7 Tips for Home Garage Security

Remember the Garage!

You have done your due diligence, comparison shopped for a security system and as a result, are ready to move forward to protect your home and family. You are confident that you have everything planned that you will need. But what about the often forgotten extension of your home – the garage?

Why it Matters…

While the garage is often an after-thought, garage security is important for many reasons:

• first, there are valuable items in there coveted by a burglar
• in some cases, it provides access to the home
• an attacker can lie in wait there and surprise you when you come home or leave the house
• maybe most importantly, the water heater and/or electrical box may be in there and pose fire risks

Tips for Securing your Garage

Follow these tips to keep your garage secure and safe from intruders and fire:

1. Keep your overhead door closed all the time – even when you are home. Thieves have been known to walk right into the garage and take off with a bicycle or other equipment. The homeowner may be sitting inside the house unaware. The thief is betting on being able to get away faster than you can catch them.
2. Add your pedestrian door and overhead door in the garage to the alarm system. Opportunists will be happy to get away with the items in your garage without the risk of entering the home. This can include expensive tools, bicycles, workout equipment and items left in your car. Shut them down by locking the door and adding door contacts that will trigger the alarm.
3. If you have an attached garage, keep the door to the house locked and include a door contact on it. Burglars are going to be cautious about breaking into a home where they are visible from the street. However, under the cover of the garage, they can spend more time and not have to worry about nosy neighbors paying attention.
4. Update your garage door opener. Newer technology includes rolling radio signal codes so that a new code is generated every time the door is open.  This makes it very difficult for a hacker to find the right code for your particular door. But garage door openers have a long lifespan. If you have one from before this technology was introduced (early 2000s), it is time to upgrade. Check the inside of your remote and if you see DIP switches like in the picture below, you need a new one!
   
5. Install heat detectors (not smoke detectors) in the garage to be alerted if there is a fire. Since many homes have the water heater, breaker box or chemicals stored in the garage, fire is a real risk. In addition, fires in the garage can spread to your home quickly. Early notification is important to protect your family and home.
6. If you don’t park your car in the garage, be sure your garage door opener isn’t easily accessible to a thief who breaks in to your car. They can quickly go from stealing phone chargers and loose change from the car to getting an expensive chain saw or generator if they find the opener in the car and gain entry to the garage.
7. Finally, include a driveway camera and motion detection lights in your security plan to capture video footage of anyone approaching the garage or to startle them with a light coming on at night as they approach.

We Can Help!

Cultris Security Systems has been designing comprehensive security and fire alarm plans for homes and businesses for over 13 years. Let us help you with the right solution for your needs and budget, including garage security. Call us today at 281-506-8466 or visit us online.

Image Attribution