What Are the Best Ways to Safeguard Your Home and Garage from Burglars?

Many homeowners believe that incidents involving burglaries and other theft simply don’t occur in their neighborhoods. Those incidents are reserved for deep inner city-neighborhoods late at night and early morning hours before the sun returns.

A false sense of security like this makes many Americans the target of would-be burglars and petty thieves.

A quick look at the following statistics can provide a rude awakening to those that don’t otherwise believe crime happens on their side of the tracks.

Home Alone Movie, two most infamous burglars.

Home Alone’s 2 most infamous burglars ever.

Statistics You Should Be Aware of as a Homeowner

These statistics should not be denied and detail how close to home tragedy can strike.

Aeon Matrix reports:

● The hours between 10 am, and 3 pm are prime territory for burglaries to occur.

● Most burglaries take place in less than 10 minutes.

● Incredibly, most of these crimes are committed by people who live near your house. They know the area well enough to avoid homes with security systems. It’s estimated that 65% of burglaries occur in situations where the perpetrator knows the victim.

● Most burglars start by the master bedroom.

Nobody wants anything in our garage, right? There are only miscellaneous items we haven’t kept tabs on for a while. Burglars wouldn’t want things like baseball cards, comic books, lawn equipment, and tools. They’re burglars; they don’t use that stuff. Plus, it’s not like the garage provides the biggest entryway into our home. Our garage is not a target at all, right?

If we have to tell you that this type of thinking is wrong, we would be slightly concerned.

Safe at Last provides the following important statistics regarding how burglars enter the home:

● Front door: 34%

● First-floor window: 23%

● Back Door: 22%

● Basement: 9%

● Garage Door: 9%

Important Things We Forget

Moving to the suburbs to a nice, middle-to-upper class development makes us much safer right? I mean, they’re more expensive.

The longer we stay in these developments, the safer we feel. Slowly but surely, we are eventually lulled to sleep by a false sense of security. We stop locking the doors at night. Keys are hidden in places that even the most uncreative person would find.

You didn’t notice that inconspicuous car parked down the street or the neatly dressed man walking by with his dog every day. Unbeknownst to you, they’re making a note of the times you go to work, the times you get back, and your patterns and habits regarding the safety of your home.

These Should be No-Brainers and Second Nature

Home Alone most famous picture with young actor Macaulay Culkin

The goal of these tips isn’t to set up traps and inflict pain on the bad guys. We use pre-emptive strikes. We’re not going to allow the bad guys a chance to even get in:

KEEP YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS LOCKED ALL.THE.TIME. There should be no exceptions to this rule.

FORGET ABOUT SPARE KEYS. At least, forget about hiding them on your property. A would-be burglar could be spying from afar, watching where you leave spare keys. In fact, that’s what they do. Don’t leave it outside, in, or under anything on your property if the kids need a spare key after school or practice. Don’t leave it on your property, period. Leave it with a trusted neighbor that the kids can go get it from once they arrive home.

NO BOWLS WITH KEYS AND LABELS ON THE TABLE NEAR THE DOOR. You should never label your keys, period. Keep your garage door opener under your car seat instead of in plain sight. It’s too easy to steal from you when you turn your back for a second.

Your patio doors need extra attention. Patio doors are made of lightweight material already. Additionally, many of them don’t have very strong locks, and a good pull can force them open even when the lock is engaged. Use a 2x4 board and place it diagonally, running from corner to corner. This will give the door extra protection, making it nearly impossible to open.

You should have a good relationship with your neighbors. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that burglaries occur in neighborhoods that aren’t as tight knit as others. The safest communities are the ones where neighbors are friends, constantly looking out for each other’s property. This is true regardless of the area the neighborhood is in. Make it a point to get friendly with your neighbors. Assure them you are looking out for their place when they are away and encourage them to do the same of yours and all the other neighbors. It’s not a bad idea to call some type of meeting regarding neighbor safety.

When you move to a new house, it’s a good idea to change the locks.

When it’s dark, CLOSE YOUR CURTAINS. When it’s dark outside, and you turn the lights on inside your home, what’s the easiest thing to see from the streets? That giant 65-inch television looks pretty appealing to a burglar watching from afar. Don’t make yourself a target, especially considering burglars normally live close to you (remember?).

Add curtains to the garage as well. Many people have windows in their garages, which isn’t a bad idea. However, you have valuables in the garage just like you do in the main part of the house. Why wouldn’t you have curtains on the garage windows too? Sandblasted glass offers daylight and privacy windows that change their tint depending on the time of day.

Your interior lights are more efficient with timers (and safer). Timers are a great way to ensure your lights go out when you’re not home. However, they’re also a great way to fool burglars. When most people leave, they turn on the same lights in the same manner, at the same time. This isn’t hard for burglars to pick up on after they watch for a couple of days. Timers can turn the lights on and off in different rooms on different patterns. The burglars will have no idea you’re away because the lights are turning on and off at all different hours in no explainable pattern.

Motion-activated lights are a great idea, day or night. Yes, we know that most burglaries occur during the daytime. So, motion-activated lights wouldn’t be effective at keeping burglars away, right? Wrong! When a burglar sees the light switch (even during the day), most would assume that a person in the house turned the light on. This will trigger them to clear the area as fast as possible.

Rethink the landscaping. We know the Homeowners Association wants you to keep your bushes and shrubs “just-so.” However, they’re not going to fix or replace your things if a burglar makes his way into your home. Let the shrubs grow over your windows, blocking the view of anyone potentially casing your house. This is a perfect example of using nature to your advantage!

Enter the mind of a burglar. Walk around your house and pretend you’re a burglar. Don’t wear the clothes; there’s no need for the neighbors to see you creeping around your house in all black. Seriously though, go from window to window and make an attempt at eyeing valuables from outside. Does anything look appealing from a burglar’s point of view? Jiggle the locks of your doors, test the windows; if you see any potential weak spots, make adjustments to keep your house safe.

Don’t put the expensive items out on display! Keep your expensive items out of sight. There’s no reason for you to put that $4,000 painting you own right next to the window. In the garage, cover up your tens of thousands of dollars in power tools with tarps or put them under shelves; or even better, lock them in a shelf.

Burglars are on social media A high-tech world requires a high-tech burglar. Don’t think for one second that burglars aren’t on social media looking for easy targets. When they are browsing new feeds online, the first profiles they notice are the people flashing hundred-dollar bills and their expensive purchases. Don’t’be one of these easy targets.

This Safeatlast blog article gives you an idea of how safe your house is.

Now, for the moment, you’ve all been waiting for. How can you prevent break-ins in your garage?

Should You Shorten Your Garage Door Release Device?

Many career home repair guys recommend this ColoradoRMN video, demonstrating how to include a tie-wrap and cut your garage door rope to a shorter length.

Someone is showing the rope of an electric garage door opener in a garage.

If the rope is too long, a burglar can easily hook it between 2 door sections, grab it and pull it outside in a few seconds. Photo credit: Image from the video

This video says this is a design flaw. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s there to protect you and your family.

The 2 portions of the operating system for your garage door are actually designed to help release in an emergency. God forbid there is a fire or perhaps a power surge, and everyone needs to exit the property. Now you have no emergency release.

DON’T ADD A TIE WRAP.

Use these alternatives:

● Shorten the rope, but only a little bit.

● Add a garage trolley shield

Perfect Remedy: A Real Garage Door Lock Instead of Homemade Rubbish

Most garages can be opened with very little force, so what’s the point of adding additional security features.

Certain handymen who think they’re professional security guards might add their own special reinforcements to make a home safer. Do you think this is a good idea?

If you said no, congratulations. Quality garage doors can last up to 25 years. This is a more reliable method than using your neighbor who thinks he is a security expert.

LiftMaster has an automatic garage door lock available that automatically locks the door after it’s been closed. This is great for people who forget to lock up before they leave.

LiftMaster Automatic Garage Door Lock Picture

4 Reasons You Should Install this Lock on Your Garage Door

1- Absolute protection: A deadbolt lock gives your garage door the strength of Fort Knox

2- Audible security: You will know when the component is properly engaged because of its trademark locking noise.

3- Automatic operation: This amazing lock can be made to operate in sync with the garage door opener. After the garage door opener shuts the door, the lock can be set to automatically engage, leaving your garage and home protected.

4- Anywhere assurance: Smartphone monitoring and MyQ ensure you have access to the security status of your garage and home at all times, right from the palm of your hand.

A woman checking if her garage door is lock on her smarphone by using the free MyQ app.

Worry-free Performance. Know that your home is secured from anywhere with the MyQ App and Automatic Garage Door Lock.

