What garage security set up?

After my neighbours caught some masked folks sniffing around my garage at midnight, I’m after some extra security. What I really want is a pair of PIR style motion sensors so I can point one at each door, and some sort of remote so I can turn both off before going into the garage. I don’t care about camera integration or anything, I just want a mega noise!

The door/window fixed magnetic ‘the door is open’ alarms, or the vibration ones, are no good because the wind will set them off in winter when the doors rattle.

Some sort of wireless set up would be preferable but finding sockets to plug things in isn’t out of the question.

Please link to anything you’ve got that works!

Plenty of shed alarms with a PIR and remote. Had one for a while, battery operated. Remote broke in the end.

I’ve upped the physical locks and there is an IP camera that alerts me if it detects motion.

I hide my keys on a tree stump and have a plastic snake on a shelf… But anyone that made it up our driveway could get away with anything they liked to be honest.

Land mine. It is the only thing that works.

In the usual spirit of ignoring what you’ve said… I’ve got a ring camera set up with an alexa routine that turns my alexa up to 10 and plays an alarm noise if it detects movement.

Something like this should be able to do something similar https://www.argos.co.uk/product/4667999?istCompanyId=a74d8886-5df9-4baa-b776-166b3bf9111c&istFeedId=30f62ea9-9626-4cac-97c8-9ff3921f8558&istItemId=ipxaatxxw&istBid=t

you could set it up to send you alerts on your phone/alexa device as well

https://personalalarms.com/shed-security/34-minder-pir-alarm-wireless-expandable-home-alarm.html

These are mega noisy. They used to do one that could be linked to an external siren too so if one unit was damaged the other would still blast out. Saved me from having bikes stolen.

I found 1 sensor enough inside the garage to cover the main garage door and a side door/window on a single garage

They have switches inside the siren and key fob, so I assume you could align 2 units to work off one remote. Probably Id check with a shop before buying, but for little money definitely works

By adding extra remote controls, Window sensors, PIR sensors and an SOS
Wristwatch the Mini Minder PIR Alarm becomes a fully functioning
Wireless Home Security System.

So looks like you can pair up.

The more noise the better, you want as much attention attracted as possible so that many neighbours are alerted. I got mine from Screwfix, they seem to have a good range to suit most uses.

Alarms that use a remote are good, because it means you can put the units more out of reach of people wanting to quickly silence it. But most alarms give you a bit of time to turn them off anyway, so turning them off before you go into the garage isn’t essential.

Look at the motorbike disc brake locks with built in alarms too.

Only the once did I ever think that my joint was being chased, when a ‘roofer’ (read “chancer” ) came around to give me a quote on a replacement roof damaged in a storm. He was very interested in the bikes indeed. I made a bit of a show of enabling the PIRs and the called Max the dog.

My advice: get a dog.

Comprehensive insurance.

The more noise the better, you want as much attention attracted as possible so that many neighbours are alerted.

… who will immediately conclude “that $%^&ing alarm is going off again” and hate you.  We’ve been forever conditioned to assume that every alarm is false since aftermarket Moss car alarms in the 1990s.

You want something which will alert you, maybe via a phone app, not everyone else in a five mile radius who won’t care.

I’ve used one of these Yale Essentials kits in the past – easy enough to install / use and makes a racket. Battery powered but they last long enough if you use decent ones.

It’s very easy to add a garage on to a house alarm as a separate zone.

Lots of ground anchors, chains and good padlocks.

Extra hinges on doors etc

I’m of a mind that more physical security is better than an audible alarm. Most people ignore alarms and thieves know this, they will probably nonchalantly crack on regardless.  The alarm may well alert you, but then you have to consider if you want to confront thieving scrotes in the act, with all the risk of physical violence that entails. Fair play if you do – but it’s a risk for sure.  There’s probably no harm in one, but maybe not all that much utility either.  Better door/window locks, extra shoot bolts, good quality chains and ground anchors, a car parked right up to the garage door etc. are likely to be more effective IMO.

Nothing will stop a determined thief, but you can make it enough of a ball ache that the opportunist looking to sell a bike for drug money will go somewhere that’s less effort.

