Did you know that a burglar can open your garage door with a coat hanger? Statistics show that 30% of burglaries happen because the door was left open or unlocked. What does this mean? It means that besides having a garage security system, you can reduce the chances of burglaries in your home by just locking your garage door. If you have a garage, you know how important it is to keep it secure. Fortunately, several different garage door security options are available on the market today. In this article, we’ll look at some top choices and explain how they can help keep your garage secure.
Understanding Garage Door Security
When it comes to home security, your garage door is one of the most crucial entry points to protect. After all, it’s the largest door in your home and is often left unguarded. But unfortunately, many people don’t give their garage door security much thought until it’s too late. According to the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors (NACHI), 9% of burglars enter homes through the garage. They often assume that homeowners never pay too much attention to this area, so they see it as an easy access point. In addition, your garage likely contains some of your most valuable possessions, such as your car, tools, and other equipment.
The good thing is that most homeowners have come to realize that their garage security is as important as any other security in their homes. Also, home security equipment manufacturers have devised great ideas to enhance garage door security. Keep reading if you want to beef up your home security, specifically your garage.
What Are the Top Options for Garage Door Security?
Dissuade burglars from your garage door and enhance your home’s security with these simple yet effective ways:
Motion Sensor Lights
If there’s something thieves hate when going on their adventures, is a lit environment. This makes motion sensors an excellent option to enhance your garage security. Motion-sensing lights activate when they detect motion within a given distance, turn on the light for some time, and then shut off. Therefore, installing the light in your garage can act as an alert system to notify you that someone is nearby. In addition, it helps deter intruders, although there are determined ones whose lights cannot dissuade. Motion light sensors save energy since they only turn on when they detect motion.
Garage Door Alarms Sensors
A garage door alarm sensor is a device you can install on a garage door to check whether it’s open or not. When the entrance to the garage is opened, the sensor sends an alert to the alarm system to sound an alarm, triggering the alarm. Typically, there are two types of garage door alarm systems:
- Tilt sensors: This sensor is mounted on the door and shifts from vertical to horizontal. This sensor senses the angle change of the door and sends a signal to the security system.
- Door contacts: come with a sensor and a magnet. The sensor is placed on the door frame and the magnet is on the door. When the door opens, the magnet separates from the sensor. This separation causes the sensor to activate, sending a signal to the security system.
You may combine a garage door alarm sensor with your smart home to get notifications by text, email, or push notifications.
Smart Garage Opener
A smart garage opener is a modernized way of ensuring that your home is safe, making it an excellent investment. The device allows you to remotely open or closes the garage door using a mobile app. Furthermore, you may sync the app for this sensor with your smartphone to get notifications whenever the garage door opens.
The smart garage opener connects to a smart hub using Bluetooth or WiFi. The smart garage’s best feature is the ease with which you can check to see if your garage door is closed from nearly anywhere.
Mechanical Locks
Using smart locks on your garage door is convenient and provides seamless control. However, they are not as reliable as mechanical locks. In addition, experts can quickly hack a smart lock, making it an inefficient way to secure your garage door. On the other hand, physical locks are a good choice, especially when you’re on vacation because you can have peace of mind.
Garage Security Camera
If you want an extra eye on your valuables while still enhancing your home’s security, then a security camera might be the right choice. Some cameras are optimized for garage security, such as the myQ Smart Garage HD Camera. Security cameras have sturdy materials for extreme weather, so you won’t have to worry in case it’s raining or snowing.
In addition, they come with a two-way audio feature to enable your communication with the person on the other side. With this feature, you can let an intruder know that you can see them and that you have alerted the authorities to scare them off. Furthermore, these cameras are an excellent choice for your garage door security since they come with motion sensors to detect movement and send notifications.
With security cameras, you’ll be able to recognize the intruders and use the recorded video as evidence. You can also use outdoor security cameras on your garage door as it offers most of the features found on garage security cameras.
Garage Door Security Tips to Maximize Protection
The above options are great for monitoring and enhancing the security of your garage entrance. On top of these options, here are other precautions to prevent burglary in your home.
- Always ensure all doors are closed.
- Install a garage door timer
- Add a tint/frost to your garage windows to prevent people from peeping inside, and also, you can make the contents less visible.
- Install a garage door defender
- Lock up tools that a burglar can use to break into your garage
- Use high-quality doors and replace rusty and creaky old doors.
- Change remote-control frequencies and security codes now and then.
- Ensure to close the garage doors
- Install a garage door shield
What Makes Your Home Attractive to Burglars?
A thief doesn’t randomly choose to invade your home; instead, they are some things that attract them to it. They first survey the accessible homes they can break into and devise a plan. Here are some things that might attract them to your home:
Signs That You Don’t Spend Much Time During the Day at Home
According to statistics, 6% of home burglaries happen between 6 am and 6 pm when homeowners are out running errands or at work. So they check your patterns of when you live, return to the house, and plan the best time to invade.
Large Hedges or Trees in Your Compound
The plants in your home might add aesthetics to your home but can also act as a hiding place for intruders. So if you have plants, hedges, or trees in your garden, ensure they are not bushy or blocking entryways and windows.
Mail Pileup and Multiple Newspapers on the Front Door
When thieves see your mail piling up and several newspapers left on the front door for several days, it becomes clear that you are not home. To avoid this, ensure you discontinue the services before leaving town, or you can ask your neighbor or friend to pick them up.
Social Media
Unfortunately, even your acquaintances can lead to your house being robbed. With the high use of social media lately, you may want to update your friends on your vacation and the fun you’re having. The public may have access to some of these images and status updates, and some may consider this an excellent time to invade your home.
Dark Areas in Your Home
While some people take precautions in installing outdoor lights on their front, some often forget about the back of their houses. When adding exterior lights in your home, ensure not to leave dark spots as these can be hiding areas for thieves. They may hide in these places, waiting for a chance to lunge at you.
Lack of Home Security System
Intruders tend to avoid invading homes that have security systems in place. So, ensure that you have the basic systems such as doorbells, alarms, etc. You don’t need to break the bank to get a security system. Many affordable ones are available on the market with unique features that can help you prevent the next burglary in your home.
Protect Your Home With ONIT Home Smart Security Systems
Garage door security is crucial in any home. It helps prevent thieves from using it as an access point to your home. Also, it helps improve your overall home security. You can choose many options, such as using security cameras, smart garage openers, motion detector lights, and garage door alarm sensors.
If you’re looking to improve your whole home security, then ONIT Home is here for you. We offer customizable security systems that match your needs. Let us know what you want the system to do, and our experts will help you develop the right design for you. We also offer 24/7 monitoring at an affordable price on residential and business premises. Call us today at 1-833-433-0331 or visit us online for more information. Need smart security? We’re ONIT!