Let’s talk about how you can keep your garage and everything in it safe. When you use a smart garage door opener, you can control the door from your phone. That means you can open and close the garage remotely. That’s super useful if you forgot to shut it when you left the house or need to let your kid in to grab their bike. If you aren’t sure whether your opener has this feature, check with the manufacturer. Some home security systems offer special tilt sensors. These are different from your typical entry or open/close sensors because they account for the way some garage doors tilt while closing. We recommend a deadbolt over a non-deadbolt lock because a deadbolt can’t move from a locked position unless there’s a key in the cylinder. That makes it far safer than your typical lock mechanism. To keep this from happening to you, we suggest using a garage door shield, such as the Garage Shield. This shield protects the area near the emergency release mechanism, making it impossible to jimmy open. If you’re looking to reduce garage security-related anxiety, you should be all set. You can also check out our top home security systems if you’re looking for whole-home protection vs. just garage protection. Also, if you have an attached garage, then the adjoining door is an easy entrance to your house. That puts your in-home valuables—and your family—at risk too. Zip ties interfere with the emergency release mechanism. They also violate several federal regulations as well as UL Code 325 (which lays out standards for door and gate safety). Plus, using a zip tie could cause your insurance company to deny your claim after a garage intrusion or accident. For instance, someone can observe you entering the passcode. Or figure out what your code is by the most worn-down keys. Most importantly, you either have to keep switching the password or get a keypad that allows throwaway guest codes. Otherwise, keeping it a secret could be difficult. And yes, to keep your garage secure, the code must be secret. You shouldn’t give it to houseguests or your kids’ friends, even if they’re trustworthy. They might let the code slip to someone else who isn’t trustworthy. Still, it isn’t blatantly unsafe to have a universal remote—as long as you change the access code upon purchase and have a newer model. A potential burglar can more easily hack an old opener. Newer devices have more protections in place to prevent unauthorized access. Overall, we’d say that merely keeping the door shut won’t be as big of a deterrent for a detached garage. Ideally, you’d add some sensors or cameras to make it easier to check on.
