[DaveH]

You have an automatic garage door opener.

1) How secure is it? That is, how likely is it that someone can gain access to your house with another opener or electronic device?

2) You have used the remote activator to open the door and driven into the garage. Do you sit w/ your back to the door/street and use the on-board activator to close the door before getting unlocking your doors and exiting the car or do you exit the car asap so as to have a better view behind you and then close the door?

 

[SIXTO]

Depends on the opener. I'm far from a garage door expert, but newer openers are far more secure than the older ones from what I understand.
I always back my Jeep in the garage, and I typically close the door as I'm exiting the car. I do this for no particular reason, its just what I do.

I think the biggest mistake people make is leaving openers in their cars when parked in the driveway or on the street.

 

[kelcarry]

This is an interesting scenario. No matter what anyone says, you are vulnerable once that garage door opens and you drive in. You cannot be looking everywhere while you are concentrating on getting into the garage. Whether you close it as you drive in or close it after you get out of the car, someone can always surprise you. I do not think there is a real answer out there--just got to be as aware as you can be. Having a CCW next to you in the car is a possible answer but the slimeball may also have a weapon and he is more ready than you are. It will be interesting if a reply comes back with a meaningful solution. Thanks for the thread.

 

[UpOn2Wheels]

I have a rolling code opener, so it'a about as safe as it gets. I also back my truck into the garage, so it's unlikely someone could enter from a blind side.

We keep one vehicle outside, and the built in garage door opener is NOT programmed. Most people overlook this simple security step.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I only use one side of my garage to house a vehicle, but if I am driving that vehicle & pull into the garage, I leave my door open for a short time to allow the car to cool down. Might be kinda dumb, but I lock the door to the house & have a motion sensor/alarm in the garage.
I don't leave garage door openers in the vehicles that stay outside.

 

[sigmanluke]

I think the best way to be aware of your surroundings while entering your garage, is to back in. SIXTO has it right, that's the best way to get visibility under the circumstances.

 

[Rmac58]

I keep an eye in the rearview mirror, get out then close the door.
One day I saw a car slowly creeping by, it was the paper boy. I used to work odd hours.

 

[GunGeezer]

Many new cars have built in programmable garage door openers. I don't understand why they work without the key turned on. If they didn't, it would prevent BG's from having access to the house by breaking a car window. I've started locking the door between the house and garage and have an alarm sensor on it too. Another thought would be to be able to switch(on-off) the receptacle that the opener is plugged into which would disable the garage door opener after you got in the house.

 

[cj]

We've got an attached garage, but the door opens onto the front porch instead of directly into the house. Someone breaking in might get a relatively nice bike...if they're 5' tall. It's a pain sometimes, but from a security standpoint, it's hard to beat.

As for awareness, that's tricky if someone REALLY wanted to sneak in, but I'm usually out of the car very quickly...but it's a good thought I need to assess. Thanks for bringing it up!

 

[tiwee]

1. Our house, like cj has no access to the house from the attached garage. The personnel door is full double pane glass. Easy to see inside before going into the garage. Easy to see the porch when exiting the garage. We have a very small garage door opener that we take with us when at the football game or other long term activity. If someone gets the car, the door opener will not be part of the prize.

2. We have no landscaping along either side of the garage by design. No place for a mugger to hide. Garage door activated as soon as driver door passes the threshold. No public street near our house. Hard for someone to get in when we come home.

 

[farronwolf]

I am sure that garage door openers, like any wireless electronic device can be overriden by running through a set of codes/frequencies. Whether or not this is a common practice among criminals is not know to me.

When pulling up to the garage I look around and try to make sure that there is no one around. As far as exiting vehicles. ect. When driving the two vehicles that get parked in teh garage, I pull in and get out, then get my son out. Often times I will leave the garage door open during the day when home. No this isn't the best practice, but it sure beats the heck out of constantly opening and closing garage door.

 

[dukalmighty]

My garage has no room for my jeep too much brass,lead,and reloading equipment

 

[bladenbullet]

Many new cars have built in programmable garage door openers. I don't understand why they work without the key turned on. If they didn't, it would prevent BG's from having access to the house by breaking a car window. I've started locking the door between the house and garage and have an alarm sensor on it too. Another thought would be to be able to switch(on-off) the receptacle that the opener is plugged into which would disable the garage door opener after you got in the house.

is there something taht leads you to believe that a thief is more likely to want to shatter a car window than a house window to gain access?

it is common practice to open the garage door before starting a vehicle and after shutting it off...a running vehicle in an enclosed space is a hazard and auto manufacturers are not fond of lawsuits because someone pulled into their garage and closed the door but forgot to shut the car off because the car had to be on to close the door...liability is a cruel animal....

 

[Hopyard]

I don't concern myself with the security of the garage door opener. From all I've heard they are reasonably secure. I'd easily see anyone who snuck in ahead of me and re-closed the door. They can't get into the house easily from there---though I guess given 5-10 minutes they could break their way in; it would be visible and the dogs (if still alive) would not be happy.

However, the scenario of someone sneaking in while your attention is diverted to driving the car in, or even to backing in, is an interesting one. It could easily happen that someone would sneak up on you.

While no one can get into my house from the garage without going past my dead body, I guess some bgs might try to arrange that to happen.

I have no good answer short of----get a really large mirror(s) and hang it on the wall so you can easily see if someone has followed you in. And if someone has, back out, put it in reverse and give it the gas. No driving into the kitchen allowed.

Now, I do get a pretty good look at what is going on in my front yard and street as I pull into my driveway, but that doesn't mean someone couldn't sneak on in.

I have security cameras which (if someone studied the situation a bit first) should be sufficiently visible to discourage a bg; but nothing is going to be fool proof.

With regard to hanging mirrors, I hadn't thought of it before, but I think that might be something Mrs. Hopyard would agree to for "decoration" if she got to find some pretty ones. I'm now in luck, I have an excuse to take her to the flea markets and estate auctions she wants to go to. We'll be looking for pretty mirrors for the garage wall.

 

[Stevew]

When I lived in CA a common practice among BGs was to drive through sub divisions with a handful of garage doors openers with the open buttons pushed, while watching for garage doors to open. I am sure more modern door openers are more secure.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

With regard to hanging mirrors, I hadn't thought of it before, but I think that might be something Mrs. Hopyard would agree to for "decoration" if she got to find some pretty ones. I'm now in luck, I have an excuse to take her to the flea markets and estate auctions she wants to go to. We'll be looking for pretty mirrors for the garage wall.

Just be sure to turn your headlights off before pulling in, lol......

 

[redwood66]

Gosh I guess I am not paying as much attention as I should be when I pull in the garage? Never thought about it. But my house is 150 feet from a main thoroughfare in the country with no sidewalks or shoulders to park on. Besides my Chow Chow hears the garage door and is waiting at the kitchen door for me to come in. If someone other than me came in the door he would eat them.

 

[Divebum47]

Rolling code on the homelink opener of my wife's vehicle.
My truck is outside and I bring the transmitter in with me, no homelink.
Same with my daughter's car.

I back into the garage - mainly because when there's a snow drift in front of the garage door, it's easier to pull out than back out, so it's become habit. My wife's vehicle is the one which stays in the garage (imagine that!!!), and she has also gotten into the habit of backing in. We don't go anywhere without setting the intrusion alarm.

 

[RETSUPT99]

I'm like many Americans, I park my $30K vehicle outside so I can protect the $5K worth of crap inside the garage.:gah:
Our sub is only one street wide, woods on both sides of the street. I look everywhere as I come and go...no surprises.
We lost our Rhodesian a few months ago, and he was the 'lookout'. No one came around without him knowing. When I opened the garage door upon my arrival home, he'd open the inside door to the garage and come out to welcome me. He would always do a quick 'run-around' before coming to me. Great dog, great alarm.
We're on our own until we replace the RR. Right now our Irish Wolfhound is only 5 months old, but they are not really watch dogs.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I'm like many Americans, I park my $30K vehicle outside so I can protect the $5K worth of crap inside the garage.:gah:
Our sub is only one street wide, woods on both sides of the street. I look everywhere as I come and go...no surprises.
We lost our Rhodesian a few months ago, and he was the 'lookout'. No one came around without him knowing. When I opened the garage door upon my arrival home, he'd open the inside door to the garage and come out to welcome me. He would always do a quick 'run-around' before coming to me. Great dog, great alarm.
We're on our own until we replace the RR. Right now our Irish Wolfhound is only 5 months old, but they are not really watch dogs.

Sorry for your loss!