What Type of Garage Door Opener Is Best for My Home?

Blue Sky Builders (4)As a homeowner, you may not put too much thought into your garage door opener. As long as it opens and closes your garage door without any problems, it may seem like a standard piece of machinery that simply does its job. However, if you need to replace a garage door opener that has worn out or broken down, or if you are planning to build a new custom garage, you may want to look at your options and determine the best type of garage door opener for your home. Read more

3 Simple Ways to Secure Your Garage from Home Burglaries

DuPage County Professionals for Garage SecurityWhile you might think that the recent stay-at-home orders would translate to a decrease in home burglaries, you would be surprised at how often the police are reporting house break-ins lately. In fact, many of these burglars had the nerve to break into houses even while homeowners were home and asleep in bed, which is a frightening thought. Although taking the usual safety precautions to protect your home against break-ins will help, there might be one vulnerability that is easy to neglect: access from your garage into your home. In those cases, there are a variety of garage services that can help secure your garage from intruders. These options include: custom garage building, garage hardware replacementsecure steel entry door system installation, garage door upgrades like electric garage door openers, even high-quality window construction. Even if you are not ready to invest in a major garage renovation or garage remodeling, there are still a few easy things you can do to secure your garage that are not too expensive or involved.

Improving Garage Security Is More Affordable Than You Might Think

While it is true that your garage does not house many of the most valuable parts of your home, including your family, it often can provide an easy accessway for burglars to enter through. In addition, most garages are considered separate entities from the house itself—more outdoors than a part of the actual indoor living space—so many people do not even consider securing them with the same intensity and vigilance as they do with other parts of the house. For those very reasons, many burglars view garages as worthwhile targets for intrusion in much the same way as obscure, rarely used windows. This is why you cannot afford to neglect garage security. Here are three easy and cost-effective ways to protect your garage from intruders:

  1. Install security cameras. The most affordable cameras still have HD quality and the capability to record to the cloud through WiFi. Also, many can be placed both inside and outside of your garage to keep tabs on all activity. The cameras will then alert you through your smartphone of any intrusions in your garage. Set them up at the garage entryway access door to both your garage and/or your house, near the inside of the garage door itself, and right outside the garage door to get everything covered. Some of the more expensive cameras, many of which tend to be meant for outdoor use only, including ones that feature motion-detecting flood lights or spotlights, are more heavy-duty and might require professional assistance for mounting.
  2. Install smart garage door openers. Especially with regards to upgrading your current electric garage door opener with a smart garage door opener controller, this is not too difficult or too expensive and can add an additional layer of security to your garage door (not to mention all sorts of modern-tech conveniences). Most of these smart garage door options let you monitor the open/close status of the door through your smartphone and some even integrate with video.
  3. Install smart locks or deadbolt locks on your garage entryway doors. Again, this is not too expensive and very simple, and doing so will make it much more difficult for people to break into your home from your garage even if they can somehow get into the garage itself. Many of the more cutting-edge options will let you keep track of lock/unlock statuses on your smartphone, too.

Contact a Chicago-Area Garage Expert

Even if you make any of the aforementioned changes to your garage security, you may not be entirely satisfied. You need something more substantial to truly put your mind at ease. To attain that peace of mind, reach out to a Downers Grove garage professional at 630-852-8485. Blue Sky Builders can review your current garage situation and let you know how to make your garage more secure, be it through new and improved garage doors, steel entryway doors, or any other number of other garage services.

Sources:
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/garage-door-security/
https://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/preventing-crime-in-the-garden-outbuildings-and-garage/493/security-for-the-garage/
https://www.corporatetravelsafety.com/safety-tips/how-thieves-break-into-homes-by-the-garage-door/

What Are the Best Smart Garage Door Openers and Controllers?

