If you are a homeowner, and you have a garage attached to your structure, you may have wondered,  "How secure is a garage door?" Can someone get into the home from this location? Will someone try? The garage is usually located in a spot away from bedrooms, making it an easy vantage point for someone who does want to try to gain access. Read on to learn how you can secure your garage, helping to minimize the potential for theft as a result.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  -- Benjamin Franklin

Avoid Making It Easy For Entry

One way to help make it harder for a break-in to occur via your garage door area is to keep automatic door openers out of the access of potential thieves. Many people have their garage door openers installed above the visor in their vehicle, so they can simply press a button and get into the garage. What if you decide to park your vehicle outdoors though? What if someone decides to snatch that remote from your vehicle when it is in a parking lot? Your home is at risk. Instead of taking the chance, don't keep your remote in your vehicle at all. Place it in your purse, briefcase, or a locked glovebox when you are not using it. Bring it into the home or office after you park your vehicle as well. 

Use A Few Deterrents 

If a burglar thinks someone is at home, they will be less likely to try to rob from a structure as there is a greater risk of being caught. Use a radio in your garage to play music when you are not going to be at home. If this is heard from the outside, a thief will not be as apt to try to gain entry to the area. Motion sensor lighting around the garage can be extremely beneficial at thwarting potential theft during the nighttime hours. Make sure to trim bushes and trees near to the garage so there is no readily available hiding spot for thieves to use. 

Use Tools To Keep The Door Shut

There are a few items you can use to keep your garage door shut from the outside. These will slow down a thief as they will not be able to get into the garage from this entry point easily. One is simply using zip ties through the emergency latch loop. A thief can use a coat hanger to release the emergency handle, but when a zip tie is in place, the door cannot be disabled. You also have the option of removing the emergency pull. If you do this, and an emergency does occur, it will take you longer to get out of the garage as you will need to put the pull back in place before you can exit.

If you have a security system installed.  Look to see if you can add a garage door sensor to your system.  These are simple tilt sensors that alert you when the angle of the sensor goes from vertical (closed) to horizontal (open).

Garage doors are also getting smarter. Products like the myQ Smart Garage door opener hooks into your garage to give you real time notifications and convenience from wherever you are.  It also helps answer that nagging question of, "Did I leave the garage door open?" you seem to have on your way to work.

Check Your Garage For Possible Breach Areas

It is important to perform routine maintenance to make repairs to any area of the home where a burglar could possibly gain entry to the inside. Check door locks to ensure they work properly. Consider swapping out locks, knobs, and latches with newer models if it has been a while since you had an upgrade. Metal or solid wooden doors fare better than other materials when it comes to garage door stability. If your garage door is less than ideal, contact a contractor to price and upgrade. If your garage door has windows, it is best to frost the panes or use tint to make it harder for people to see inside. In addition: