Garage Security

[voicey]

We had our garage (up and over) broken into on Friday night. Entry was gained by someone pulling on the handle until the electric door opener broke and the door swung open. It made a lot of noise so I was out of the house pretty quickly which meant they only took my brand new carbon fibre bicycle and a couple of tool cases. Fortunately they left the Ferrari alone.

In true PH fashion I hid in a parked car in the street armed with a truncheon to see it they'd come back but they didn't.

I've managed to secure the door by fitting bolts on the inside and removing the outside handle. The property is rented so I have to wait for the landlord to fix the electric opener.

What do people think about these?

On one hand it looks pretty useful for securing the door but on the other it might advertise the fact I have valuable stuff inside. I like that it can be locked from the outside because with the car and the bike in there I cannot get to door from the inside.

Also, is there a cheap anti tamper alarm I can fit to the door? Something that sounds if the door is tried. We have a crappy ADT alarm fitted to the house but I doubt the landlord is going to pay to have the sensors extended.

Any other tips? I'm mindful they might come back to have a go at the house now they've seen the car. It's a shame my parents dog had to be put down as I'd have had him in the house for a couple of weeks.

EFS

[Pickled Piper]

That particular lock scored quite highly in a survey I saw in Classic Car magazine or similar that i read a while back. Apparently , it is very good as the thief can't get access to the lock itself in order to tamper with it. Their "tame thief" said he would give the garage a miss if he saw one of these locks in place.

pp

[neilsie]

I had one at a previous place I lived in. I never became aware of any attempt to access my garage once it was in place, but others in the area were broken into.

gave me peace of mind, if nothing else.

[voicey]

Thanks guys - I've downloaded the base plate dimensions. If it fits then I'll buy one.

[addey]

One of my mates is pretty anal about the security on his house/garage and he has one of those defender things - i'm pretty sure he will have done his research before installing! It is very quick and easy to use when opening and securing the garage, as opposed to the faff of setting alarms or multiple locks etc.

[Westy Pre-Lit]

I fitted one to my garage having realised there were a few tell tail marks where somebody had tried to gain access with a screw driver, very easy if you know where to put it

Touch a bit of plastic, had no attempts since and would recommend them.

[Meeja]

Is the garage attached to the house? (ie can you run your own cabling from the garage to inside the house)

If so, you could fit a sensor on the door for relatively little money.

Regarding the "Defender" - I have only ever heard good things about them - both from the angle that they are actually pretty good at what they do (making it much more difficult to force the door) and the visual deterrent (Move on to the next garage that doesn't have one fitted)

Do you have a personnel door into the garage? If so, is it not better to add security on the inside, so that there is no way to open the door from the outside? If someone *really* wants "in" then if the security is installed on the outside, it can be "worked on" by the scum.

[lewes]

I have this kind of lock on my garage door.

http://www.locksonline.co.uk/acatalog/Pacri_Garage...

Mine isnt visible from the outside as I unlock it from the inside so nobody is aware of any valuable contents. But it can be used either way with just a few visible bolts & holes.

[m4tt]

Just be aware there may be a small protrusion from the ground when not in use. I had trouble with one when leaving the garage as it was sloped and caught the underside of the car. Probably wouldn't be a problem if a small gradient or flat exit.

[voicey]

Thanks. We do have access to the garage from the house but with the car and bike in there it's impossible to get to the inside of the garage door to lock it up.

I've meausred up the defender and there might not be enough space in front of the door - I have a drain that runs across the front and the defender would have to sit on that.

I'll mull it over tonight...

[greygoose]

Why not get an alarm fitted to the garage as well, you don't need to spend too much to get a reasonable system that will be loud enough to wake people and scare off thieves.

[Babu 01]

Space in front of the door was a problem for me too so I fitted one of these

[Meeja]

voicey said:

Thanks. We do have access to the garage from the house but with the car and bike in there it's impossible to get to the inside of the garage door to lock it up.

