Nothing quite opens up your home and your personal space like a beautiful set of panoramic folding doors. Whether you get a smaller 3-panel bi-fold door or an extra-wide 7 to 9-panel folding door system, you’ll be blessed with plenty of sunlight and you’ll have the ability to completely open up an entire wall of your home to the great outdoors.

As great as this sounds, though, this can represent a weak point for some homeowners. They see a giant “glass wall” as an invitation for burglars to break through and enter the home.

This is a common concern and one which can dissuade many consumers from considering a folding door system in the first place. However, today’s modern folding door systems aren’t quite as vulnerable as you might think at first glance.

For those asking, “Are folding doors secure?” this is a post you should read. Below, we’ll go over some of the most common safety concerns regarding folding doors, explain how folding door alarms work, and some of the security features that folding door manufacturers include with their door systems.

Are Folding Doors Easy To Break Into?

If you’re used to watching Hollywood action flicks, then you’ve probably seen your fair share of “safe house” featuring thick all-metal doors, lasers, electric-charged panels, and other cool features. While these types of doorways certainly exist in the real world, they’re not the type of thing that the average homeowner is going to install in their home, unless they’re a celebrity or in witness protection.

If you’re trying to purchase a set of folding glass doors with this mentality, then you’re almost certainly going to be disappointed. However, that’s not to say that folding doors can’t be secure.

Sure, we’ll admit that cheap folding door systems that you might purchase from Lowe’s or Home Depot might be relatively easy to break into. The cheap vinyl doorframe can be easily pushed in, the glass may be easily shattered, and the cheap locks can be easily picked or drilled through.

However, if you purchase a high-quality set of folding doors designed with home security in mind, then the average burglar will have quite a difficult time breaking and entering. High-quality folding door systems are often engineered with shatterproof glass, reinforced steel tracks, and galvanized locks that even the most talented criminal would have trouble getting through. Additionally, homeowners can install their own aftermarket security systems if they’re looking for extra protection!

Do Folding Doors Come With Security Features?

Above, we mentioned that high-quality folding door companies may manufacture their folding door systems with built-in security features. If home security is a priority for you, then you’ll want to look for some of the following features in the door system that you end up purchasing.

In addition to keeping your home safe from would-be burglars, these security features can also protect your home from heavy storms, such as hurricanes and tornados!

Multi-Point Locking System

As the name implies, a multi-point locking system involves locks at several different points throughout the door system. Instead of just having a single twist-style lock on the door handle, a multi-point locking system typically features several bolt-style locks lining the upper and lower door panels.

These additional locks will be located on the interior-facing side of the folding doors, so that they can only be released from the inside. Due to the simple yet effective nature of these extra locks, they can’t be “picked” or dislodged by crafty burglars.

Reinforced Door Track

Additionally, high-quality folding door systems should be installed using a reinforced steel door track. Cheap door tracks may use low-quality stainless steel or aluminum, which can be bent or warped with enough pressure.

However, modern reinforced steel door tracks are designed to withstand gale-force and hurricane-force winds. Needless to say, they’ll also be able to withstand a fair amount of pressure if a burglar decides to try to shove the door down or dislodge it from its track.

Shatterproof Glass

As a last line of defense, you can also custom-order your folding door system with shatterproof glass. Shatterproof glass comes standard with any hurricane-proof or weatherproof folding doors and typically consists of two extra-thick panes of glass sandwiched between a layer of transparent plastic polymer.

The glass itself is designed to be very strong, meaning that considerable force would be necessary to crack or chip the glass. The polymer layer ensures that even if the glass is cracked, that it won’t fall out of the door frame.

Essentially, it will hold all of the glass in place, and maintain the structural integrity of the system. This means that the shattered and cracked glass would then have to be physically ripped out by hand, which would be an incredibly tedious and lengthy process.

Additional Security You Can Add

In addition to the security measures that come as part of the factory installation, you can also add additional layers of security. These additional security measures are typically installed in commercial folding door systems but are also popular among homeowners as well.

Laser Entry Detection

One of the most effective folding door alarm systems is a laser entry detection system. It’s a simple yet incredibly effective warning system that’s triggered by disruptions on the surface layer of the glass.

If the glass is shattered, vibrates excessively, or somebody walks through the entrance, the tight beam of the laser will be interrupted, causing it to relay a message to your security system. Depending on your settings, this could automatically call the police or trigger a loud alarm.

Motion Detection

You may also choose to install a motion detection system in front of your folding doors. You can activate it during specific times (such as when you’re sleeping or not at home), and it will trigger an alarm whenever movement occurs in front of the sensor.

If you’re just looking to scare a would-be intruder, you can also wire a motion detection sensor to a set of floodlights to illuminate the perpetrator.

Deadbolt System

In addition to the multi-point locking system that comes standard in most high-quality exterior folding door systems, some homeowners also choose to install a deadbolt on their main swinging door.

The idea behind this is to create additional layers of redundancy that any burglars would have to break through, causing them to spend more time breaking in, and giving law enforcement more time to respond to your other alarms.

Final Tips

As you can see, a folding door system can be designed to be quite secure. Just because your “glass wall” may look like a weak point in your home, doesn’t mean that it has to be. As long as you do your research and purchase a high-quality folding door system and invest in folding door alarms, then your glass folding doors can be just as secure as a standard porch door!