When most homeowners think about securing their home, they focus on the front door, back door, and windows. But there’s one access point that gets overlooked surprisingly often — the internal door connecting your garage to your house. If that door is a standard hollow-core with a basic lever handle, you may have a serious gap in your home’s security.
Here’s why securing this space matters, and what you can do about it.
Why the Garage Is a Target
Your garage is often easier to break into than your home’s main entry. Automatic roller doors can be compromised, side access doors are frequently flimsy, and once an intruder is inside your garage, they’re out of sight — free to work on the internal house door without any risk of being seen from the street.
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) puts it plainly in their Home and Multi-Residential Security guide: “Ensure that all external doors, including your internal garage door, are solid and fitted with quality locks.” The fact that QPS specifically calls out the internal garage door reflects just how commonly it’s targeted.
Victoria Police echoes this in their burglary prevention advice, listing the internal garage door alongside external doors and windows as something that must be locked — even when you’re home.
The Risks of an Unsecured Internal Garage Door
There are a few specific dangers worth understanding:
Burglars use your own tools against you. The QPS advises homeowners to lock away ladders and garden implements because intruders will use whatever’s at hand. A garage is full of exactly the kind of tools — pry bars, hammers, screwdrivers — that make forcing a hollow door trivial.
The garage is a staging area. Once inside your garage, a burglar can take their time. They’re sheltered, hidden, and under no time pressure. A flimsy internal door is the only thing standing between them and your home.
Automatic garage doors are not infallible. Remote cloning devices and physical override methods mean your roller door alone is not a reliable barrier. The internal door is your critical second line of defence.
Car keys and valuables are in reach. Your garage often contains your car, spare keys, tools, and equipment — plus a direct path to everything inside your home. Securing the internal door limits how far a break-in can go.
What Australian Police Recommend
Both the QPS and Victoria Police recommend a layered approach to home security — working from the outside in. For the garage space, the key tips are:
- Always keep your garage door closed and locked with a key, even when you’re home
- Check that your garage roller door closes completely every time you enter or exit — intruders can slip in before the door fully closes
- Fit a security screen door on the internal garage-to-house door, designed and installed to Australian Standards
- Store tools, ladders, and valuables out of sight and locked away — don’t give intruders the means to force entry
- Install sensor lighting in and around the garage area
- Consider a monitored alarm covering the garage zone
The Solution: A Security Screen on Your Internal Garage Door
Installing a quality security screen door on your internal garage door gives you a powerful second line of defence. Even if someone gets into your garage, they’re stopped cold at the house entry.
A proper security screen door — unlike a standard flyscreen — is engineered to withstand impact, jemmying, knife attacks, and pulling force. To be truly effective, it must comply with Australian Standard AS5039, which sets rigorous minimum requirements for security doors and their installation.
Prowler Proof, an Australian-made and owned manufacturer, produces a range of security doors and screens that meet and exceed AS5039. Their products are built with toughened welded corners — the only range in Australia manufactured this way — and come in three core options:
- ForceField — 316 marine-grade stainless steel mesh, achieving the highest available Security Level rating (SL200). Near-invisible from inside, it lets you see clearly into the garage while keeping it secure.
- Protec — Perforated aluminium at SL200, offering a balance of strength, airflow, and privacy. A solid choice for a garage entry where you want robust protection.
- Diamond — A classic aluminium grille design. Strong, affordable, and a visible deterrent — well suited to side and utility entries like a garage door.
All three ranges come with a 10-year full replacement warranty — the only one of its kind in Australia.
For a garage-to-house door, ForceField or Protec are ideal choices. Both allow ventilation (helpful if your garage gets hot), provide a clear line of sight, and will stop forced entry in its tracks.
What to Look for When Buying
Not all “security doors” are equal. Before you buy, ask:
- Does it carry an AS5039 compliance label?
- What Security Level is it rated to?
- Is it installed by a member of the National Security Screen Association (NSSA)?
NSSA members are trained and audited for compliant installation — critical, because even the strongest door can be compromised by poor fitting.
Don't Leave the Back Door to Your Home Unprotected
The internal garage door is one of the most overlooked vulnerabilities in Australian homes. It’s the one entry point burglars can reach without being seen, use your own tools on, and work through at their leisure.
A Prowler Proof security screen door — properly installed to Australian Standards — closes that gap completely. It’s a relatively small investment that adds a serious layer of protection to your home.
Ready to secure yours? Contact My Security Company today for a free measure and quote. Our team will assess your garage entry, recommend the right product for your home, and install it to Australian Standards.