November 30, 2018

Ways to Keep People from Breaking into Your Garage

Breaking

How often does a residential burglary happen in Canada? It happens once every 90 seconds. How often does a residential burglary happen in the United States? It happens once every 18 seconds. Many of these break‑ins happen during the day, too, because the thieves believe that nobody is going to be home. They often see the garage as being easy pickings.

Not only that, but you may have some very valuable items that you keep in the garage. You could have motorcycles, bikes, tools, and other types of expensive property. In the case of attached garages, they can also be an easy entry point into your home.

How can this happen? It can happen in different ways, such as when you forget to lock the car doors when you are at work or out shopping. Thieves know how to walk around parking lots and look for vehicles that are not locked up properly. They look for garage door openers that people leave out in the open, and if they find them, they also look for your home address on your registration or similar documentation. Fortunately, there are some relatively simple things that you can do about this.

Know Your Garage Door

Do you know how old your garage door is? If not, you will want to look at the label on the motor housing. If you have an old door that was from before 1993, you are going to want to change it sooner rather than later. These older doors are not as safe from a security perspective or from a structural perspective. These doors would use dip switches as a way to code the doors, and it is easy for thieves to scan these codes and break into your garage.

Don’t Leave the Remote in the Open

If you leave the remote in the open, it is going to be a temptation for a thief. In a perfect world, you wouldn’t have to worry about this, but we don’t live in a perfect world. When bad people see an easy opportunity, they are going to take it. You need to have a place where you can hide it where the thieves will not find it. In some cases, you might simply want to bring it along with you to erase any doubt.

You could also consider using a mini remote control (375UT) that is small enough that you can attach it right to your keyring. However, if you are going to be using this, be careful when you are at home. Put it in a location where you are not going to be bumping it or sitting on it. They are very sensitive, and a slight bit of pressure will cause your door to activate.

Mini remote control 375UT

Today, it is even possible to operate the garage door through your smartphone. However, you need to use LiftMaster’s MyQ technology to do this.

When You Are Leaving Home for Days

If you are going to be leaving for a vacation or a business trip, you will want to make sure that your door is not easy to open. You can disconnect it from the electrical outlet, which would render remotes and keypad use impossible. You could also press the lock button on the control panel to ensure that no one can use it. Maybe you want to add a side lock installed on the inside of the door. You could then add another padlock if you want.

Another option is to use an automatic lock (841LM) from LiftMaster, which you can use with your smartphone. However, this will mean that your door system needs to be connected to a WiFi system.

What About the Windows

If you have windows in the garage door, it could provide a very clean view of exactly what you have inside. You will want to do something about this. You might want to consider using privacy film on the glass, or covering the windows with a curtain, for example. For those who are going to be getting a new garage door in the near future, you will want to be sure they have either tinted or frosted glass.

Get a Rigid Door

Those who have non‑insulated garage doors, or who have only a single panel of polystyrene insulation are going to want to consider getting a better, more rigid garage door. You will want to choose a sandwich‑style garage door. These have both sides covered in steel sheets. To make it even stronger, you might want to use a door that has been injected with 1 ¾‑inch (45‑mm) thick polyurethane.

Extra Tips

You will always want to double‑check to make sure that your garage door is closed properly. You should do this before you go to bed at night. Once you get into the habit, it will be easy to remember. There is also a monitor (829LM) for the garage door that can let you know if it is closed properly, and you can see this through your phone when you are using LiftMaster’s MyQ technology.

Monitor 829LM

It is also very important that you have plenty of lighting around the exterior of your home. Having them attached to motion detectors is even better. Also, consider getting a security camera connected to the WiFi system. Even leaving a radio on a talk station in the garage can give you a little extra security.

Security camera

Get in Touch

You want better security, and that means you want to contact us. We understand everything there is to know about garage doors, and we can help you make the right choice. You can visit our showroom, as well, or we can send you a quotation by email.

If you are going to get a new garage door, you will want to check out our Design Centre and the image gallery.

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