Your garage door is likely the biggest door of your facility, and that means it also may be the most vulnerable to break-ins. Unfortunately, garage doors are popular targets for burglars. In general, the sight of a truck or van pulled up to a warehouse door won’t draw attention. And, the burglars probably are choosing a time to break in when no one is on the premises. Further, the thieves know that whatever lies inside your garage – be it goods or equipment – is likely to be valuable and perhaps even easy to turn around.
Want to keep your commercial garage door secure? Follow these tips for a heightened level of protection.
Ways to Improve the Security of Your Facility’s Overhead Doors
- Install a security system. Get a system that will notify you if the garage door is opened outside of business hours. You can check up on what’s going on at the garage door if you have security cameras. Link your security system to your smartphone. Motion sensor lights inside and outside the garage can also help.
- Use a padlock. A padlock can foil burglars who try to trip the security-open setting by slipping something through a crack at the base of the garage door. Don’t let burglars fool your security system; get a good quality padlock for extra protection. But remember that all padlocks are not created equal; do some research and obtain the best padlock you can afford. Deadbolts and bars are other options. You want to send a message that you take the security of your overhead door seriously. At the same time, be careful of going over the top; an overhead garage door with a ridiculous number of locks can make it seem like you’ve been broken into a lot, which will actually make your facility seem more vulnerable than less.
- Avoid systems that use a remote that you’re going to leave in your car. Burglars sometimes look for these remotes to steal and return to the garage later. Get an opener you can attach to your keychain.
- Once upon a time, garage door openers of the same brand were set to the same code. Burglars quickly figured that out. Thankfully, nowadays you can set a custom setting (never leave it on the default setting!). Unfortunately, burglars can copy the code with a code grabber, so look at the newer garage door openers, with rolling-code tech. These openers make it harder for thieves to snatch the code by broadcasting different signals every time you open the door. Check your security equipment and settings. Maybe it’s time for a technology update.
- Keep your overhead garage door and other security equipment well-maintained. Have your local commercial door installation and repair company send a garage door technician to inspect your door and system annually and perform recommended maintenance.