At Image4Security, we often talk about the value of a garage. Your garage is the most secure place you can keep your belongings, including your motorbike. However, some people lucky enough to have a garage are still finding themselves at risk of having their garages broken into, largely due to a lack of garage security.
Your garage is one of the most secure places you can keep your belongings, and that includes your motorbike, boat, lawn mower, or your car. But for those who aren’t using their garages to their full potential, there are ways you can improve the security of your garage, as well as specialist security tools and additions you can make to beef up your garage’s security.
You can read our other blog on how thieves break into garage doors, but below we’re going to cover how you can improve the security of different types of garages.
Up-and-Over Garages
One of the most common types of garages is the up-and-over garage. This type of garage typically has a door that opens outwards and then raises vertically, resting on brackets above the door frame. If you have this type of garage, it’s important to make sure that the door is properly secured when it’s closed.
There are a few things you can do to improve the security of your up-and-over garage door:
- Install a good quality padlock and/or locking system – This is one of the most important things you can do to secure your garage. A good quality padlock or locking system will make it much more difficult for a burglar to break into your garage, and hopefully, show them that you are serious about your garage security.
- Garage Defender – Our Garage Defenders are a brilliant bit of garage security for your up-and-over garage door. They work by sitting on the ground outside your garage door and locking it into place using our bullet lock. Once locked into place, your up-and-over door will not be able to open from the outside, stopping anyone from getting in and helping themselves to your stuff.
For the motorcyclists out there, a ground anchor is a great way of securing your bike (or another vehicle). Ground anchors work by securing to the ground and ensuring anything secured to the anchor cannot be lifted or taken away.
Roller shutter garages
Roller shutter garages have the advantage of making a fair bit of noise when opened, which could alert you to the break-in and potentially save you the loss of anything. However, that’s not to say you can forgo garage security just because you may hear your garage door opening.
You should still have some kind of powerful lock securing your garage. If you’re just leaving it open, you’re asking for someone to break in.
If you want to secure the contents of your garage, as well as the garage we recommend our Guardsman garage security barrier. The Guardsman will stop anyone from wheeling anything out of your garage. So, if you have a car or a motorbike that you keep in your garage, the Guardsman is going to keep it in there. For added security, you can use the Guardsman’s anchor points and secure your car or bike using a security chain to the Guardsman as well.
Alternatively, we do also have a roller shutter version of our Defender that works to keep your garage as secure as possible.
Our Defenders are made from incredibly robust materials in a unique and innovative design that makes it virtually attack-proof, even against a grinder attack. The lock and housing are fully protected internally by the Defender and the distance from the Defender’s outer skin to the inner lock is greater than the width of a grinder disc, therefore making it grinder attack resistant.
Additionally, the top plate covers the bullet lock preventing attack by a drill on the bullet lock and also acts as a large handle to move the Garage Defender easily into position. The Defender can be locked and unlocked in a matter of seconds, but only if you have your unique key.
Alarm system – Another good way to improve the security of your garage is to install an alarm system. This will deter burglars and alert you if someone is trying to break into your garage.
Internal garages
Internal garages are typically attached to your home and constructed from the same materials as the house. Many have a door that leads straight into the house as well as a garage door, and some also have windows, which means there are a lot of entry points that will need securing.
Internal garages pose a threat to security as they can be broken into as a result of house burglary and also lead directly to the house if someone were to break into the garage. It is absolutely essential to close and lock all entryways to your garage to avoid an intruder helping themselves to look around your garage and possibly your home.
Secure your garage with a hefty lock, the Guardsman, if you have vehicles inside that can be wheeled away without the security of your Guardsman, and attach a garage Defender to the outside to make sure no one can break into your garage easily, or at all.
CCTV – CCTV cameras are a great way to deter burglars and also help you to identify them if they do break into your garage. CCTV is especially useful if you have a garage attached to your house, as it can double up as exterior security for your home too.
Additional security
Security lights – Security lights are a great way to make your garage look less appealing. Having motion detection lights or another form of security light will show potential thieves that you have invested some money into your garage security and are well prepared against a threat.
Pair your security lights with visible CCTV cameras and even if a thief does try to break in, they’re going to see almost immediately that it’s going to get them caught.
Alarm system – a working alarm system is incredibly valuable for your garage security, giving you peace of mind whether you’re at home, at work, or even out of the country. Additionally, 63% of burglaries happen in homes without a basic security system. So, invest in your security as the average burglary costs £3,030…
As usual, layer your bloody security! We know home, garage and vehicle security can be costly and it can be a real pain to convince yourself to purchase it, especially given the current squeeze. But think of your security as an investment in saving you thousands if you are burgled or your garage is broken into.
You can browse our range of motorbike and garage security products, but if you need any further help, please get in touch.
