Garage Door Security: The Weak Points and What Actually Helps

Question 01

Is a garage door secure?

A garage door on a working automatic opener is reasonably secure when it's fully closed. According to B&D, it takes around 30kg to 50kg of force to open a shut garage door. Add a deadbolt locking system and B&D says an intruder would need up to 450kg of lifting force. So the lock matters.

The opener does some of the work. B&D says its openers have Automatic Backdrive, which drives the door back down if someone tries to force it open, and that an automatic opener removes the fixed lock and handle that thieves often go for. Merlin says its openers engage a motor lock when the door is fully closed, so it can't be opened by hand from outside.

None of that helps if the door isn't closed, the opener has been released, or someone has a working remote. Those are the weak points to check, in the table below.

Question 02

Can someone open my garage from the outside?

Yes, if they get hold of a working remote, the door is left open or stopped short of the floor, the opener has been released and left loose, or the opener is old enough to use a fixed code. A closed door on a working, locked opener is a much harder target than any of those.

A door that sits crooked, has a bent panel or won't close all the way is a security problem as well as a repair job. Thom handles garage door repairs across the Sunshine Coast.

Question 03

Can someone else's remote open my garage door?

On a modern rolling code opener, a stranger's remote shouldn't open your door. B&D says rolling code changes the access code every time you use it. The real risks are remotes already coded to your opener, from previous owners or a lost remote, and old openers that still use a fixed code set with DIP switches.

Merlin says that before 1993, many remotes used DIP switches, which meant a signal could be picked up by others in the area and used to open the door. Its Security+ 2.0 remotes, from 2011, use a unique code every time the button is pressed, picked from 100 billion encrypted rolling codes. Merlin also says reports of code-grabbing scanners are overstated, and that they're only a threat to older openers and cheaper imported products.

• Find the brand and model on the motor unit. Merlin says to review the make, model and age of your garage door products.
• Clear old remotes. Just moved in, or lost a remote? The new home garage door checklist covers wiping the opener's memory, and the remote troubleshooting guide covers lock mode.
• Change your access code regularly. B&D recommends it, along with keeping the remote with you or somewhere secure.
• Replace a fixed-code opener. If the motor is old enough to use DIP switches, a garage door motor replacement is the fix.

Question 04

Can a burglar open a garage door with a coat hanger?

It has been shown on video, but the door industry says it's harder than it looks. DASMA, the US door makers' association, said in 2014 that it knew of no documented break-in using the coat hanger trick. It also warns against the common fix of zip-tying the emergency release, because that can stop the release working.

The trick in the video works by pushing in the top of the door and hooking the emergency release on the opener. DASMA said the trick relies on the door having windows, on a burglar working in full view of the street, and on a wide two-car door that flexes. A one-car door isn't likely to flex enough.

Safer steps, from DASMA, Queensland Police and Merlin:

• Frost or cover any windows in the garage door so no one can see in.
• Fit sensor lighting outside the garage. Queensland Police recommend sensor lights and turning on external lights at entry points.
• Lock the door between the garage and the house, so getting into the garage doesn't get anyone into the home.
• Check the release cord now and then. Merlin says it shouldn't be frayed and should still have its handle on the end.

Question 05

Should I leave the garage remote in the car?

Not in a car parked outside. A remote in the car is a key to the garage for anyone who gets into the car. Queensland Police advise that when you park in a garage, the garage and the car are both locked and the garage door remotes are secured. Bring the remote in with your keys.

Northern Territory Police make the same point in their home security checklist. Keep your house keys, car keys and garage remote controls away from the front door and out of obvious places, as thieves may use them to get into your home or steal your car.

• Keep car keys and the garage remote together, out of sight and away from doors and windows.
• Never hide a spare key in or on the car. Queensland Police say thieves know where to look.
• Lock the car even when it's parked inside the garage.
• Use a keypad or a phone app instead of a hidden spare remote, if your opener supports one.

Question 06

What happens if you leave your garage door open all night?

You give a burglar the easiest way in, often while you're asleep. Queensland Police say many break-ins happen at night while people are home asleep, and offenders often target homes where doors, windows or garages aren't locked. Their home security flyer adds that homes with doors or windows left open or unsecured are more likely to attract a burglar.

Queensland Police also say offenders often break into homes to steal car keys, which makes vehicle theft the main driver of home break-ins. An open garage puts the car and the door into the house side by side. Merlin calls theft a crime of opportunity, and lists a garage door left open as one of the habits that invites it.

1. 01Make closing the garage part of locking up every night, along with the doors and windows.
2. 02Look at the door, not the remote. Check it reached the floor and didn't stop and reverse.
3. 03Lock away ladders and garden tools. Queensland Police list ladders among the things to lock away.
4. 04If your opener has an auto close timer, set it. B&D describes this feature as closing the door after a set time.
5. 05If you have a smart opener, turn on its alerts. Merlin says its myQ app sends an alert when the garage is accidentally left open.

If the door won't close at all, don't force it down. The garage door won't open or close guide covers how to secure the house tonight, and Thom takes emergency callouts 24/7.

Question 07

Should the door from the garage into the house be locked?

Yes. Queensland Police advise using internal deadlocks where possible and securing garages, side gates and rear access points. If someone does get into the garage, a locked internal door stops them reaching the house. DASMA gives the same advice for attached garages: lock the door between the house and the garage.

Queensland Police home security advice says all external doors, including the garage, should be solid and fitted with quality deadlocks. Treat the door from the garage into the house as an external door, even though it's inside, since the garage door is the only thing in front of it.

Lock that door at night and whenever the garage door is stuck, released or left open for a while. It's the cheapest security step on the list.

Question 08

How can I tell if my garage door is locked or just shut?

B&D says that, like a front door, a shut garage door isn't necessarily locked. Look for a key lock on the outside of the door, or watch and listen for a deadbolt sliding into the track as the door closes. Without either, the closed door is held by the opener alone, which only works while the opener is engaged.

If you've pulled the release in a blackout, the door stays loose until you re-engage it. The power outage and manual release guide covers how to lock the door again, and the door types guide compares roller, sectional and tilt doors for security.