Garage door security tip

Good thinking. I've seen openers malfunction and randomly open the door at times.

Also you'd be amazed at how easily a residential style roll-up door can be defeated. Especially when it's got some mileage. A good hard push at the top of the door will create an opening to reach through and trigger the latch mechanism.

I know first hand about the door openers malfunctioning . Had it happen a few years ago. Lift master direct shaft drive unit. I would find the door open and the alarm going off. After this happening twice over a couple week period I still could not put my finger on why or how. Then one day I was working in the garage and the 1 door electronic lock disengaged and the door went up.
I finally bought a new circuit board and door button and it cured the problem.
I was gun shy at that point so also wired up a Relay that is wired of the light switch so the motor only has power when the lights are turned on. Since this garage is only for storage it works fine. Now no more surprise openings.

quote:

Originally posted by SciFi:
Good thinking. I've seen openers malfunction and randomly open the door at times.

Also you'd be amazed at how easily a residential style roll-up door can be defeated. Especially when it's got some mileage. A good hard push at the top of the door will create an opening to reach through and trigger the latch mechanism.

When I leave home for an extended period of time, I disconnect the power to the door opener, then put a bolt in the door track. This eliminates the chances of someone hacking the door opener code or disengaging the manual release. It is a crude but effective way of stopping a thief from getting into your garage. They would have to smash the garage door to get in and very few thieves want to make that much noise!

Did you test to see if the door can still open with your bolt in place? I do the same and one day I forgot to remove the bolt. The door managed to open even with my bolt in place! It slightly bent the track along with the door. Anyways the point is I was surprised by how little security my locking mechanism actually provided.

quote:

Originally posted by SciFi:
Did you test to see if the door can still open with your bolt in place? I do the same and one day I forgot to remove the bolt. The door managed to open even with my bolt in place! It slightly bent the track along with the door. Anyways the point is I was surprised by how little security my locking mechanism actually provided.

I have tested it and the only way to open the door with the bolt installed in the track is to smash the door. You have to use a long bolt to keep the roller from possibly jumping over it. Of course my first line of defense is a fully marked Sheriff's Department vehicle parked in front of my house.

Disable any wireless functions on old garage door openers.

(if you don't want to watch the whole video the short version is that this guy reprogrammed a kids toy to open any old style garage door with one button press. He put the code on the internet too so it's out there)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2ZJDZVeheU

Good discussion Larry....
I have regular light switch switches which power my opener outlets. So, in the evenings or if heading our of town, I simply flip off the light switch and the openers have no power. I slide a bar between the two adjacent tracks of the two doors as a mechanical stop to try and avoid a pry open.

I like the remote power idea... kinda need.

For those worried about security, be SURE to instruct others in your household about what you've done. After the recent (annual?) northern California fires, the bodies of several disabled and female owners were found inside their cars, still in the garage. First, the power failed and they found they were unable to lift the unpowered electric garage doors. Tricky mechanical locks would not help this if they didn't recognize them in a panic situation. One older gentleman rescued himself by putting his car in reverse and flooring the gas, driving right thru the door- a good solution given what he found on his return... house leveled!