How Garage Door Sensors Help You Enhance Home Security
Garage door sensors help prevent garage doors from closing on anything accidentally. But did you know that these small devices also play an integral role in helping you secure your home from potential dangers?
How Garage Door Sensors Operate
Garage door sensors use infrared tech. A beam of light allows them to detect objects or people in the path of a closing door. If something interrupts the beam while the door is closing, the sensor communicates with the garage door motor and tells it to stop or reverse.
Simply put, it prevents damage and injuries a garage door can cause to vehicles, pets, people, and other types of property.
Types of Garage Door Sensors
You might want to know first about the types of sensors available today. Generally, there are two:
- Photoelectric: Experts refer to this type as the ‘electric eye.’ It’s the one we discussed above. Photoelectric sensors are more common due to infrared being a more affordable tech.
- Pressure-based: When a garage door hits something, this type of sensor receives the impact and signals the door to stop or reverse.
Security Benefits of Garage Door Sensors
While garage door sensors are common, not many realize the role they play in home security. Here are some of the security benefits:
1. Garage Door Sensors Protect a Garage Door’s Operation
The main purpose of sensors is to prevent your door from hitting anything, and it goes the other way around. With your garage door safe from any contact, you ensure the longevity of your first line of security.
2. Integration with Home Security Systems
Many garage door sensors can communicate with contemporary security systems now. Modern wifi technology allows these sensors to send status reports to preset devices, enabling you to check whether an unauthorized person has attempted to enter your home.
Even better, you can integrate these sensors with other monitoring equipment to further enhance security.
3. Protection from Unwanted Operation
While these events are extremely rare, they still happen. There’s a possibility of a garage door opening and closing on its own. This can happen when no one is home, meaning potential intruders will gain easy access to your property.
A garage door sensor can then alert you of any unusual operation, or if the error is not with the sensor itself, even help the door close eventually.
How to Fix Garage Door Sensor Issues
In general, you may encounter the following issues that can disrupt the functionality of your garage door sensors:
- Misalignment
- Dust and dirt
- Wiring problems
- Sensor obstruction
You can fix these problems without professional help most of the time. For example, if there’s a misalignment, you can check the manual on how to adjust the sensors to their correct position.
Meanwhile, ensure you have a regular schedule for cleaning, as this allows you to get rid of dust and dirt. These are the most common culprits that obstruct the sensor.
When to Call a Professional
Any part of your garage door can malfunction even if you maintain and operate it properly. And while you can fix these problems on your own, sometimes, you may not have the time to do so.
If that happens, you can always ask for professional help to avoid further damage or any accidents that can happen.
The Door House is here to help should you have concerns about your garage door sensors. We have garage door experts to address all your garage door needs. Want to know more? Reach out to us today.