Protect Your Garage Door From Getting Hacked: 5 Important Tips

Hacking is a real thing, but have you ever wondered whether your garage door could be at risk? As a vulnerable point in your home, you can enter your home via the garage door; either when you’re located right next to an open garage door or by simply pressing your garage door remote controls.

As garage door technology improves, so are the hacking skills of those who desperately have a need to enter your home. Thus, in order to protect your garage door from getting hacked, implement the following important tips for a hack-free garage door system.

View our affordable tilt garage doors in Melbourne to choose the best garage door to suit your security needs.

1. Change the code once a year.

As with any security password, it’s important to change the code on your external keypad (if you’re using one) at least once a year. Since most homeowners use their garage as the main entrance, you need to ensure that your garage door security is advanced enough to deter hackers.

2. Never reveal your 4-digit access code.

If you’re using an external keypad, always keep the 4-digit access code secure. Never reveal it to anyone who doesn’t need to know it or write it down for anyone to see. Not only can this place your possessions in a position of being stolen, it also endangers your life.

3. Opt for SECURITY+ or Rolling Code technology.

Always search for the words ‘SECURITY+’ or ‘Rolling Code’ on your remote transmitter. This means that after every single use of your garage door remote control, the code changes – allowing a trillion possible code options.

4. Consider the MyQ technology Security+2.0 option.

What better way, in some cases, to up your home’s security than by utilising your smartphone. The MyQ technology Security+2.0 option enables you to open the garage door with your smartphone – completely eliminating the need for a garage door remote control.

5. Never leave the remote control in your vehicle.

It may seem obvious, but it’s important to never leave your garage door remote control in your vehicle. It may not enable a hacker to gain access via hacking, but it does leave the potential of having the remote control stolen. Always take it with you when you exit the vehicle.

Bonus tip: Carefully sync the remote control.

The last thing you want is installing a brand new garage motor or garage door remote controls with the intention of adding extra layers of security to your home, only to find yourself victimised by a hacker. Thus, when syncing the garage door remote controls, keep the following steps in mind whilst performing the task in the privacy of your garage with the door closed.

Step 1: Press the door code button.

The button will clearly indicate ‘door code’ in order to start the first step syncing your garage door remote controls. Press this button whilst performing step two.

Step 2: Press the transmitter twice.

On the remote control, press the transmitter button twice whilst pressing the door code button. This will sync the garage door and remote control in order to operate your electric garage door successfully.

Watch: Syncing an ATA GDO-9 Tilt or Sectional Garage Door Remote & Syncing an ATA GDO-6 Roller Door Remote.

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How To Open a Garage Door Manually

Life happens, often leaving you without the ordinary necessities and luxuries of having electricity in order to power everyday objects. Although power failure isn’t an everyday occurrence, it’s important to know how to open a garage door when the electricity is off – allowing you to leave the house in the event of an emergency or simply for ordinary errands.

With user-friendly garage doors taking over the market, opening a garage door manually when there is a power failure is easier than you think.

 

Operating a roller garage door manually:

When wanting to manually operate an ATA GDO-6 and GDO-8 garage door operator, it’s important to know where to pull what in order to be able to leave your home safely. Thus, by the simple pull of a cord, you can manually open your roller garage door in an instant.

Step 1: Pull the red cord.

Locate the red cord dangling on either side of the garage door, located on the inside of your garage. If you’re left without power, simply pull on the red cord in order to release the roller garage door.

Step 2: Lift the garage door.

It’s now possible to lift the garage door without any hassles – ensuring that it doesn’t close back up once you let go of the handle.

Step 3: Remove your car.

The main purpose of opening your garage door manually is to be able to remove your car from the garage. Thus, by pulling on the red cord and easily opening the door, you can safely remove your car.

Step 4: Close the garage door.

You’d need to enter the garage once again in order to close the door behind you.

Step 5: Pull the red cord.

In order to lock your roller garage door, simply pull on the red cord once again in order to secure your garage door. This will prevent anyone from entering your home as well as allow you to electronically open the garage door again once the power has returned.

Watch: Operating a Roller Garage Door Manually.

 

Operating an ATA GDO-9 garage door motor manually:

Since each garage door operates slightly different, it’s important to know exactly how your specific garage door opens without electricity. Thus, if you own a garage door operated by an ATA GDO-9 garage door motor, always follow these steps to open the garage door when the electricity is off.

Step 1: Pull the red string.

Placed in a slightly different location than the roller garage door’s red string mentioned above, you need to locate the red string hanging from the door hanging rail. Lightly pull on it in order to place the motor in neutral.

Step 2: Lift the garage door.

You can lift the garage door in order to be able to remove your vehicle from the garage. If not, it might require a service to retension the door.

Step 3: Push the lever back to parallel with the floor

Once your vehicle has been removed, it’s important to re-enter your garage. Close the garage door behind you and push the lever (that the red string is connected to) back into it’s original position, making sure the door is in the same position it was when you released it. This is because the trolley needs to line up with the door belt or chain motor trolley. This will remove the garage motor from neutral and allow you to electronically operate your garage door once the electricity has returned.

Watch: Operating an ATA GDO-9 Garage Door Motor Manually.

Never allow the lack of electricity to prevent you from carrying on with daily tasks. By following the above-mentioned instructions, you can easily open a garage door manually when there is a power failure – allowing you to move freely without compromising your home’s security.