The primary purpose of your garage might be to protect your cherished car, but it’s also a place where plenty of other valuable items, from bicycles to power tools, are stored. And more often than not it’s an additional entrance into your home, which makes it doubly necessary to secure appropriately.
Recognizing signs that your garage security system needs an upgrade is crucial in light of all this, so let’s cut to the chase and outline four unmistakable signals indicating the need for a defensive revamp in this space.
When Old Technology is Defeated
While burglary rates may be at historically low levels, hitting 269.8 instances per 100,000 people nationally last year, the garage can still be a point of vulnerability. So if your system is a relic from a bygone era, you’re at risk.
Garage door openers are a frequent issue, particularly if they become compromised due to tech deployed by thieves. It’s better to upgrade to a new system – which has convenience advantages on top of security upsides. For instance, being able to program a LiftMaster garage door opener and use this new gear daily will make life easier and keep crooks at bay.
Recurrent Breakdowns
While 90% of people feel that security solutions like CCTV cameras are a deterrent to burglars, not realizing that an unreliable system can cost more in the long run. Frequent malfunctions are a loud wake-up call. Each breakdown is an open invitation for trouble; it’s a signal that your system’s reliability has expired.
The move to upgrade is again beneficial from a usability perspective, not just for straightforward protection. Being able to remotely monitor footage from your garage’s security cam is a good example – and just as there are automotive tech breakthroughs that you wouldn’t want to be without on the road, the same applies at home.
Missing Smart Home Compatibility
Almost 57% of Americans are now living in smart homes, or will have some form of this tech available in the next 12 months. Yet an outdated garage system stands out as a relic of a bygone era that refuses to sync with modern devices. If your garage is an island unaffected by the convenience of voice commands and smartphone alerts, you’re not harnessing technology’s full potential.
There are tons of options out there, from the aforementioned camera kit that can send footage to your smartphone, to security lighting that can be controlled from anywhere in the world, to temperature management and more besides. Think of all the sensors in your car; the same principles are applied to domestic spaces via smart home solutions, and garage security is coming along for the ride as well.
Visible Wear and Tear
A UNC Charlotte study found that 41% of burglaries are impulsive, and so an unkempt garage door can serve as a not-so-silent siren call to potential intruders that security is lax. Visible signs of wear and tear on your garage system are both cosmetic issues and indicators of vulnerability.
If rusted, warped, or clearly aged components are part of your daily view, the curb appeal of your property is diminishing, and the chances of being targeted by an opportunist thief are through the roof. Replacing garage doors that are past their prime is therefore not just an act of vanity, but one that could dissuade malicious third parties from ever chancing their arm on your property.
Final Thoughts
What we’ve not mentioned is that there will be costs associated with sprucing up security in your garage. But any money you spend on this endeavor is repaid time and again whenever burglars are thwarted and your possessions are protected.