There are so many ways to keep your home secure in this day and age. You can invest in all manner of locks and cameras for your home’s exterior doors, but are you doing the same for your garage door? It’s one of the easiest ways for people to get into your home, so you want to be sure that you’re securing it as much as possible. Here are some of the easiest but most effective ways to enhance your garage door security.
Cover the Windows
Windows are a great thing to have in your garage, especially if you use it for other things than storing your car. The problem is, you’re likely keeping quite expensive things in there that a thief would love to get their hands on. For example, if you have expensive tools or a good quality mountain bike, they are tempting things to break in and get.
If a thief can see in through the windows, they’re likely to try and get in and take them. As such, you need to cover the windows in the garage door and any you have in the garage itself. You can do this in any way that suits you. You can go for traditional curtains or blinds in your home. You can also get translucent films over the glass, obscuring what’s inside while letting the light in.
Keep the Door Shut
It sounds like such an obvious tip, but many homeowners think nothing of leaving their garage doors open for longer periods. You may be heading into the house to get something or walking the dogs, but that open garage door is an invitation to any thieves in the area. They only need a minute or two to get in, take what they want, and get out.
Make sure everyone in the house knows that if they’re using the garage door, they must shut it before leaving the area. As such, whenever you go in or out of the garage door, ensure that you’re shutting it behind you. It’s easier to do this if you have an automatic garage door and you can hit a button to close it behind you.
Update Your Garage Door Opener
On the subject of your garage door opener, it may be time to think about replacing it. If it’s an older model, it won’t be as secure for your home. That’s because they’ll send the same code from your remote to the opener every time you open it. A thief can sit on the street outside your garage and clone the code when you open the door.
That allows them to get into the garage and take what they want. Instead, get a newer model opener, as these use rolling codes. Rolling codes change every time you use the garage door. That makes it much harder for the codes to be cloned and enhance your garage door security.
Add Lighting
Lighting is an excellent deterrent to thieves trying to get into your garage. They would much prefer that you can’t see what they’re doing, so a dark garage doorway is going to be great for them. Adding some light can make it much harder for them to break in.
You don’t have to have a light on all night to put them off. Instead, a simple motion detector floodlight will do much of the work for you. These will come on when someone comes into the vicinity of the door, making it a lot harder to break in undetected.
Take Advantage of Smart Devices
Smart devices are becoming increasingly popular today, and they’re great for your front door. If you’re already using them, it’s very easy to get your garage door set up with similar security. A smart camera on the door will help you see what’s happening around the garage door at all times, all through your smartphone. You’ll also be able to communicate through them, so you can speak to anyone you see around your garage door.
You’ll also have the option to install a smart garage door opener. These allow you to operate the garage door directly through your smartphone, which is very handy and related to the above point, making it even harder for thieves to try and operate the opener themselves. The smart opener app will also be able to let you know if the door opens unexpectedly, which is very helpful for you when you’re away from home.
Check Your Emergency Cord
Your emergency cord is something that lets you disconnect the garage door opener from the door itself, which is very helpful in the case of an emergency. However, they’re also a top target for thieves. That’s because they can ‘fish’ for them, using a clothes hanger to reach under the door and snag the emergency cord. That gives them access to the door, so they can get in.
Don’t worry, as you can quickly stop them from doing this. You can cut or tie the cord up so it’s higher up and harder to reach from the ground. You can also get a garage door shield installed so no one can get under the door in the first place. That will also help stop pests from getting in.
Improve the Locks
Finally, check all the locks that allow entry to your garage and from your garage into your home. The door between your garage and house should have a combination of locks, just like your front door. Also, for garage doors that have handles for opening, ensure yours has a lock on it.
Conclusion
These tips are straightforward to implement and will enhance your garage door security. Take the time to implement this advice now, and your garage will be secure and very unappealing to any would-be thieves in your area. If your garage needs maintenance or repairs, Your Garage Door Guys is ready to help! We are available in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.