Keep your garage secure with a few simple tips.
When it comes to home security, it's easy to neglect our garages. Even though we often store valuable items like power tools and outdoor recreation equipment in them, we may assume no one would be interested in gaining access because they're cold, unconditioned spaces.
Wrong. Burglars know that garages can be full of high-ticket heirlooms, expensive toys, and other things that homeowners don't keep inside the house. Worse, the garage often has an interior access door that is commonly unlocked. This means that if someone gains access to your garage, they could very well waltz into your home, even if you have the front and back doors locked.
To protect yourself, your family, and your belongings, let's review some key tips for securing your garage:
- Install exterior motion lights
- Ensure the service door is secure
- Make it a "smart" garage
- Keep landscaping well-pruned
- Lock the overhead door when away for long periods of time
Worried about garage security? Call Ackerman's experts: 800.552.1111. We'll provide a thorough assessment of your home's garage, perimeter, and points of entry, along with upfront prices on the best home security systems in Atlanta. Don't want to wait? Get an instant security quote online today.
Install Exterior Motion Lights
Prevention is always the best method when it comes to securing your home's garage. That's why we recommend installing exterior motion lights to illuminate anyone walking near or around the perimeter of your home.
Criminals, burglars, and looky-loos aren't interested in being seen. So if motion lights detect their presence around your home, they'll think twice before attempting to surveil your garage. Instead, they'll probably move onto someone else's home, especially if they haven't taken any home security measures.
Exterior motion lights are one of the most simple and affordable security tools you can invest in. Found at any big box home improvement store for less than $100, they take only a few minutes to install (many models are battery-operated) and are fully waterproof to withstand any kind of weather.
Ensure the Service Door Is Secure
Typically, thieves looking to break into your garage will try and gain access through the service door first, so it's important to make sure you keep it secure.
But what's a "service door," you might ask? Good question.
Most newer garages have an exterior "service door," which is a door that can be accessed from the outside of your garage. These allow you to come in and out of your garage from the side or back yard, typically for gardening, home projects, storage, and other garage activities.
Older, single car garages from the pre-1950's era may not have a service door, but if you do have one, it's crucial that you install a deadbolt and heavy strike plate. Deadbolts are more challenging to pick than standard doorknob locks, and a heavy strike plate will protect against someone trying to kick open the door through brute force.
Make It a "Smart" Garage
For ultimate garage security, you might consider upgrading to a "smart" garage system.
Check out our recent blog, Can You Make A 'Smart' Garage? Is it Worth It?
Smart garages vary in features, but most allow you to open and shut your garage door remotely, through a convenient app on your smartphone. Moreover, some systems have video monitoring capabilities, so you can see who's coming and going 24/7.
The biggest reason a smart garage will boost your security is because of how frequently we simply forget to shut the garage door in the first place. In the mornings, for example, we might exit the garage on our way to work, only to question 5 miles down the road, "shoot, did I remember to shut the garage?" Without the time to head back home and check, we can easily leave our garage vulnerable for hours on end.
Get real-time updates whenever your garage door is opened, through a convenient app on your smartphone.
With a smart garage system, you can check the status of your garage door through the touch of a button. If your garage door is securely shut, great. But if you accidentally left it open, you can close it remotely, and then have peace of mind that your home and belongings are protected!
Want a free upfront quote on a smart garage system? Call Ackerman Security at 800.552.1111. We install the latest home automation systems, so you can seamlessly control your home's security no matter where you are in the world.
Keep Landscaping Well-Pruned
Are plants, trees, and shrubs growing wild around your garage? Make sure your landscaping is well-pruned so that potential burglars have nowhere to hide.
With our busy lives, it's easy to forget about low-traffic areas like the side yard. But these are often prime locations for criminals to hang out, especially if they're looking to break into the garage.
Keep shrubs, trees, and plants around your garage well pruned, so potential burglars have nowhere to hide.
Overgrown landscaping occurs during fall and spring especially, when dead leaves pile up or new growth is happening. But if you make it part of your household's semi-annual gardening routines, it will be easier to remember.
Lock the Overhead Door When Away for Long Periods of Time
If you're going away for long periods of time, you can secure your garage with a padlock on the overhead door.
When away for long periods of time, secure a padlock to your overhead door's metal sliding track.
Along the aluminum or metal tracks that allow your garage door to slide open and shut, you can drill a hole. Then, secure a padlock through the hole so that if someone tries to open the overhead door, the door will be lodged shut.
This isn't something we recommend for everyday use, as the routine of securing and removing a padlock could be quite cumbersome. But if you're going on vacation for more than a week, it could add an extra layer of protection (and peace of mind!) that your garage is protected from break-ins.
Keep Your Garage Secure, With Help From Ackerman Security.
At Ackerman Security, we treat your home's security like it's our own. That's why we offer the most advanced home security systems around, complete with 24/7 monitoring and our "no-theft" guarantee. To safeguard your garage from break-ins and thieves, call 800.552.1111 to speak with one of our security experts, or schedule your free instant security quote online today.
