We feel that this is one of our more applicable and import articles, as everyone out there should know something about garage door security. We’ve touched on this topic briefly in our article on a bypass technique commonly used by criminals, but today we’re going to expand on that to look at garage door security as a whole.
Garage doors are a common weak point when looking at security in a whole-home approach and an easy target for thieves. Garage door are not only a weakness, but provide criminals a shelter once inside. To the casual passerby an open garage with a work truck pulled up to it doesn’t look out of place or scream break-in.
Securing your garage door doesn’t just mean the roll-up door; as you’ll read in the article below, you have to look at every entrance point as a vulnerability. Not that any loss to your family isn’t devastating, but one that occurs through a preventable measure just shouldn’t happen. Here are the 12 most important things you can do to secure your garage.
Automatic Garage Door Openers
Let’s briefly talk about the history of these devices so you can get an idea what we’re talking about later in the article. When the first generation of automatic openers came out they all featured the same code. You can imagine the security risk by having one of these openers. Thieves could just drive a neighborhood pushing their purchased transmitter and if you had the same brand as they did; jackpot!
The second generation of openers increased their security by featuring dip switches that could be set by the owner to a unique combination. While this did increase security, most owners would leave the default setting on and guess what? Jackpot! Another security risk of the second-gen openers is that a code grabber could be utilized to gain access to your system. A code grabber device works by locking onto your signal and memorizing it. Then, all a thief would have to do is re-transmit the code and they were in.
Modern automatic garage door openers now feature rolling-code technology, where your remote will transmit a brand new security code each time you press your remote. There are over 100 billion codes, so the likelihood of a code grabber working are very slim. Be sure that your opener features this rolling-code technology! If you use Lift-Master for instance, look for their Security+ line that features this technology.
Top 10
- Don’t leave the garage door remote in your vehicle – If a thief breaks in to your car and steal the remote he has a way into your home.
- Invest in a keychain remote opener – Stop using that remote you clip to your visor and get a keychain remote opener that you can leave on your keys.
- Secure your garage door emergency release – Follow our article here and learn how easy it is throw some zip-ties on your emergency release and still retain it’s intended function.
- Keep it locked – Put a deadbolt on the door between your house and garage; is it really that much of an inconvenience to have to use a key each time you come home?
- Make sure the door from your garage into your house is as secure as your front door – Ensure you have a strong, sturdy door made out of solid-core wood or reinforced steel and install an Anti-Kick device like the Door Devil on it!
- Don’t leave your garage door open – It amazes me how many people in my neighborhood just leave their garage door open all the time. It’s just inviting someone to pop their heads in and grab something. Listen up America! I don’t care how safe you think your neighborhood is, good neighborhoods are the first place criminals like to drive through to case houses.
- Install a wide-angle peephole in the door between your house and your garage – You’ll at least be able to see what’s going on if you hear a strange noise; rather than opening the door to find out.
- Frost or cover your garage windows – Don’t do thieves any favors by enabling them to see when your vehicle is gone, a better idea would be to replace the door with one that lacks windows.
- Padlock the throw latch on your garage door when you’re out of town – If you don’t have a manual lock on your garage door, you can use a c-clamp tightened down on each side of the door track to effectively “lock” down the door. It’s similar to those small window track locks you can buy for your home interior windows.
- Don’t neglect maintenance on the mechanical parts of your roll-up garage door and keep an eye out for corrosion. Don’t forget the door from your garage to your house; check the frame, locks, hinges and any replaceable items.
Red Cell
Essentially the same as war gaming a situation, Red Cell is a term we throw around here when we’re discussing testing security by putting yourself in a criminal’s shoes. How would you break in to your garage? What are the weaknesses of your security system?
Do you have an external keypad? try removing it and taking out the batteries out, can it be manipulated to open your door? How can you be sure if you don’t try it out? This is pretty extreme, so don’t take it out of context, but if you’ve got the cash, desire and time to make the repairs; kick in your own door. Have you ever kicked one in? Do you know how easy it really is? It will definitely make you rethink your security.
Notes
Keep drilling these ideas into your head and we can’t say it enough… Test your system for vulnerabilities! Please also take a few minutes and share this with your friends and family! Don’t be the victim of a garage door break-in this holiday season!
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{ 20 comments… read them below or add oneDiscuss in our Forum }
How about adding alarm system contacts to you garage doors….