I’ve got an Ultra Secure battery wireless alarm with a solar/battery powered external sounder on the wall of the house and another siren inside. It’s fairly loud. It’s not without issues as it’s all fairly cheap but it’s more of a deterrent really. It does have a SIM card that rings me and I can arm/disarm remotely (the SIM module does need 240v though but the rest is wire free.

I’d focus on stopping them making the noise in the first place.

Our neighbour’s alarm went off at midnight while they were away once. She called me and said “my alarm’s going off” . I said I know. She said “will you go round and check please?” . I said **** that (a bit more politely).

This Yale system:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yale-IA-320-External-Contacts-Assistant/dp/B07FR78X16

Fully connected via an app so you can control it and get alerts from anywhere.

Comes with 2 PIR and a contact sensor.  I added a second contact sensor to cover both doors.

Also installed a Yale indoor camera so I can see if anything is actually going on if the alarm does get triggered (works as a back up to the alarm as it will trigger alerts to my phone if it detects movement).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yale-SV-DPFX-B-Detection-Privacy-Viewing/dp/B08KSG27FZ

Plus well sized anti snap cylinders on the doors and poison darts that shoot out of the wall.

Go full Salford (flat roofed) Pub Landlord … barbed wire  all around the place and two rabid Rottweilers running loose.

Mine’s on the house alarm and has a separate shed alarm (Tale PIR thing). It’s useful as you could be in and not hear something in the garage.

Roller style door (as I believe they are stronger?). I put some metal loops on the bottom of the door and some dead bolts in the floor so it can be locked down inside – Carabiner so it’s quick to release.

Bikes locked together and hung up behind a black shower curtain so anyone just passing doesn’t get to see much.

Insurance.

Secure the property boundary if you can, consider PIR lights at the boundary. Then secure the exterior of the garage. Finally, secure the bikes and any tools that can be used to break into anywhere/anything else.

Alarms are often ignored if they can be in and out quickly.

Obvious, early security is better; they’ll find a less secure target somewhere else

Dog warning signs and huge speaker with a recording of a Malanois ready to frighten them off, just like in Home Alone.

Barbwire and a claymore. Same answer as the kids in a caravan thread.

I have a cheap battery/wireless PIR in my garage but it’s been years since I bothered setting it, kept forgetting to initially then the battery died and didn’t bother replacing it. I’d say it’s worth spending the extra for a wired system you can access remotely (and set/unset from a phone app), just must less hassle once fitted. I’ve not bothered myself but do have bars across the garage rear window and a decent main door (Hormann) + CCTV covering it.

Thanks everyone. I’ve done all the other insurance and locks stuff. I want to be sure I get woken up so I can chase anyone away, and if the red mist doesn’t descend and I stay hiding, at least I’ll know I had the option!

Since the masked guys were spotted I’ve been reversing my van right up to the garage. But this is a problem because it means I can’t go out and put a bike back late. Because I can’t reverse the van late at night. Because it plays Van Halen ‘jump’ very loudly as soon as you put it in reverse and there’s currently no override button ?‍♀️.

My garage is alarmed with an internal PIR and a very loud internal sounder ,two external cctv cameras and bikes are chained to a Torc ground anchor with a 22mm chain – it was an issue when I lost the padlock key as it took someone with an angle grinder nearly 30 minutes to get my bike free!

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/garage-ram-raid/

Be very careful of the red mist. I was lucky to not be really hurt. A month later I have a quite prominent scar on the site of my head and my left hand still isn’t quite right.

I have Veho Cave alarm, which links to my phone.

Because it plays Van Halen ‘jump’ very loudly as soon as you put it in reverse and there’s currently no override button ?‍♀️.

Brilliant. Certainly better than the sonar-like ‘ping’ sound I heard an electric car making whilst reversing into a passing place at the weekend.

Those Yale smart alarms mentioned above are decent. Ours has been perfectly reliable for the 5+ years since we fitted it throughout our house and garage. All wireless including the external sounder unit. Mix of PIRs and door/window contacts for us with a few keypads dotted around, although we use the mobile app to set/unset a lot too. Recommended.

