This blog post will teach homeowners how to best protect their homes if they find that a burglar stole their garage door opener. The tips in this blog post range from disabling your garage door remote to using your control panel to secure your home after a burglary.
The FBI estimated there were 1,230,149 burglaries in the United States in 2018, causing an estimated $3.4 billion in property losses. On average, the loss per burglary cost around $2,799.1 Although the number of burglaries trended downward compared to the previous year, data from the bureau’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program show home security is of utmost importance.
Burglars tend to choose one of a few common points of entry. The most common is the front door, but first-floor windows, back doors, and garage doors are sometimes chosen. And, to gain entrance to your garage, home, and belongings, all a thief needs is your garage door remote.
What to Do After Your Garage Door Remote Is Stolen
Garage security has become increasingly important as burglars have discovered that stealing someone’s garage door opener is a great way to gain access to a home. Unfortunately, criminals have many opportunities to steal garage remotes and breakthrough a secure garage door.
Some burglars will enter parking lots and look for unlocked cars. Unfortunately, many people clip their garage door openers on a visor or near their rearview mirror. Once a criminal finds your remote, all that’s left is to locate your car registration to get your address. Most drivers store their registration in their glove compartments or in their center console. Once a criminal has your garage opener and address, they can easily get into your home.
Your glove compartment or sun visor seemed like a convenient place to keep the clicker. But when you notice it’s gone, and your car had been broken into, you realize this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
This blog post will tell you what you can do if you ever find that someone stole your garage door remote.
Urgent: Call the Police
When you contact your local police department, make a note of anything else in your car or home that may have been stolen. The police will likely ask you how the remote was stolen and the day and time you think it happened. Also, try to remember when you saw it last because the precinct will need as much information as possible. If expensive items are missing, contact your insurance company next to see if your car or homeowner’s insurance policy covers them.
First Step: Disable Your Garage Door Remote
Your garage remote works by emitting a signal that a receiver housed in the garage door opener’s motor captures. Since 1993, most door openers use what is known as rolling codes. This means that when you use your garage door opener, its transmission code is changed. You can disable your door opener by pressing a Smart button on the housing of the opener’s motor. Doing this will deprogram your remotes and keypads; a blinking light will indicate whether the deprogramming was successful. Once you do this, no one will be able to open your garage, even if they have your remote.
You will now need to reprogram the keypads and remotes by following the manufacturer’s instructions or the owner’s manual from the dealer. All garage door opener models follow the same principle, but the programming code and frequency used differ as does the color of the Smart button. It may be green red, yellow, orange, or purple depending on the brand.
It is extremely important to disconnect all programmed devices. A severed connection between the remote and the garage door means a burglar cannot get inside even if they have your clicker. If you have a second remote, use it to verify the system has been deprogrammed. Don’t just unplug the opener; the codes may be stored using a battery, so they’re not lost during a power outage. However, this is a vulnerability in case of a theft.
If the process sounds too difficult for you, call us. We can put in a new garage door in Las Vegas. We’ll come to your home right away and start securing a garage door in your home.
An Alternative to Deprogramming Your Garage Door Opener
Some door opener models have your control panel placed near the door that accesses your home. In this instance, you can simply press the LOCK button. When you do this, you disable the keypad and remote signals. But you can still open and close your garage door by pressing the open/close button on the control panel.
If you have a doorbell wall control, unplug the opener from the outlet. To open and close your garage door, pull on the red cord that releases the overhead trolley. You will then open and close your door manually. Relock the door by putting a lock on the side of the door.
The option to open and close the door manually is convenient in some cases. However, it does mean the garage door is unsecured because anyone can gain entry from outside. Reprogramming your spare remote is the best option for protecting your home against intruders. For guidance on how to do this, follow the instructions in the manual, look up the model number of the motor online, or contact the manufacturer or your local garage door company.
MyQ System How To
Nowadays, every garage door opener is connected to a wireless system. This means you can operate it using your smartphone. With MyQ technology from LiftMaster, you can manage garage door openers from LiftMaster, Chamberlain, Craftsman, Genie, Stanley, Wayne-Dalton, or Linear using an app. Not only can you see if you left your garage door open. You can erase a program but still access the system because your smartphone doesn’t have to be reprogrammed.
To erase a remote control and keypad on the MyQ Control Panel, press and hold the LEARN button until the LED is off. The previous codes are erased. Your remote control is now disabled and can be reprogrammed.
Next, find the Features menu, scroll to PROGRAM, and select REMOTE and reprogram the remote from the program menu. On the remote, press the button you want to operate the garage door with. If the code has been programmed, the garage door opener lights will flash, or you’ll hear two clicks.
Preventing Garage Remote Theft
To protect your garage door remote from theft, make sure that your car doors are always locked. Don’t place the remote where criminals can easily see it. If you’re parking the car in a sketchy area, take the remote with you. You will also want to hide your car registration in a place where a car thief can’t easily find it, such as your glove compartment where people usually keep this document.
You can also be proactive by:
- Parking inside the garage, not on the street, and avoid leaving your car in unsecured areas.
- Always lock the door between your garage and house, in case your clicker is stolen.
- Install a deadbolt lock on this door to provide maximum protection against burglars.
- Purchase a mini remote that you can attach to your keychain, so it’s always with you.
- Connect your garage to your smartphone, so no garage door remote is needed.
Contact Your Local Garage Door Company
Lastly, if you need assistance after a garage door opener remote is stolen and/or wish to protect your home with the latest technologies, contact Precision Door Service of Las Vegas. We can be reached 24/7 at 702-637-2700 and provide same-day service.
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