DuPage County garage home theater expertsIf you have been updating your home to make it into more of a smart home, you might be thinking of extending the convenience of such technological advancements to your custom garage. There are plenty of ways to make your garage smarter, but the most obvious way is to install a smart garage door opener or convert your existing opener into a smart opener using a smart garage door controller. This type of garage renovation is not too difficult, but picking the right device is critical. Here is a comparison of the most popular devices to make your garage door opener smart:

Smart Garage Door Openers and Controllers Compared

There are many smart garage door openers and controllers out there, and it might be difficult to decide which one you should get. While one device will not necessarily fit the bill for everybody, odds are there is at least one that is the right fit for you and your garage. Here are some examples of top-of-the-line equipment: Read more

3 Ways to Modernize Your Garage

DuPage County custom garage builders smart home technologyAs you make updates and improvements to your home, you should not neglect your garage, and you can take a variety of steps to modernize this space. Doing so involves more than just converting your garage door opener into a smart garage door opener; there are all sorts of other ways to make improvements to your garage, including through smart technology, improved safety, or creative garage renovation ideas. Read more

How Can I Upgrade to a Smart Garage Door Opener?

Blue Sky Builders garage door opener smart homeIf you are planning to make use of “smart home” technology, one area that you may need to address is your garage. However, if your garage is older, you may not be sure about whether your electric garage door opener can be upgraded to something smarter. You may be surprised at your options when it comes to converting an existing garage door opener into a smart garage door opener by using a smart garage door controller. This is a great way to customize your garage without breaking the bank. Read more

How to Stop Your Garage Door Opener From Being Hacked

Blue Sky Builders garage door opener securityIn Wisconsin, two 16-year-old boys were recently arrested for stealing a car, crashing it, and then stealing a second a vehicle after the crash. The boys had gained access to the cars by hacking an electronic garage door opener and then burglarizing the garage. Finding the keys inside of the cars, they took the cars and went for a joy ride before police apprehended them. During the summer, garage burglaries increase, and one of the ways thieves gain access to a garage is through hacking electronic garage door openers. To secure your garage and the belongings inside, follow these simple tips to avoid the possibility of your car being taken out for a joy ride by a thief: Read more

What Is the Best Garage Door Opener for iPhone Users?

Blue Sky Builders smart garage door opener iphoneGarage door openers have entered into the new digital space of the Internet of Things (IoT). As we have previously mentioned on this blog, there are many different kinds of electric garage door openers that can connect to your home’s Wi-Fi and allow your garage door to be operated wirelessly by a mobile device. However, when deciding which kind of equipment to use for your garage, it is important to consider whether it will work with your preferred mobile operating system. Many people are surprised to learn how different an Android phone can be from an iPhone, and they may be even more surprised to learn that different mobile operating systems interact differently with various IoT devices. If you are an iPhone user and are considering getting an IoT garage door opener, then one option that can provide benefits is the Insignia Wi-Fi remote controller. Read more

The Best Garage Door Openers of 2019…So Far

Blue Sky Builders garage door opener technologyThe garage door opener industry is like almost every other industry in that it has been dramatically affected by the influx of new smart technologies. In previous blogs, we have discussed how electric garage door openers can now be connected to your smart devices, such as smartphones, Amazon Echo, Google Home, etc. to allow you to open and monitor your garage more efficiently. Smart technology keeps on evolving, and so do garage door openers. Here is a short list of some of the most advanced garage door openers available at this point in 2019: Read more

How In-Garage Delivery Options Can Improve Security and Convenience

Blue Sky Builders garage door opener delivery accessThe world of garage door installation has gotten much more exciting in recent years. Most of us are used to being able to open our garage doors through a short-range wireless remote that operates an electric garage door opener. However, many garage door openers are now able to connect with smartphones and home wifi systems, allowing you to open and close your garage door remotely. This technology has now taken another step forward by allowing some home delivery services to have temporary access to open your garage door and store your deliveries safely inside your garage when you are away. Read more

What Are the Latest and Best Garage Door Opener Features in 2019?

Blue Sky Builders garage door opener featuresThe busy season has begun for home improvement and building contractors. If you plan to replace your garage door and/or garage door opener this year, now is the time to research options and engage a contractor. To help you get started, we have compiled some information on the latest options in garage door openers from LiftMaster, the brand of garage door openers that we at Blue Sky Builders recommend and have been installing for our customers for many years. Read more