Garage doors have been a weak point in home security for many years, but there are steps you can take to make your garage door more secure.
An automatic garage door opener is a good start as the opener itself acts as a lock to prevent the door from being manually opened as long as it is connected to the garage door.
Burglars have figured out ways to defeat this system by using a fishing tool , like a coat hanger to disengage the garage door from the opener allowing the garage door to be opened manually. Many people have removed the red cord from the opener carrier release which makes it harder for a burglar to fish the cord and disengage the opener. This however makes it much more difficult for the homeowner to disengage the door in the case of a power outage or malfunctioning opener, to manually open the garage door. Some homeowners are using zip ties to prevent the door from being disengage while leaving the red cord attached to the opener carrier. This method can be effective, but will require the homeowner to pull really hard on the red cord or cut the zip tie to disengage the door in an emergency.
It is a good idea to cover the windows on the garage door to prevent potential burglars from seeing what is in your garage, and it also will not allow them to see what they are doing if they are fishing for your release cord. The windows themselves also present a security problem as the burglar can break the window to gain access. Windows are an attractive feature on a garage door, but from a security standpoint they are not good. I would recommend purchasing a garage door with no windows if security is your primary objective.
If you are going out of town and want to temporarily reinforce your garage door there are several things you can do. First, most garage door opener wall consoles have a lock switch on them. This lock switch will prevent the door from responding to any remote controls programmed to the garage door opener. This is an effective way to block the remotes, but does not prevent a burglar from fishing the release cord and then manually opening your garage door.
If your door is equipped with a slide lock or T-lock you can simply lock the door. If it is not equipped with a lock system you can use c-clamps on both sides of the track tightened very tight to prevent the door from being manually opened. I have also seen where people have drilled a hole in the track on one side of the door just above a roller, and then insert a padlock through the hole and lock it to secure the garage door. These techniques will work to secure the garage door, just be sure you remove these locking devices prior to trying to open the garage door using a garage door opener as the door and or opener can be severely damaged if you attempt to open the door before removing the locks.
Many of the new garage door openers today are Wi-Fi ready or enabled. This technology allows you to monitor and operate your garage door from anywhere you have internet service. It will even alert your smart phone or tablet any time the garage door opens or closes. While these features may not prevent a burglar from accessing your garage, it will notify you that the door opens or closes so that you can notify local police if needed and they can respond to check out the situation.
Finally, I recommend keeping your remotes in a safe place, not on the visor of your car. If a burglar breaks into your car and takes the remote, they can now use the remote to open the garage door at your home to get in. Key chain size garage door remotes are now available for most garage door openers, and then you can keep it safely in your pocket or purse. Many new cars have the HomeLink and Car2U systems installed in them. These features allow you to program your car to your garage door opener and then there is no need to keep a separate remote clipped to the visor of your car as it is integrated into the car electronics.(some models require a bridge available for about $95)
