At Northeast Security Solutions, we remain committed to adding security to every area of your home. In previous posts, we have detailed how to best secure specific areas within your house. Our Best Practices to Improve Bedroom Security provides some useful tips on securing one of your home’s most vulnerable rooms. We also provided Tips to Improve Basement Security. Homeowners often under-secure their basements, allowing thieves easy entry into the rest of their homes. Finally, we provide security for many homeowners who have a room dedicated to working from home. Our 5 Keys to Complete Home Office Security provides some valuable tips for these individuals. In this post, we go outside the home for our specific security tip. This week, we provide some tips for creating shed and garage security.

We’ll begin with a look at some measures to make it harder to enter your shed or garage undetected. A large part of shed and garage security — or any security for that matter — lies in controlling access. From there, we’ll look at some tips to make your shed and garage a less attractive break-in target. Proper lighting and landscaping can make burglars think twice about trying anything bold. Finally, we’ll look at tips for installing surveillance that gives you a look at your property at all times. Let’s begin with a look at installing lock hardware that makes criminals’ jobs more difficult.

A Schlage turn bolt

Turn bolts, such as this model by Schlage, add security to your doors while remaining unseen by potential thieves.

Install Quality Lock Hardware

Breaking into sheds and garages — especially detached garages — often allows criminals more time than breaking into a home. These areas may have less visibility than the home itself. Therefore, burglars can take more time getting in without feeling the danger of getting caught. This makes installing quality lock equipment on garages and sheds all the more important. Out post on Residential Locks points out how Medeco creates locks that specifically combat the ways that burglars defeat locks. We recommend Medeco security locks for any application, especially those deserving extra security.

Of course, even the best of locks can’t stop attacks against other parts of a door. Our 6 Ways to Improve Your Door Security details some additional security available for doors. Hinge pins, for example, reinforce the hinge side of a door. Burglars will often attack a door’s hinge side rather than the deadbolt side. Hinge pins makes such an attack much less effective. Turnbolts (pictured) add the security of an extra deadbolt without allowing those outside the door to see where you’ve installed them, and make a good extra layer of security in a garage. Failing to install quality locks before an incident occurs to lead to compromised shed and garage security. Investing in products that make the initial breach difficult can help you avoid this fate. Now, let’s look at a security system-related piece of advice for improving your own shed and garage security.

Add Wireless Security Contacts on Doors and Windows

Recent alarm technology has made it easier than ever to secure even the farthest reaches of your property. However, until recently, securing sheds and even attached garages proved troublesome. Standard wireless security contacts have limited range to begin with, and over time, their range diminishes. This can lead to frustration, as alarm contacts lose communication with their security system panels. In these instances, homeowners must deal with frequent trouble signals from their alarm systems. Furthermore, they also have to deal with a lack of security wherever these contacts are installed.

A garage with fances on two sides

High wooden fences around sheds and garages can provide shelter for potential burglars.

Fortunately, recent technology improvements have allowed us more flexibility with the installation of wireless sensors. Some security system manufacturers, including QOLSYS, our preferred system provider, have created long-range wireless door and window sensors. This allows us to secure doors and windows that even a few short years ago we wouldn’t have secured.

In the past, securing a detached garage or shed often meant installing a second security system. The ability to add alarm sensors to the doors and windows of your detached shed and garage means that you will always know if someone opens these doors in your absence. Just as importantly, a breach into any part of your property will also produce a police response if needed. At this point, we’ve looked at a couple ideas for keeping the wrong people out of your shed or garage. Now, let’s look at making sure that neighbors and others can always see these areas.

Keep Your Entire Property Visible at All Times

A big part of creating shed and garage security is taking away the “hidden” aspect of these areas. As we pointed out earlier, burglars often feel that they have more “alone” time to break in to sheds and garages. Proper lighting can help take some of that security away from thieves. Bright exterior lighting illuminates your yard for you, your neighbors, and police patrols driving by. Motion-based lighting can also surprise anyone snooping along your property and leave them surprised and exposed.

Additionally, your landscaping and yard design decisions can affect shed and garage security. Our 7 Tips to Improve Home Security for New Homeowners discusses the importance of eliminating “blind spots” from your yard. As that post points out, convicted criminals themselves have even advised homeowners to landscape their yards carefully if they wish to avoid a break-in. High shrubbery around your shed or garage attracts individuals who wish to snoop around for a way in. Likewise, high wooden fences provide cover from neighbors and passersby. Keeping your entire property visible from as many directions as possible can make your garage and shed a less tempting target for thieves. Now, let’s look at a way to keep an eye on your property even while nobody’s home!

A sign reading "SMILE! YOU'RE ON CAMERA"

A visible surveillance presence is one of the biggest deterrents to potential criminals.

Use Cameras to Keep an Eye on Your Entire Property

Residential surveillance can add shed and garage security in multiple ways. For one, cameras give you a live look at your property at all times. Some cameras, such as Alarm.com smart cameras, will even send you a live video alert upon detecting motion. We install these cameras for our alarm customers who take advantage of our interactive cellular monitoring powered by Alarm.com. These cameras record motion-based clips viewable from any smart device or computer. We also offer stand-alone surveillance that utilizes a dedicated recorder. Generally, this recorder captures video continuously and can store it for several weeks. No matter where your surveillance needs lie, either type of system will give you both live and recorded footage of any events around your home, shed, or garage.

Additionally, cameras bring with them a crime-fighting element. We discussed this in our post detailing Steps to Take to Defeat Smart Criminals. That post pointed out that criminals often cite cameras as one of the biggest deterrenta to attempting a break-in. A visible surveillance presence can encourage burglars to look elsewhere for their next target.

Putting Together a Complete Shed and Garage Security Plan

We hope that this post has given you some ideas for adding shed and garage security to your own home. We know the unique obstacles that come with attempting to provide security in these areas. Furthermore, we know the importance of the appliances and items stored in these spaces. Tools, lawnmowers, expensive appliances and, of course, cars obviously deserve securing. If you have any questions about the information in this post, we encourage you to contact us. We provide free site surveys to evaluate complete security for homeowners. While we’re there, we can answer any questions you may have about shed and garage security, or home security in general. Additionally, we can make suggestions of our own based on what we find during our visit. Together, we can create a security plan to keep your entire home as safe and secure as possible.