How to Prevent Garage Door Hacking

In today’s society, keeping your valuable possessions and cherished loved ones safe comes down to one word: security. People rely on security features every day. Smartphones use PINs and facial recognition to unlock the device. People apply passwords to their computers and laptops to protect their sensitive information. Many people invest in upgraded security features to keep thieves out of their cars.

As a homeowner, you need to use the same level of caution with your garage door as you do with your other devices. After all, many people use their garage door as the main exit and entry point to their house. Garage door hackers keep getting smarter, so you need to know how to prevent garage door hacking.

Can Garage Door Openers Be Hacked?

The short answer is “yes,” but it’s a bit more complex than that. Garage door hacking centers around the relationship between your opener and the remote you use to activate it. When you click your garage door remote, it sends a signal using low-frequency waves to communicate with the opener. Some garage door openers are easier to hack than others, but it all depends on the interaction between opener and remote.

As technology advances, garage door hackers get better at their craft. When inventors created the first garage door openers, criminals began looking for ways to exploit them to enter people’s houses. This was an easy task at first since the technology was brand new. For criminals, it was as simple as buying a remote from the local hardware store and using it to open any garage door they desired. This was unacceptable, so companies began developing new security features.

Even though criminals continue finding ways to hack garage door openers, the latest advances in technology make it a more difficult task. As a homeowner, you need to make sure you’re doing everything you can to prevent unwanted access into your garage. It’s important to protect detached garages to keep your valuable possessions safe. But it’s even more crucial to protect your attached garage if it grants access to your house. The safety of your family depends on it.

What Are Fixed Code Garage Door Openers?

Fixed code garage door openers were the manufacturers’ first attempt to increase garage door security. Garage door openers use radio waves to function and operate at a frequency of 300-400 megahertz (MHz). Unlike the radio waves used to send songs and spoken word to our car radios and home stereo systems, people don’t need a license to use garage door radio waves. This is what allowed thieves to open people’s garage doors with ease early on. Fixed code garage doors helped make it a little trickier.

Fixed code garage door openers, or a dip switch garage door openers, use eight to 12 little switches inside the opener and the remote to set a code. Users set the code by sliding these dip switches into the up or down position. Think of this code as a gate on the path of the radio signal separating the remote from the garage door opener. Once a homeowner applies the same code to both sets of dip switches, the two devices can communicate with each other.

Even though most companies phased out fixed code garage door openers in the early 1990s, some are still around today. Pop off the pack of your garage door opener remote and see if you can find any dip switches. If not, then you have a more modern form of garage door security. If you see dip switches, you may want to think about upgrading your opener system to one that’s more secure.

Fixed code garage doors were a step in the right direction, but they weren’t enough to keep out intruders. Having eight to 12 dip switches with two settings per switch allows for many unique codes, but there is a limit to the possibilities. It would take a thief a long time to figure out an opener’s code through trial and error, but this wasn’t the real shortcoming of fixed codes. Their biggest fault lies in their reliance on a single, unchanging code to operate.

How Early Garage Doors Were Breached

The first automatic garage door openers were a bit of a security disaster. People accidentally opening their neighbor’s garage doors with their remotes was one thing. Criminals buying new garage door remotes from the hardware store and using them to open any garage door they wanted was quite another. Homeowners would have been better off keeping their manual garage doors instead of leaving their homes vulnerable to robbery from the lack of security features in those first garage door openers.

Then came the fixed code garage door openers with their trusty — or not so trusty — dip switches. These did provide an extra level of security, but using the same code every day left homeowners vulnerable to hacking. Tech-savvy thieves learned how to use devices called “code grabbers” to discover people’s unique garage door opener codes.

These crooks would set the device near someone’s garage door and wait for the homeowner to come home and press their garage door remote. The code grabber would intercept the signal and store the code. The homeowner would have to push their remote a second time to open their garage door.

And with that, the act was complete. Thieves would retrieve their code grabber with the stored code and use it to open the garage door at their convenience. Homeowners grew desperate for garage door openers with better security features.

What Are Rolling Code Garage Door Openers?

Rolling code garage door openers were the next step in increasing garage door security for homeowners. Manufacturers like LiftMaster realized that fixed code garage door openers were too easy for criminals to hack. So in the mid-’90s, they took a new direction and developed a system that used the opposite technology — one where the code changed. The result was rolling code, or hopping code, garage door openers. These make it much harder for criminals to steal someone’s garage door opener code.

Rolling code garage door openers create a new security code each time a homeowner uses their garage door opener. Technology within the opener uses a special algorithm that “rolls” or “hops” the opener’s security code to one of several billion other possible combinations. The opener discards the previous code so repeat codes are impossible, increasing security. Your opener will use the new code the next time you need access to your garage.

Check your garage door opener remote to see if your garage door uses rolling code technology. Look for words or phrases like “Security 2.0,” “Security +” or “Rolling Code” on the outside of your remote. Or, you can pop open the back for signs of new technology. If you see dip switches, your opener does not use rolling code technology. If you see a circuit board and a battery without any dip switches, then your opener may use rolling codes. You can always call your opener manufacturer for clarification.