I've meausred up the defender and there might not be enough space in front of the door - I have a drain that runs across the front and the defender would have to sit on that.

I'll mull it over tonight...

Attached to the house, you can put a garage alarm in that makes lots of noise for around £100

Couple of hours work, tops.

[voicey]

Babu 01 said:

Space in front of the door was a problem for me too so I fitted one of these

That looks a bit flimsey to me. Bear in mind the scrotes pulled on the door so hard it shattered the electric door mechanism.

[voicey]

Meeja said:

voicey said:

Thanks. We do have access to the garage from the house but with the car and bike in there it's impossible to get to the inside of the garage door to lock it up.

I've meausred up the defender and there might not be enough space in front of the door - I have a drain that runs across the front and the defender would have to sit on that.

I'll mull it over tonight...

Attached to the house, you can put a garage alarm in that makes lots of noise for around £100

Couple of hours work, tops.

Thanks. Would that have an anti-tamper sensor? Any links?

[Flying machine]

voicey said:

That looks a bit flimsey to me. Bear in mind the scrotes pulled on the door so hard it shattered the electric door mechanism.

I agree, although difficult to see from the pictures how sturdy the construction is. I've got a roller shutter type of door and have been looking for something a bit more secure.

Alarms are very easy to fit a basic wireless one that will make lots of noise when the door opens.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

You can get cheap ones in with a GSM now that'll dial you up when the alarm goes off. (and with wireless PIR etc, doddle to fit & program)

[Meeja]

voicey said:

Thanks. Would that have an anti-tamper sensor? Any links?

Depends what you mean by anti-tamper sensor

Cables to the door sensor would be tamper proof, but the alarm would only be triggered if the door was opened beyond a certain distance.

Basically, the door sensor is a magnetic reed switch screwed into the floor underneath the up-and-over door, and a magnet fitted to the door itself. (Ideally a heavy duty 'Roller Shutter' one for a garage door)

http://www.alertelectrical.com/prod/1298/heavy-dut...

When the door is closed, the magnet would be positioned over the top of the reed switch (about 10mm or so away)

When the gap between the magnet and switch exceeds say 30mm, the alarm will be activated.

It is possible to mount sensors and switches so that vigorous pushing and pulling of a locked door will cause the gap between switch and magnet to exceed the 30mm max, and set off the alarm without the door being actually opened - but this is not advisable, as it would increase the chance of false alarms.

Vibration detectors on the door frame would help movement in the door frame - again, a vigorous attempt on the door may set off the vibration sensor and as such the alarm, without the door actually giving way.

Personally I would recommend a budget Texecom panel,

http://www.alertelectrical.com/prod/785/texecom-ve...

With the keypad located inside the house rather than the garage - that way you can turn off the alarm before going out to the garage. Doing this means that the up and over door would not need to be an entry/exit door, and as such any forcing of the door would result in immediate activation rather than it starting the "entry timer"

Hope that makes sense.

Lots of suppliers of the kit, the supplier listed above is one I have bought from regularly, and they have knowledgable staff who can advise what other sundries you would need (suitable external sounder, junction boxes, backup battery etc) and you only really need to be a competent DIY'er to fit such a simple system.

There are of course lots of more complex systems that (as has already been posted) will call you, text you, email you, etc etc etc in the event of an activation - It is all about it being fit for purpose, and how much you are prepared to spend.

PM me if I can help any further.

Edited by Meeja on Monday 31st January 21:30

[Babu 01]

voicey said:

Babu 01 said:

Space in front of the door was a problem for me too so I fitted one of these

That looks a bit flimsey to me. Bear in mind the scrotes pulled on the door so hard it shattered the electric door mechanism.

You'd be surprised, the photos don't really do justice.

Having said that it's not as sturdy as the defender you linked earlier, but if you can't fit one of those then an autolok at each corner and an alarm would be an alternative.