The Garage: America’s New Front Door

The garage has become the way most people enter their homes today. I’ve interviewed families who say they can’t remember the last time they used the front door after returning home from work, school, or the store. As with so many other things, it’s just a matter of convenience. You just press a button as you turn onto your street which turns on the light and opens the garage door. All you have to do is drive in and close it behind you. There’s nothing wrong with convenience as long as you maintain a strong sense of awareness. Remember, what you see as convenience the criminal sees as an opportunity. Criminals have adjusted quite well to America’s new front door.

Here’s a check list that will help to make your garage safer for you and your family.

The Garage Door Opener:

The garage door opener is to the garage what the deadbolt is to the front door: your first line of protection. Older openers generally work on a changeable code system that anyone can easily duplicate with a universal replacement opener, which you can buy at any hardware store. The newer and more secure technology is called the rolling code system. This technology changes the code every time you use it, making it next to impossible to duplicate. Check you garage door opener to make sure it has rolling code technology; if not, think about replacing it.

One way you can determine what type of opener you have is by removing the back of the opener to see if there’s a row of small switches numbered 0 through 9, or any upper number. If so, then you have the older technology. If all you see is circuits and no switches then you most likely have the newer technology. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, you can take your opener to any hardware store and they can tell you what type it is. 

Outside Keypad:

Many newer openers come with an outside keypad to be installed on the exterior of the garage, so you can enter without the opener by setting a secret code. This is a perfect example of where safety and convenience clash. These keypads are utilized for convenience, not security. It’s a weak point in the system that any criminal can take advantage of in order to gain entry to your home and family.

The rule of thumb is, “If you don’t have the opener, that’s a good thing…you’re not supposed to.” In other words, without the opener, you shouldn't be able to get into the house.

Protect Your Opener:

The garage door opener is the same as the key to your front door, whoever has it can get in.  However, most people don’t protect their garage door openers!  They can be found sitting in plain view on either the seat or dashboard in an unlocked vehicle, especially when the vehicle is parked in the driveway.

Leaving a garage door opener in an unlocked vehicle in your driveway is no different than hanging your house keys on a nail on the exterior of your home. Even if you have a vehicle with a built-in garage door opener, if the vehicle is unlocked, anyone can open your garage door.

Power Failure:

Power failures are something people typically don’t consider. If the power fails, as it does during storms, etc. many garage door openers will not operate. Some opener models now have reserve batteries which enable them to work even if the power goes out. This is an important safety feature I would give serious consideration to. 

The interesting thing about garage door openers is that most people don’t give them a second thought as long as they work. Most openers last a long time, which means there are a lot of older units still in operation. What’s the age of your opener? Does it have the updated safety features mentioned in this article? If you still have your owner's manual it will contain most of the information you need; if not, you can find it on the unit itself.

Remember: take the same security measures with your garage door as your front door and you’ll be ahead of the safety curve.