Mine is linked to the house alarm. Also got Blink camera pointed at the door. Arm it and the ground floor of the house at night. Have more faith in the Pragmasis ground anchor and f-off chain and lock though. Definitely invest there first if you haven’t already.

Be very careful of the red mist. I was lucky to not be really hurt

Yep – when my alarm went off, the Police said we did the right thing by not trying to go and stop them.

Danger of death signs up outside then make every valuable inside electrically “live”.

Neighbour had his van nicked the other day, folk who came were ready for the camera and lights, used IR to blind them and saturate the area, alarms are great, but as others say, nobody does anything anymore with them, same with security lights.

Insurance and ground anchors/locks is the way, make sure that if they’re nicked, you at least get to choose a new one on insurance.

I think the best advice I’ve had us just don’t rely one level of defence.

So after insurance, locks, ground anchor, there is lights, alarm, perhaps a subtly hid camera to catch the ones who get past all the other steps.

Perhaps an extra ground lock on the garage doors.

There are loads of wifi enabled house alarms out there that have all the options you need.

Ours has been faultless for 5+ years & covers everywhere, including the garage.  Solar external siren, all sensors battery powered – it’s only the base unit that needs power.  RFID tags, remotes or App activation & you can set up notifications for all sorts of eventualities.

They are mostly all variations on the Simplisafe model, just cheaper.  A linked camera helps with the Police too – if the alarm goes off & you can see the scrotes on site they’re more likely to respond when you call them.

Mine are all locked to each other and everything else within reach. Getting them out will require a fair bit of noise and/or demolition work.

If someone is really determined then they’ll be taken. But they are insured.

As said above, we thought we had everything covered, roller door, alarm, CCTV and ground anchors. we also had the car in the garage which occasionally used.

We were clocked unloading after our Alps trip and knew we had. All the bikes were padlocked at the back of the garage apart from two which needed repairs and we had planned to do them the following night.

The following day I took the car out of the garage and went to fill up with petrol. In that short period of time they came and broke in whilst daughter was still in the house and took the two bikes that weren’t locked to the ground anchors.

The alarms dint stop them nor did our neighbours who came out. Please couldn’t act on external CCTV footage.

Everything now has been upgraded and extra security put in, including security shutters. If they want to get in they will its just a case of having enough physical security in place to try and hinder them.

If you need extra physical security I have a spare pair of these you can have for the cost of postage if you want. I bought four thinking that two could be at the bottom of the garage door and two at the sides, but there’s nothing for the side ones to fit into. So I only have the bottom ones now.

https://jcphardware.co.uk/asec-garage-door-security-bolt-lock/

Unsure why only the first sentence posted, but there were 4 paragraphs of stuff and I didn’t copy it and not retyping it…

Make it as awkward as possible to get in externally and internally and make it difficult to see in, cover the stuff in old dust sheets to help hide what there is.

As said above alarms, ground anchors, good chains.  Just keep adding to security bit by bit , every little bit will slow them down hopefully and they give up!

Keys under your pillow at night with the Taser!

The door/window fixed magnetic ‘the door is open’ alarms, or the vibration ones, are no good because the wind will set them off in winter when the doors rattle.

I have door status detectors connected to my smart home stuff. I can program in a little delay (5-10 seconds maybe) so a rattly door will not trigger anything.

(Also got motion detectors inside the house and cameras, one of each in the bike room!)

I keep wondering about remote activated smoke bombs, plus “something” to alert you if/when they’re in so you can set them off.  Maybe some strobe lights too, just for fun

That reminds me.

Ages ago, a friend was installing a home alarm system, one of the things they got was a “sonic bomb.”  It’s exactly what it sounds like, but the point isn’t to alert anyone but rather to make it physically painful to remain in the house.  Unless you’ve turned up with ear defenders it’s impossible to tolerate for more than a few seconds.

my mate, who i think could put most +1’s on here to shame, has had one of these installed

https://www.autoguardalarms.co.uk/smoke-cloak/