Using Your Home Security System To Keep Your Car & Garage Safe
If you think your things inside the garage are safe on their own, think again. According to former burglars, it doesn’t really take much to get a garage door to open. All one needs is a coat hanger and 6 seconds, and everything is ripe for the picking, including your car.
This is particularly true if you don’t have any security system installed. Plus, because your garage is connected to your home, it can be a vulnerable point of entry. Thus, when considering getting one set up for your house, combining home security with vehicle safety should be a priority.
Here’s how you can combine home and car security to make it a safer place for you and the family.
- Make your security cameras visible.
Place security cameras at all points of entry and at strategic locations around your property, including the garage. Make sure the cameras are visible to outsiders or place a sign that the area is monitored by CCTVs. With these deterrents in place, burglars are less likely to attempt entry, much more even try to lurk around your home and “study” it.
Position the cameras facing the garage or the driveway, facing the yard, infront of the main door, and more. By being upfront with your security system, you are sending outsiders a message that your home is not something they should mess with. Burglars will also see it as a tough target and won’t bother to try anything. If your security system provides a real-time feed to your work computer or your smartphone, it’s all the more powerful. You can be alerted of any unauthorized entry and even identify who these people are before they leaves the premises.
- Integrate a smart garage
Thanks to technology, homeowners now have peace of mind knowing that their houses are safe from intruders. By introducing a smart garage to your general home security system, you can protect your parked vehicle and all the garage’s contents from theft by closing the door when you leave and forget to do it yourself. Even if you are home, open garages are like a welcome banner to burglars to come and pick what they want. It’s not rare to forget to close the door especially if you’re always in a rush. Automating your garage’s security system to align with the rest of your home reduces the problems associated with forgetting.
With a smart garage, you can open and close your garage using your smartphone or tablet on command. It will also shut itself automatically if you left it open for a pre-set period. Most timers are easy to install on the garage door, or you can call a professional to get it done. You don’t have to be late for your appointment by going back to the house because you forgot to shut the door.
- Make sure you get those vulnerable spots
Dark places like small alleyways, windows or side doors often get neglected and are favorite among thieves. Burglars know that most homeowners focus on front doors and other main points of entry, so they take advantage of those narrow corners and blind spots, including your garage. By integrating smart lights with image sensor technology, you place light in those low-visibility areas, plus save on energy costs by getting rid of the need to leave your side door lights the entire night.
You can also avoid false alarms by setting your smart lights to turn on and off at predetermined times you know you will be out of the house, at work, or sleeping.
- Install motion detector lights
Having lights shining on your garage or other points of entry all the time can wreak havoc on your electricity bill, not to mention highlight the fact that nobody is home to turn it off. What you can do is upgrade your lights to have motion detectors, so that they will instantly turn on the moment they sense any movement.
Most motion detection systems are sensitive to moving objects and body temperature, so even if a cat passes by, the lights turn on automatically. This technology is supported by infrared waves that can sense warm objects. When it activates, the light stays for a pre-set period of time and then shuts off unless any movement is detected.
- Your garage remote should never be left in the car
Don’t give thieves easy access to your vehicle and your house by taking the remote with you. You might lose it outside or, worse, burglars could get it out of your car at the mall parking lot, follow you home, and then plot their entry eventually. Even if your vehicle is just at the garage where you can see it, never make it avialable for somebody else to take.
What you can do is get a keychain remote in place of the larger remote so it becomes more handy. Most home improvement shops carry this item. If not, you can always go back to where you had your automatic garage door done to see if they have a smaller version. Or, just make sure that it’s in your bag at all times.
The garage is often the place where you store your power tools, construction supplies and other items that might assist burglars in further ransacking your home. By making sure that no outsider gets easy access to it, you get peace of mind knowing that you are safe and protected from potential break-ins. Additionally, an open garage with a car that’s unlocked and with keys on the ignition is an invitation not just to steal your vehicle but also to enter your home.
By setting up your home security system to protect not just your house but also your car and the space around your premises, you reduce the chance of being targeted. A security system that covers all possible spots in your perimeter is a loud message to would-be burglars to stay away and not try anything with you.