Stopping Your Garage Door From Being Hacked

It may have sounded like science fiction to homeowners with a garage about 20 or 30 years ago, but believe it or not one of the biggest threats to modern homes is a garage door getting hacked.



Garage doors are one of the most commonly targeted places for home burglars. Why? Garage doors are naturally susceptible to break-ins and homeowners generally place less emphasis on making them secure (compared to a front door). Additionally, once a burglar gets into a garage they traditionally have access to the rest of the home - unless you have a detached garage. How can you stop your garage door from being hacked or broken into in the 21st century? We have the latest tips and solutions to help make your home more secure.

Recent Garage Security Threats

Garage doors have made headlines over the last couple of years as police forces have attempted to make the public aware of the most recent way that criminals are targeting homes. Though it's considered common knowledge now that most people need to take extra security measures to protect electronic devices like smartphones and laptops, few recognize the potential for a garage door getting hacked. Burglars are capable of hijacking the electronic system of your garage door by compromising the garage door opener. Tech-savvy hackers have reportedly found means to compromise older style handheld remote garage door transmitters by bypassing their safety features. One police report found that “hackers can easily modify a standard door opener to accept a USB port, and software is readily available on the web to modify how it operates”. As a result, thieves can use a device to remotely open garage doors without having your actual remote control garage door opener.

Protecting Your Garage From Getting Hacked

There is a lot of fear about electronics getting hacked in the 21st century and for good reason. Unfortunately, your garage door is not safe from hackers. Recent thefts have concluded that they have the ability to compromise electronic door openers. So what do you do? The problem is first generation garage door openers lacked any safety. They simply operated on a common electronic code that was extremely easy to hack. All burglars had to do was purchase a transmitter from a store and they could locate the code. Thankfully, garage door manufacturers got wise to the security threat and introduced a new wave of garage door openers. The new openers were designed to have their own unique code. However, that never prevented a criminal from being able to retransmit the code through another device. The best garage door openers on the market have rolling-code technology. It sends out a new code every time the door is operated. CodeDodger Access Security System is considered one of the elite programs that creates a new access code with each use. Therefore, a duplicate code is never used which makes it far more difficult for thieves to retransmit the code.

Simple Ways to Avoid Garage Door Hacks

Though investing in a modern garage door system like CodeDodger Access Security System will eliminate most of the concerns it is not guaranteed impenetrable. Consequently, there are numerous other tips and solutions on the Internet dedicated to keeping your garage door secure. Here are a few of the basics every homeowner should follow:

• Never leave your garage door remote inside your car. All thieves need to do is break into your car to have access to your home.
• Do not leave your garage door unattended while open. You would be shocked how many times it is compromised simply by keeping it open.
• Always lock the door inside the garage that leads to the rest of your home. Many homeowners fail to do so which leads to a further compromise if the thief is able to access the garage.
• Consider installing a deadlock on the garage door. You can lock the door in place with a more secure deadlock when out of town for several days.
• Install motion-sensored lights. Motion sensored lights are triggered when they pick up movement in the area where the light is installed. They are not only convenient for you when you come home at night, but also prevent theft. Criminals are much more likely to target dark, hard to see places that are not visible to neighbors.
• If going on vacation, think about installing a padlock on the throw latch of the garage door. You can also disengage the opener. Additionally, some openers have control panels with a ‘vacation mode’. It basically puts the opener in sleep mode until you return.
• Another vacation tip is to equip the garage with a radio. The sound of music or voices may alert the burglar to assuming someone is at home and avoid breaking into the property.

Other Ways to Avoid Garage Door Hacks

These solutions are more costly and time consuming to equip yet can really guarantee the safety of your garage door:

• Consider upgrading the inner garage door leading to the rest of your interior. Heavy gauge, solid doors with anti-kick technology are considered the most secure. It will at least prevent, or delay a criminal from getting into your home.
• Install security cameras to record activity in and around a garage. It may not prevent a crime, but it may catch the suspect. Some burglars steer clear of homes with cameras these days, so sometimes they also prevent crime.
• Invest in a remote controlled garage motion detector. Some of these detectors notify your local police department if you're on vacation and not supposed to be home. Other products don’t alert local authorities yet feature a loud, annoying alarm that may cause burglars to immediately flea the scene of the crime.

Prevent Your Garage Door From Getting Hacked

Yes, it is true that criminals are developing new ways to break into a home. Some of these new measures are related to electronic hacks, as is the case with several garage door breaks-in of late. The good news is there are some cheap and simple solutions to prevent garage door hacks from occurring. There are also some more expensive yet extremely secured methods if you really want to guarantee the protection of your family and the personal property you have inside. Detached garages are great for security measures since they are not connected to a house. Additionally, garage construction companies can stretch the dimensions of a custom size garage since they are detached from the house. At Danley's, we have gable, reverse gable and hip roof garages that can be one car, two car or even a three car garage. Altogether, a detached  garage will improve your curb appeal and add more space and security. Speak to a specialist and get a free quote online today.