Switch to a Much Smarter Garage Door Opener: Cutting Edge Technology

We now live in the 21st century. It’s time for your garage door and its opener to catch up. LiftMaster offers a fantastic smart garage door opener. This bad boy even has a camera equipped with two-way audio technology.

9 Things Your Smart LiftMaster 87504-267 Opener Can Do

1- Change the alerts to how you want them to be received

2- Real time updates; never wonder if the garage door was left open.

3- Your garage door can be opened and closed directly from your phone, regardless of where you are.

4- Add new users. Add people like the bug man, your maid, and your children as users who are approved to operate this opener. This gives you an extra level of security and keeps unwanted users from operating the system.

5- Your smartphone can receive real-time updates about the status of your garage door each time people enter your garage.

6- Get in-garage deliveries when you order online (if this service is available in your area).

7- Monitor your garage with live updates.

8- Respond with real reactions — answer people when they have questions or other reactions in this amazing system.

9- View past activity with saved data and updates that are stored in the system for up to 30 days.

How Does it Work?

The homeowner gets a notification “Garage door 1 opened just now” on her smart phone and sees her children and the babysitter, live on camera, as they enter the garage.

The homeowner gets a notification “Garage door 1 opened just now” on her smart phone and sees her children and the babysitter, live on camera, as they enter the garage.

The Built-In Camera Allows You to Monitor All Activity In Real-Time

● Live-streaming 1080p HD video

● 360-degree view with unlimited rotation

● High-def. night vision and responsive motion detecting

The homeowner gets a notification on his smart phone and sees the neighbor as she enters his garage. “Hi, Rachel!” he says, “the ladder is hung on the left wall”.

The homeowner gets a notification on his smart phone and sees the neighbor as she enters his garage. “Hi, Rachel!” he says, “the ladder is hung on the left wall”.

2-Way Audio Keeps You In Communication

● Microphone and Speaker, give you constant and LIVE 2-way communication

● Microphone can always be toggled on and off

The homeowner gets a notification on his smart phone “Alert Occurred – The garage door remains open  and sees that the neighbor who walks the dog as the last to come out from the garage door.

The homeowner gets a notification on his smart phone “Alert Occurred – The garage door remains open and sees that the neighbor who walks the dog as the last to come out from the garage door.

Built-in Wi-Fi and Smartphone Control Allow You to:

● Stay MyQ connected

● Open the door and close the door from remote areas

● Receive customizable alerts and share access with other people

● Keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth integrated

A mom and her daughter are going to the house from the garage. We can see that the garage door has secure door lock.

Secure your home and family with these amazing extras

● When the power is out, you can still control the garage door with battery backups.

● Forced openings are electronically protected

Secure Code – every click sends a unique and secure code

● The door won’t close on obstructions and obstacles because of safety sensors

● Never navigate your garage door in the dark again with motion-activated lights.

Replacing the former LiftMaster 8550, the LiftMaster 87504-267 door opener not your average garage door opener. Who doesn’t like to do some online shopping? Isn’t it convenient to do all of your shopping from the luxury of your couch or bed? In my opinion, this is one of the greatest innovations since sliced bread.

However, because of thieves, there’s a new system known as in-garage deliveries that change the home-delivery game.

Use these steps to ensure your garage door is efficient and protected against break-ins. These entry points are often overlooked, and thieves love to take advantage of them:

● Your car should never be left unlocked inside the garage OR outside.

● Take the garage door opener inside the house with you. Put it in your pocket or keep it in your purse.

LiftMaster accessories should be reprogrammed to ensure no other control can open your door. Thieves find old garage door openers and go through walks in neighborhoods, randomly clicking them to see if they open any of the garage doors they pass.

Do You Need to Speak with an Expert?

Call Us Today at 613-675-4473.

We can take care of maintenance, repair, or installation on your garage door, the opener, or your garage door operator. We have decades of experience and are prepared to handle any job or maintenance request.

Do you need a completely new garage door opener or a new garage door?

At Huneault Garage Doors, we are standing by to meet your needs. We can accommodate any budget, any style, and any size of a garage door. From commercial to residential, we’ve got you covered.

Do you already know what type of door you want?

We can send you a quotation by email and move forward from there.

Need a little more time?

Our residential photo gallery can help you by showing you real-life jobs that we have completed. If you’re creative and like designing your own setup, we have a program for you. Grab your smartphone and check out our Design Centre. You can literally build and design your own garage door!

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.

Copyright Garaga Inc. | Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use | Sitemap