We hope this story will be heard, so that more people can take the necessary steps to protect their family and their property.
It happened to an ordinary family. Living in a quiet and friendly neighborhood in Calgary, Alberta. They just came back from a short vocation. No broken windows, all the doors were locked, and everything was exactly as they left it. However something wasn’t right as they noticed some of their jewellery was missing. After looking all over the house and seeing no signs of break in, they asked their teenage son, thinking he might have sold it to get some extra cash. Even though it wasn’t typical for him they couldn’t find another explanation. Nothing else valuable was missing except for a few jewellery pieces. With no solution or explanation the family got over that and put everything behind, but not for long…
A few months later, the story repeated itself. After the parents came back from a family wedding celebration, they couldn’t find some other valuable jewellery. And again, no signs of a break in. They didn’t know what to think and whom to blame. Tensions were rising between father and son, as it was the only way to explain what’s going on.
The family decided not to involve police as they weren’t sure what was really happening and couldn’t really explain it. And anyway, the police probably wouldn’t take it seriously. What kind of a criminal will sneak into a house, and take only a few earrings? It looked like someone was trying not to draw attention by taking only a small things, hoping it won’t get noticed. The next day they changed all the door locks, just in case someone, somehow got the key to their house.
A few weeks passed by and it happened again. This time they did call the police, but as they expected, they got little help. No break in, everything was in place, and just a few things missing. Taking matters in to their own hands they decided to install surveillance cameras to find out the truth.
Then,one day, they had a technical problem with their garage door and had to call a technician to fix it. While talking about the issues that the family was experiencing the technician offered a surprising explanation. He asked if the door that leads from the garage into the house was locked. The answer that followed was "No, what for? The garage door is closed, so how can anyone get through it?" the technician’s response gave the home owners a lesson they will never forget. Apparently it’s pretty easy for those who really want to.
The technician told the men about a device that is usually used to intercept a signal from a car’s remote. It gives the criminals the opportunity to record it when you lock or unlock your car, and use it to program another key. The very same technology can be used to intercept the signal from your garage door’s remote, and then use it to get into your home when you’re away. This was the most logical explanation for events that occurred recently. When all family members were away from home, someone was opening their garage door to sneak in, and take something small, so it does not draw any attention. It explains why there were no visible signs of break in.
So how do you protect your garage door from being compromised?
First of all, if you think someone has already stole your remote’s signal, you have to re-program it. In addition to that, you can put a special lock from the inside, so when you leave your house for a few days, no one would be able to open your garage door even with a working remote control. Usually, someone who is trying to intercept the signal, should be in a close proximity, so look for suspicious cars parked beside your home, or maybe a person standing close to your property. In that case, we suggest you use a manual code to open your garage door and do not use the remote. The last tip… always lock the door that leads from your garage into your home. That way you eliminate one more entry point. We understand that no one will manually lock a garage door every single day, it’s just too inconvenient, but if you’ll lock it at least every time you leave for an extended period of time, it can help a lot!
Calgary Garage Door Fix 