Garage Security

Garage Door Security

Securing a Garage

Garages are an intruders target for three big reasons: Garages shelter property such as bikes, lawn mowers, and cars. Not to mention valuable tools. Don’t be mistaken thinking they are safe if they are locked in a case. Thieves can take the entire tool chest and worry about opening it late. These things are easy to move, fence and strip. Most people don’t spend a lot of time in their garages, so a burglar has a good chance of entering and leaving without immediate attention. And a garage serves as a discrete path to the rest of the house.

For starters, consider your garage opener. It provides safety because you don’t have to get out of the car to open the door and when shut, it is nearly impossible to open without it. But, if you haven’t changed the settings from the manufacturer’s codes, your garage is not as protected as you think.

Remove the cover from your remote control opener and you’ll see a series of 10 to 12 switches. The relationship between these switches to each other and the settings determine the combination that will operate your door.

If only one is set opposite the others, an intruder with a similar remote has a 1 in 10 or 12 chance to activate the opener. If two switches are off or on, the odds jump to 1 in 100 or 144. Generally, the more switches in opposition to each other, the more complex the combination and the less likely that a stranger can gain access.

To change the combination, use a toothpick or a very small screw driver. Make sure to write down your new combination. Then unplug the opener, remove the cover from the opener’s receiver. Here you will need to adjust the same settings as the one on the remote. If you have more than one remote be sure to adjust all of them.

Now that you have fixed the combination, take a look at the garage door itself. Are there any panels missing or in disrepair? Could a burglar climb inside without opening the door? The same protection goes for any garage windows. They are just as vulnerable and must be attended to as well.

Lastly, all the security you have installed won’t do you any good if you leave the garage door open. An intruder can walk in and take off with your possessions in mere seconds. At the very least, you are flaunting your valuable belongings; at the most, you are risking losing it.