My Garage Door Clicker Was Stolen: Now What?

If the clicker was stolen from the car while it was not at the house, some homeowners assume that their house is safe because the thief has no way to know where they live, but this is not the case. Car registrations and even license plates can be traced back to an address, so if your clicker was stolen from your car, your home could be at risk.

As a homeowner, you can protect yourself from thieves by taking the following steps. These tips can help you prevent someone unwanted from entering your house.

If you’re sure that your remote has been stolen, check your car or home to be sure that nothing else has been stolen. Make a note of everything that you’ve lost. When you’re done looking, contact the local police to tell them your story. They may want to know how the clicker was stolen, when you saw it last, and when you believe the theft occurred.

If you’ve lost several expensive items beyond the clicker, contact your insurance agency to find out whether or not these items are covered either under your car insurance or your homeowners insurance policy. Opening a claim can help you collect damages for your loss.

Now it’s time to disable your garage door remote control. By wiping the connection between the garage door and the clicker, you can prevent any thieves from entering your house.

Every unit is different, but many units can be deprogrammed by pushing the Learn or Smart button on the side of the garage door motor. Hold down the button for several seconds. When you do this, you may see a nearby light start to blink, or turn off or turn on. This indicates that the deprogramming has taken place.

If you have a spare clicker in your house, you can check if all the devices have been deprogrammed from the door by trying the second clicker or other previously programmed device. As long as none of your devices will now open the door, then the deprogramming has worked.

Once you’ve deprogrammed your garage door, you can either reprogram your spare clicker to control your garage door or you can open and shut the door manually.

If you want to open and shut your door manually, do so by pulling the red emergency release cord that hangs from the trolley with the door in the closed position. This releases the door from the motor and enables you to open and shut the door by hand. However, unless your garage door has a manual lock on the inside, pulling the emergency release lever means that anyone can come to your door and open it from the outside at any time.

This puts you back in the position of having an unsecured garage door. The best way to keep your garage door safe and locked from intruders is to reprogram your spare clicker to control the garage door. Follow the instructions in your garage door opener owner’s manual to do this, or locate model numbers on the motor on the ceiling to search for more information online. If the manual cannot be found online or by contacting the manufacturer, you can contact your local garage door company and have an experienced technician come out and get everything reprogrammed for you.

Once your spare clicker has been programmed, you can take your time and buy another garage door clicker from a trusted garage door company. Some homeowners choose never to replace their stolen clicker but instead choose to live with just one. Keep in mind that you’ll be expected to turn over your garage door clickers when you sell your house. If you only have one clicker, you’ll need to specify that in your purchase agreement, or you could find yourself buying a replacement at the close of escrow.

Hopefully, losing your garage door clicker taught you a lesson that you won’t soon forget. Now here’s what you can do to prevent this problem from happening in the future:

If your clicker ever disappears and you’re not sure if it’s been lost or stolen, play it safe and wipe the memory from your clickers. If you find the clicker once again, you can reprogram it to open your garage door at that time.

If you’re in the Plano or Dallas, Texas area and you have questions about what to do when your clicker is stolen or how to keep your garage door secure,  contact Plano Overhead Garage Door . We’ll be happy to help! 972-422-1695

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