Can Rolling Code Openers Still Be Hacked?

Thieves have found ways past even rolling code openers. Technology can increase security in our daily lives, but thieves can use their own technology to find ways around security features. Criminals can exploit rolling security features by using a code jamming device known as a rolljam.

All they have to do is hide the rolljam near someone’s garage door and wait for the right moment, like the code grabbers of the past. When a homeowner presses their remote, the rolljam intercepts the code and stores it. The homeowner then presses their remote a second time, generating a second code to open the garage door. The criminal can return to your house later and use the first stored code to access your garage.

Modern Solutions to Prevent Garage Door Hacking

As long as there are garage doors, garage door opener hacking will likely remain a problem for homeowners. Criminals seem to find ways around the latest security measures at every turn. No technology can guarantee complete resistance to thieves, but keeping up with the latest tech help homeowners resist break-ins. The harder you make it for criminals, the better your chances will be of keeping a secure home.

Whether you installed a new garage door opener within the last few years or you’re in the market for a new one, you should look for the following safety features:

• Two-factor authentication: Smart garage door openers are connected to the internet. In today’s world, everyone stores their usernames and passwords in online storage accounts like Google or Apple servers. Enable two-step authentication to keep people from hacking into your accounts and gaining access to your smart garage door opener.
• Security + and Security 2.0: These are the base features you should look for in any of the new garage door openers you’re considering. These make things a bit harder for criminals by offering rolling codes and different radio frequencies for the opener to operate. Choosing openers without these features would be like installing a front door without a lock.
• The myQ smartphone app: LiftMaster created myQ technology as the latest security feature for smart garage door openers. With the myQ app, you can control your garage door from anywhere. You’ll receive a notification when someone uses your garage door. You can even customize who has access to your garage door at specific times of the day. It’s the perfect fit for you if you already enjoy the benefits of smart technology in your home.

Using a Smart Garage Door? Why You Need to Keep Your WiFi Secure

It’s crucial that you keep your WiFi secure if you have a smart garage door opener. WiFi and cellular data make using your smart opener a breeze, but leaving your WiFi unprotected can make breaking in a breeze for hackers, too. Here are a few actions you can take to bolster the security of your WiFi:

• Use a complex password: Make sure to put a unique password on your WiFi to keep unwanted users from accessing it. Write it down and keep it in a safe place in your home, but make sure to keep it hidden.
• Change the WiFi’s name: If you keep your WiFi’s public name the same, potential hackers may start to realize which signal in the area belongs to your house. Change the name to throw hackers off your trail.
• Disable your WiFi during zero-activity hours: Some routers and apps allow you to turn off the WiFi during certain hours of the day. If there are times when your whole family will be out of the house, set your WiFi to turn off as an added security feature. Then have it turn back on when the family comes back home for the day.

Other Tips for Securing Your Garage Door Against Intruders

Here are some more tips for keeping intruders from entering your garage:

1. Invest in a deadlock: A deadlock is a classic way of keeping doors shut. Slide the deadlock in place, and criminals won’t easily open your garage door.
2. Install a security camera: Security cameras are excellent crime deterrents. When criminals see a security camera above your garage door, they might decide to take their chances elsewhere. LiftMaster sells a smart garage camera that works with myQ technology to let you see who is at your garage door from anywhere with an internet connection.
3. Invest in a motion detector: Install exterior lighting with motion detectors to send criminals running. When a potential thief gets close enough to your garage, a bright light will fill the area, revealing their actions in the dead of night. Combine motion detectors with security cameras for even more protection.
4. Don’t give out the four-digit keypad code: Many modern garage doors have an exterior keypad to give homeowners another way to enter their garage. Keep the four-digit code a secret, and be careful who you decide to give it to. If the code falls into a criminal’s hands, they’ll have an easy time walking right into your garage with the touch of four buttons.
5. Disengage the opener: If you’re going to be out of town for a while, disengage your opener. You can do this by pulling the red cord hanging from your garage door opener system. This will make it impossible for people to access your opener through hacking. Secure the door with a deadlock before leaving to keep anyone from manually opening your garage door.
6. Install a sturdy garage door: Having a strong garage door is a practical step in keeping your garage safe from intruders. Criminals may try to break into flimsy garage doors with brute strength. Having a sturdy garage door made of heavy-gauge steel is the best for fending off physical entry attempts.

Shop for Residential Garage Door Openers and More From Continental Door

Continental Door is the solution to your garage door needs. We’ve been helping homeowners in the greater Spokane, Washington, area achieve better garage door security for more than 15 years. We sell a variety of modern garage door openers from reputable companies like Liftmaster and Linear, including models compatible with myQ technology. We understand the risks of having outdated, insecure garage door openers. Together, we can help you experience the peace of mind that comes with installing a brand new garage door opener.

We offer free estimates, so contact us online today. No job is too big or too small for us at Continental Door. We look forward to meeting you.