lock.
But what is it, exactly?
An automatic garage door lock is a device that automatically locks the garage door when it is closed. The garage door locks itself when it is closed and unlocks when the open instruction is sent to the garage door opener through the remote, keypad, or my, as the name implies. With this system, your garage will be more brutal to break into. One such is the Elocksys Inc. designed patented automatic deadbolt locking system for garage doors.
Because of their electronic nature, automatic locks may have extra security measures added to them, such as password protection and encryption.
11. Take Advantage of Garage Door Sensor Lights
One great way to deter any thieves from attempting an intrusion is by taking advantage of motion-sensing lights for your driveway and front yard. These lights will turn on as soon as someone comes in contact with them, allowing you to catch the culprit red-handed.
12. Keep a Spare Key in your Car
If you don’t have a second key to your home, consider keeping one with you in the car. This way, you can still get inside and use your garage as if nothing ever happened.
13. Keep Sharp Tools away from Windows
If you plan on leaving a ladder or any other sharp security tools outside of the house, be sure to keep them out of reach from home & garage windows or frosted windows.
14. Keep a Working Phone in your Car
If you don’t want to keep putting your keys on the keychain, consider keeping a working phone in your car at all times. Your phone can be used to keep an eye on things while you’re away from home, or as a way to communicate with relatives or neighbors.
15. Stay informed
Make sure that you stay up-to-date on everything happening around your neighborhood. Talk with your neighbors and post notifications on your social media accounts to get the word out.
16. Use a Deadbolt Lock
It’s a good idea to have secure deadbolt entry door locks on all of your doors, except for the entryways you keep open. If someone does manage to break and enter, they will have a much harder time getting in if they are forced to use force.
17. Frequently update your Passcode
In order to prevent security breaches, it is recommended that you often change your passcode.
If your garage door is opened by a keypad located on the exterior of your house rather than a remote control, you should change the passcode often for security reasons. Easy-to-remember sequences of numbers like 1234 may seem like a good idea, but they are also among the first combinations a burglar would attempt.
It wouldn’t be the first time a signal from a garage keypad triggered another adjacent gadget, and it may be the same code as your neighbor’s.
18. Be Familiar with its Manual Controls
It may be necessary to manually operate your garage door if the electricity were to suddenly go out.
Technology is fantastic… until it stops functioning. You should know how to manually override your garage door in case of a malfunction, a power outage, or other incident that knocks off electricity to it; this will ensure that it is not left wide open.
Particularly in the case of linked garages, if you leave the remainder of your house unprotected, you are inviting intruders.
19. Carefully Consider what you Store in the Garage
Even though your car is probably the most expensive object in your garage, thieves aren’t necessarily after it.
To prevent the theft of valuable products like power tools and sports gear, it is vital to keep them in a secure manner.
Locking garage cabinets may dissuade thieves, so think about doing that. Also, always lock your vehicle doors.
20. Listen to the Radio
Housebreakers take every precaution to avoid being discovered by the homeowner or their guests. In order to lessen the likelihood of a break-in, you should keep the radio on in the garage to give the idea that someone is inside.
21. You Should put a Peephole in the Door
If you hear a disturbance in your garage, installing peepholes can allow you to see who or what is making the noise. If your alarm goes off and you go into the garage, the intruder might easily break in and get access to the rest of your house.
22. Troubleshooting and Repairing Moving Objects
As time passes, the garage door’s mechanical parts deteriorate, making it simpler for an intruder to get in via the door’s outside. Keeping your garage doors in top shape requires regular maintenance and the replacement of worn or broken components.
23. Your Garage and Car are not secure places to Store Expensive Items
The garage is the weakest link in the security of your home. Don’t risk having your valuables taken, and rather, keep them safe at home. Keeping your garage clean and tidy may deter thieves from stealing your equipment and other valuables.
24. Maintenance on a Regular Basis Is Vital
Don’t let yourself get behind on necessary upkeep if you want to reduce the opportunities thieves have to break in. Watch for rust or corrosion on the garage door’s working components. Garage doors should be inspected once a year by a professional who can look for signs of wear on the door’s frame, locks, and hinges. Maintaining your garage door on a regular basis can enable it to last longer, and will also help to maintain the guarantee in effect.
Common Questions asked on Garage Door Security
What is the best way to secure a garage?
Securing a garage involves a combination of sturdy hardware, smart technology, and diligent practices. Start with a strong-core garage door, add a good-quality deadbolt lock, and install a reliable garage door opener with rolling-code technology. Use motion-sensor lights and security cameras for additional deterrence, and always keep the garage door closed and locked, even when you’re at home.
How do you burglar-proof a garage?
To burglar-proof your garage, install a high-quality lock mechanism on the door leading from the garage to your home. Consider adding a garage door defender that locks down the door from the outside. Use window films to prevent burglars from peering inside and employ a door sensor that alerts you if your garage door is opened unexpectedly.
What is the most secure garage door style?
Sectional garage doors are often deemed the most secure, mainly because they do not have a single point of weakness. They are made up of multiple panels that are connected to a track system, making them more difficult to breach. The absence of leverage points makes it challenging for intruders to force open the door.
How do I make my garage door up and over secure?
To secure an ‘up and over’ garage door, you can install a garage door defender which anchors into the ground and prevents the door from being opened from the outside. Additionally, use a good-quality, close-shackle padlock combined with a hasp and staple. For added security, consider installing a euro cylinder lock replacement with anti-snap and anti-drill features.
How do I secure my garage from thieves?
Secure your garage from thieves by ensuring the doors and windows are always locked and reinforced. Use smart home security systems to monitor and control access remotely. Incorporate motion detector lights and alarm systems that notify you of any intrusion. Keep the garage interior hidden from view with blinds or curtains on the windows.
Is there a way to lock a garage door?
Yes, you can lock a garage door manually with slide bolts or padlocks on the inside. For automatic garage doors, use a garage door lock button on the opener panel, which disables remote controls. Additionally, portable door locks or a deadbolt can be installed as a secondary locking mechanism for added security.
What is the most secure garage door?
The most secure garage door is typically one that is constructed with reinforced steel or solid-core wood, has no windows, and includes advanced security features such as multi-point locking systems, anti-tamper mechanisms, and an integrated alarm system. A garage door with smart connectivity for monitoring and controls can also enhance security.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of measures that you can take to keep your garage door secure when you’re away from home. Even if the power is out, you will still have security if these measures are put into place.
The most important thing is being proactive and thinking ahead before an event occurs. You should also be sure to practice good garage security habits on a daily basis in order to keep intruders at bay.
