Five Tips on Improving Home Garage Door Security from Advanced Lock & Security
Keeping your family and possessions safe is an important part of what we do at Advanced Lock and Security. With over twenty years of experience, we have found a variety of steps you can take on your own to further improve the security of your household. Most garages are attached to the house, and, if someone who you don’t know gains access to the garage, they are that much closer to gaining access to the rest of your house. Look through the following tips to better secure the garage door on your house. If you have any questions, we’re happy to help at Advanced Lock and Security.
Don’t Leave Garage Door Openers in Your Vehicle
Leaving garage door openers clipped to the visor of your car is still a common practice, and it makes sense when it comes to convenience. However, this is a tempting opportunity for a thief to easily gain access to your garage and the rest of your house. We suggest investing in a keychain garage door opener which is just as convenient and much more secure.
Secure the Garage Door Emergency Release with a Zip Tie
Automatic garage doors are equipped with an emergency release that disconnects the door from the automatic opener, allowing it to open and close freely in the event of a power outage or other emergencies. This is typically a rope with a handle connected to a lever on the garage door opener track. When the garage door is closed, it can be easily reached with a coat hanger allowing quick and easy access to your garage. While removing the rope and handle may seem like a good solution, the lever can still be reached. We suggest putting a zip tie around the lever (be sure to just tie up the lever and not the whole track) and leaving the rope in place. This way you can still pull the rope in an emergency to break the zip tie, but it will be secure enough that a coat hanger can’t release it.
Don’t Leave Your Garage Door Open!
This one may seem obvious, but we’re constantly amazed by how many garage doors we see left open. It simply doesn’t matter how nice and safe your neighborhood seems, you are still at risk since thieves often prefer to case such neighborhoods. All the security features in the world won’t help at all when a garage door is left open for everyone to see an easy target.
Keep Your Door Between the Garage and House Secure
While access to the garage often provides a thieve with a lot of value, it’s the easy access to the rest of the house that makes the garage so important. Once in your garage, a thief can work at the door without being seen by a passerby or neighbor. Make sure you have a quality exterior door installed with quality locks, to include a dead bolt.
Install a Wide-Angle Peep Hole in Door to the Garage
Since the garage is a favorite access point for thieves, it is good to be able to see what’s going on in your garage before opening the door to find out. A wide-angle peep hole in the door between your house and garage is an inexpensive way to help protect yourself. We can also help you install security camera systems, which are a great deterrent and helpful to the authorities if something does happen. Give us a call at Advanced Lock and Security to find out more about garage door security.
