When you’ve decided to get started on all those upgrades you are finally able to do on your home, if you’re like most people, there are going to be areas on which you will want to skimp to save for something else. While this is a common occurrence when updating your home, there are a few things you need to know before you decide that hot tub in the master bath is worth spending considerably less on the garage if you want to make sure your home is protected.
A Word on Home Burglaries
No one wants to consider that his or her home could be a target for a burglary. However, it is one crime that really can happen anywhere – especially if you spend a large portion of the day away from home.
While the movies would have you believe that burglaries occur mostly at night, the reality is that home burglaries often take place during the day when there is less likelihood of someone being in the home or in the neighboring houses. Burglars don’t want to have to spend considerable time getting into your home, but it if it does take a few minutes, if no one is around to see them breaking in then there won’t be anyone to report them.
What Burglars Look For
When it comes to breaking into a home, burglars want a place they can get into quickly so they can find the items of value and get out within as little time as possible. This means they are going to look for areas on the ground floor that are likely to provide the easiest way inside your home.
While most think that the obvious points of entry would be windows, the two top locations that burglars use to gain access is the rear door and the garage door. This means that the money you want to save so you can spend it elsewhere could be the difference between someone violating your home and taking your belongings.
Understanding Cheap Garage Doors
While there are many cheap doors that look very similar to their more expensive counterparts, the safety is not necessarily all about the thickness of the door and any glass that it might have. The reality is that cheap garage doors tend to have cheap seals, and for a burglar that just makes getting into your home as simple as using a coat hanger.
A Wire Hanger is all a Thief Needs to Bust Into Your Garage
Nearly everyone has seen someone use the metal coat hanger trick to get into an older vehicle when the keys were locked inside it. Burglars can also use this idea to gain entry into your home. All they have to do is reach through the seal along the top panel with a coat hanger. Once it’s inside your garage, they use the tool to hook the cord attached to the emergency release cord on the garage door opener.
The emergency release cord is actually a safety feature that allows you to open your garage door if you are inside and the automatic opener stops working. However, thanks to the Internet and YouTube, many people have posted videos showing exactly how to use this feature to get into any garage. Once they pull that cord, the door can easily be lifted so the burglar can walk right into your garage and on into your house.
Cheap Garage Door Openers Aren’t Safe Either
Another bane to your safety is the garage door opener, which many try to replace with a cheap option as well. The thing is, Samy Kamkar, who is a security researcher, discovered that burglars can easily hack into your cheap garage door opener with a toy called the IM‑ME.
The IM‑ME is a toy used for text messaging that has been discontinued. However, thanks to the numerous online sites where older items are always listed for sale, it is still relatively easy to get ahold of one. Kamkar managed to make the toy cycle through the codes that many cheap doors use and transmit them to the opener using an antenna attached to the device. The toy has four frequencies, and cycling through all the possible codes took less than a minute.
Codes and Cheap Openers
The difference between a higher‑end garage door opener and a cheap one is how incorrect codes are handled. Cheap openers generally use a fixed code, while the more expensive options rely on rolling codes. With the rolling code systems, if an incorrect signal is used on the door, the correct code to open it will automatically change. And if you think that having a newer device will make a difference, it doesn’t. It all depends on whether the garage door opener uses a rolling code or fixed code system.
Protect Your Home and Family with a Quality Garage Door and Opener
While it may be tempting to skimp on the garage door, doing so only puts your home and family at risk unnecessarily. Spend that little bit extra on a door with a quality seal and a rolling code opener so burglars won’t be tempted to hit your house.
You can call us at 1 (781) 270‑5066 for more information, get a free quote or you can use our Design Centre to create the garage door that is perfect for you.
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