Forces you to consider your garage doors as part of your security perimeter and holds an added level of control over your cars.
adding alarm contacts to your Garage door is a novel idea! but the better alternative is too have a device that stops any and all electronic Garage door intrusion without the homeowner giving up the convenience of their garage door opener. I have taken what I have achieved too the Sacramento county Sheriffs department and presented it too there crime prevention specialist. all I am lacking is a provisional Patent, once I have that? the sheriffs department said they will issue a statement” that of this device, they know of no other device in existence to stop cyber hacking”!
if your a Patent attorney in Sacramento California please contact me.
one more thing I would like too add! forget about Genie and chamberlains garage door security efforts! the hacker’s are laughing at them, there is strong and factual evidence all over the internet that the Hacker have hacked all of the Garage door security systems of genie and chamberlain have come up with. go to Google and type in Garage door security hacking and you will see just how serious this matter is! Garage door security hacking should be considered a national security threat.
Harris51, I was just going to comment on the same thing. I have just recently extended the perimeter of my house alarm to include my garage door (instead of just a motion detector in the garage), as well as the door on the gun safe that is in my garage (I know, won’t help if they torch it). Both are bypassable if needed.
Thanks for the writeup, Bryan.
I took advantage of the “zip-tie fix” when it first came out, but the XL German Shepherd size pet door on the side of the house makes real garage security iffy for me. It depends on their fear of teeth, or their ability to plan ahead and bring a bone. However, we have doubled the security on the interior door, along with the alarm once we were made aware.
if using the zip tie fix does that mean I cant use my garage dor opener while the ties are on?
Jennifer, securing the emergency release handle has nothing to do with the normal operation of the door.
Hello
Please explain if a thief trying to grab my code as Im disactivating my alarm must be present and activating his code grabber at that very moment or if he can simply leave it on 24 hours a day (within range of course) and grab codes as I happen to be disactivating my alarm
Thanks!
Fred Schmid
Victim 10 break ins in just over 1 month just changed my frequency and fear someones been hacking my codes
Is there any way a new home with two garage doors would just be innocent accident be able to have both doors open during day when no one was home. There was nothing stolen from the home. there is a deadbolt and security system going into the house and of course inside.
Thanks
Yes. Anything which produces radio frequency could POSSIBLY trigger your door openers. From a lightning strike to a passing police car radio. Unusual but not impossible.
is there any way to add an audible alarm to the motion detection beam already being used by the opener?
How can i secure my garage since the homelink is programmed in my car and my car sometimes sits outside? Anyone could break into the car and open the garage door. Is there any way to secure it?
I installed key pad locks on the door between the garage and the interior. Most people I know don’t like to install or use locks because they forget their keys and get locked out or are in just too much of a hurry. Keypad locks provide me with a way to leave the door locked at all times and I never have to worry about lockouts. If I’m going in and out I can elect to put the door in an unlocked position, but even if I forget entering the code isn’t a big deal. With the Schlage locks (and I assume others) you can also use their option to link it to an online system where I can control the lock with my phone if needed (let someone in without ever sharing the code or create a temporary code for someone). I can also automate the locking mechanism on a schedule so at certain hours the door will lock automatically if I ever forget to re-engage the lock. A little too much technology to rely on for security so I still check the lock regularly but it adds a little security and a little convenience.
http://consumer.schlage.com/Products/Pages/category-landing.aspx?category=Electronic+Keypad+Locks
Are you reallly suggesting somebody kick in their garage door for the sake of research? They could just get an alarm.
It seems that the best answer to garage door security is to dispense with electronic openers altogether. They’re great convenience items, but many of us grew up without them and somehow survived. I’d have to opt for security over convenience if I had to choose. Use a heavy duty, commercial grade, secure steel door and put the car in the garage at night. The main drawback is a little weather exposure now and then.
I’m trying to understand how someone could open the garage door by disengaging the manual opener. I don’t have a handle on the inside or the outside of the garage door. could someone still open the garage door? I can’t even open it. When we bought the house there was a key access by the front door but we never found a key for it, we followed the wire to the door opener but still don’t know why someone would put their car in the garage and then go around to the front door to close the door and then go in the house.???strange
I can’t agree with this list more! Number ten especially, I work with garage doors and I can’t tell you how many are not taken care of or improperly installed and are little more then an inconvenience for criminals. If you have a problem with the biggest way into your home consult a pro to fix it.
their has to be some better way to make sure my Garage will be safe when Im in my home at night? Im looking for some way to setup something like with a speaker to make them Run very fast that I would be able to hear from my house! please help me maybe there’s something I could buy at home depot that I could do on my own?
Buy a baby monitor ! Put one in the garage & one in your bed room or where ever you sleep. I have been doing this for years & it works. you can hear what ever is going on in your garage. Now they have the new ones out that you can see inside. Check at the local walmart or other department stores they may have them & can explain to you how they work. Good luck
I drilled a hole in the track of my garage door and put a pad lock on it. Problem solved