Cheap way to protect my tools from thieves

[Jason White]

I installed some frosted window film on my garage windows yesterday. Much cheaper and easier than putting in an alarm system! The only downside is I can no longer see who's in the driveway.

https://youtu.be/oGNeQZiTY6o

[Joe Jensen]

Also check your insurance coverage. My agent advised me to annually open every drawer and video tape myself describing the contents of every drawer. It's shocking how much I have that I would forget about if I had a fire. I have over 120 quality router bits for example, easily $30 each average. That $3600 just to replace one drawer of router bits.

[Jason White]

Great idea, thanks! I've actually been meaning to do that for years.



Also check your insurance coverage. My agent advised me to annually open every drawer and video tape myself describing the contents of every drawer. It's shocking how much I have that I would forget about if I had a fire. I have over 120 quality router bits for example, easily $30 each average. That $3600 just to replace one drawer of router bits.

[Frank Pratt]

Also check your insurance coverage. My agent advised me to annually open every drawer and video tape myself describing the contents of every drawer. It's shocking how much I have that I would forget about if I had a fire. I have over 120 quality router bits for example, easily $30 each average. That $3600 just to replace one drawer of router bits.

That's a good idea & lots easier than using pen & paper to catalog it all.

[ChrisA Edwards]

I have an external garage with two sets of ground floor windows. I keep blinds down on these windows all the time.

Looking out the front of my garage I have a Kami security camera that is connected to my house WiFi via and extender. When it detects movement, it lets out an audible alarm, which I hope would deter would be thieves.

Inside the garage, I have a Nest camera, also connected to the house WiFi extender.

The Nest notifications are a little more accurate, although I get a few false ones from bugs flying close to the camera during the summer months.

Both have very good night vision and audio.

In the situation where an unwanted person has entered my garage, the Nest allows you to speak your audio, so I could let the trespasser know that I have called the Police.

I do pay for cloud storage for the Nest camera.

I feel comfortable with these two cameras as I can monitor them from my iPhone anywhere I have cell service.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Jason, that's a clever solution. Enjoyable video. I'm fortunate that my garage door glass is already translucent.

My tool-protection features have been successful, so far, for the past 4-1/2 years. First, the house we bought is festooned with security cameras left behind by the obsessive former owner. Darned if I know how to activate them, but they point at you every which way as you walk up to the house from any direction.

Maybe they keep the ne'er-do-wells away, but my second security measure is probably far more effective. I frequently have my garage door wide open, so anyone on the street can see my machines. But my neighbor directly across the street is a vigilant retired police officer with a strong civic sense. He's texted me numerous times if my car trunk is ajar after I unload groceries, or the garage door is still open at sunset. He's amazingly observant and looks after my wife's and my best interests.

Both the inactivated cameras and our neighbor are free.

[Thomas Colson]

I've been broke into 3 times. I use https://www.getencircle.com/inventory and even went as far as photographing every single screw driver and socket! All my floor tools have some manner of padlock and chain securing them to something else, my two rolling tool boxes are padlocked together, and locked. I never leave the property with a tool unlocked. All power tools go in a double locked rolling toolbox. Garage doors get rebarred to the tracks when closed. Multiple wildlife cameras covering the driveway. Steel door and doorframe. So even if they get in the shop, it's gonna take them a while to get something of value, and by that time, my neighbor will have heard all the noise and probably ventilated my shop walls with some .50-sized holes. In my neck of the woods, lots of desperate out of work folks. Break ins and car theft are up something like over 1000%. A buddy in LE was telling me that one thief confessed to seeing a box for an expensive contractor saw in a dumpster at the transfer station with a shipping label on it with address and stole it the next day. I am now careful to obliterate the address from all my Woodcraft and Rockler boxes! I also make sure I'm home on delivery day, so the local meth-heads don't see the box with the router in it that UPS will leave next to the road at my drive, and think they have an opportunity. I also have a specific rider for my tools, as I'm not commercial and a HO policy will only cover up to 3k in tools. My rider is for 50k, cost me 100$/year.

[Eugene Dixon]

You can get DIY security film for windows that makes them quite difficult to break, FWIW.

[Doug Dawson]

As far as many thieves are concerned, if they get into your garage, the most valuable thing in there is the catalytic converter on your vehicle. Consider having a guard installed. (Even more of a problem if the vehicle is in the driveway or on the street.) These things can be hella expensive to replace.

[johnny means]

I've seen where thieves broke into an unlocked car. Don't imagine that due diligence is part of the equation.

[Christopher Herzog]

I have the kids lab around the doors.

[Matt Day]

I’ve always heard that garage doors are weak spots and thieves are able to open them. There are techniques to use where they put a wire through the top and pull the release cord.
If you do not use yours since you have your shop in the garage, consider putting a bolt through the holes in the track to physically stop the door from opening, and unplug your opener.

[Don Coffman]

I use a few game cameras to record any visitors, my shop windows have shades, and being retired I am home 95% of the time and I am always armed.

[Dave VanDewerker]

I’ve always heard that garage doors are weak spots and thieves are able to open them. There are techniques to use where they put a wire through the top and pull the release cord.
If you do not use yours since you have your shop in the garage, consider putting a bolt through the holes in the track to physically stop the door from opening, and unplug your opener.


Whenever I leave for extended periods I just clamp a pair of vise grips in the track on both of my doors right at one of the wheels so the doors can't move. I also unplug the openers so I don't forget to remove the vise grips when I return.

[Jason White]

Great idea. Thanks!


I’ve always heard that garage doors are weak spots and thieves are able to open them. There are techniques to use where they put a wire through the top and pull the release cord.
If you do not use yours since you have your shop in the garage, consider putting a bolt through the holes in the track to physically stop the door from opening, and unplug your opener.

[Lee Schierer]

Etch your name and/or driver license number on your tools.

[Joe Jensen]

I'm more of a "have good insurance and live life" person. The extra rider on the value of the tools is worth the peace of mind. We have riders on my wife's diamond ring and diamond earrings too, peace of mind.

[Thomas McCurnin]

There are a couple products which send a ding dong sound/signal to a home receiver plugged into an ordinary outlet via RF. The signal is generated either by battery operated magnetic separation with two halves on a gate for example, or by a battery operated photo-eye, breaking a light path. Both are very reasonable, under $100. If we hear a ding dong at 4am then we have problems. We have these along the perimeter of our property.

[Lisa Starr]

Our shops where built with most of the windows mounted very high. In addition, none of the windows have operable sashes. Husband's shop has a garage door, but my shop has a pair of doors with upgraded vertical bolt hardware. Additionally, both shops have interior and exterior security cameras with the recording unit in our bedroom. If it starts sounding off in the middle of the night, we will be at the door with some heat. So far, only one "false alarm". A drunk had decided to stagger his way home and was cutting thru our yard.