How to improve the security of your garage

While we don’t like to think of them as such, your garage is a potential weak spot in your home’s overall security. Separate from the rest of the property, the typical garage is rarely occupied full-time and is often used to store items of value, whether that’s your car, a selection of power tools, bikes, gardening equipment, washing machines and other white goods, or any other high-priced items. These two factors make the average garage a tempting prospect for would-be thieves.

In this article, we’re going to discuss 5 simple ways to make your garage more secure to improve your peace of mind.

Install security lights

Most garage break-ins take place under the cover of darkness, so what better way to deter intruders than with a security light? These devices are triggered by motion sensors, turning on a bright, incandescent light whenever someone approaches your garage at night. This is usually enough to put a criminal off on its own, since it draws unwanted attention to them from your neighbours.

Hide your stuff

Most garage thieves already have an idea of what’s in your garage, having scoped your property days or weeks before to be sure you have items of value in there. If your garage door has windows for letting in light, either install a set of curtains or blinds on the inside or use an adhesive window film that prevents outsiders from seeing in.

Consider different remote options

Many people leave their garage door remote in their car, where they are most likely to need it, but this makes them easy for people to steal, granting them unfettered access to your garage. Instead, attach the opener to a keychain and keep it on your person or in your bag with the rest of your house and car keys.

Shield your lock

Most modern garage doors have an emergency release cord that opens the door without operating the lock. This is an essential safety feature in case someone gets trapped under the closing door or locked in the garage. However, this can be used to break into your garage by a criminal with the right tools for the job. Fitting a commercial garage shield to the emergency release cord means you can still access the cord when needed, but an unwanted intruder cannot trip the mechanism from the outside.

Get a new door

While most modern garage doors benefit from enhanced security features such as multi-point locking mechanisms, anti-tamper cylinder locks, and toughened locking rods over locking cables, this wasn’t always the case. Older models frequently had weak points (usually along the top of the door) that could be easily exploited by any intruder who knew what they were doing. If your current garage door is over ten years old, then fitting a replacement door might be the most cost-effective solution to improving your garage security.

Which Garage Door Gives You the Best Security?

There are many different types of garage doors on the market, and they each have their own benefits when it comes to security features. This is a brief rundown of the most popular types and what you can expect from them:

Roller shutter garage doors

This is probably the most secure type of garage door you can find, which is hardly surprising as they are used as security shutters for doors and windows across a range of commercial and industrial sectors, as well as for domestic garages. The strong, narrow aluminium slats offer no leverage points for prising tools and are resistant to any attempts at entry by blunt force.

Sectional garage doors

Just like their roller-shutter counterparts, sectional garage doors lack any points of leverage that might accommodate a crowbar or similar implement. They are also robustly constructed and offer reliable protection against most attempts at breaking in. Sectional garage doors even look impregnable, which is often enough to put off a thief from attempting entry.

Up-and-over garage doors

Older up-and-over garage doors were notoriously easy to break into, but modern makes and models are much more resilient. Multi-locks and cylinder locking systems mean it is more difficult than ever to force the lock on an up-and-over garage door. That said, the opening mechanism does leave a noticeable leverage point at the top of the door, so it could benefit from some additional security measures, as outlined in this article.

Side-hinged garage doors

These tend to be thicker and more robustly built than most other garage doors, which offers added security in and of itself. So long as you invest in a garage door that has an equally sturdy central locking mechanism, you will find it incredibly difficult to break into, particularly by force.

Improving the security of your garage: final thoughts

If you’re looking for a new garage door that offers optimal security for your home, Alliance Garage Doors is here to help. We assist our customers across Newton Abbot and the broader Devon area in choosing the ideal garage door for them, performing a full installation and repair service that is second to none. Contact the team today at 0800 328 1930 for a free, no-obligation quote.