Some Keyless Door Lock Choices

When you mention door locks, most people just think about keyed locks like deadbolts and locking doorknobs. But there is a whole second layer of locking devices that home owners have to ad to their door way.

A list of some possible anti-burglary door locking devices:

1. The Chain Lock—A good unit for when you want to peak out at who is at the door, but not completely let the door open. The set consists of a base with a chain that is attached to your doorframe or the closest wall stud. Then the chain receiver will be attached to your door. At the end of the chain will be a little catch that will slide into the receiver.
2. The Flip Lock—Keeps your door from being opened by adding some resistance. This unit is a hinged metal device. The base is installed in your doorframe, while the hinged metal piece is free to slide against the door. When it is in position it slides down into the metal slots and is in its locked state.
3. The Door Guard—This is the solid metal version of the chain lock. The set is a metal post with a ball tip that is covered with a metal loop. Like the chain lock, this set is good for when you want to partially open your door.
4. The Barrel Bolt—Like the name implies, this locking mechanism’s action is similar to a bolt-action rifle. There is a barrel with a handle on it that is lifted from a resting slot and slid over to a locking slot. When inserted in the locking slot the barrel will be in the housing for the barrel. Installation of this device can be done either horizontally or vertically.

These choices would be great additions to your front door, back door, or doors to other rooms in your house.

In my opinion, the best looking key ever made has to be the “Skeleton Key”. It is also more correctly known as a “bit” key or a “barrel lock” key. I am not referring to a master key, but the old style key. Their style ranged from very simple to overly ornate. The amount of decoration may vary, but the designs were all roughly the same. The key consisted of a bow, a long shaft, and a flat blade at the end.

Because the design was so similar to other keys, the locks they were designed for were not completely secure. Security was removed, because multiple keys could be used to open the same lock. This led to the addition of a ward. A ward is a piece of metal over the lock that was shaped to its respective key. The idea was to keep any incorrectly shaped keys from entering the lock. It was good for keys that were bigger than the ward, but smaller keys could still be inserted. As well as lock picking tools.

This style locks has been in use for centuries and didn’t fall out of favor until cylinder locks were more easily produced and therefore more affordable. The lever locks that use Skeleton keys are still in use in older homes and some furniture pieces. Because of their simplistic design, locksmiths can easily recreate these keys for their customers. You can also pickup some general skeleton keys in hardware stores.

Manual Key Cutting Machines

There are multiple types of key cutting machines in use today. The most common in use are punch machines and semi-automatic key cutting machines. With a punch machine it will either cut by code where you slide the gauge to a desired depth number and punch the cut into the key. The older style would be having the original key and a matching blank. You place them on top of each other and proceed to punch out the excess metal of the blank key. You keep doing this until the blank key matches the original key. This way is not as precise, but is still used. In any case after the keys are cut, you just need to clean off any burrs with a wire brush.

The Semi-Automatic cutting machine also uses a blank key and the original. The original is placed on one side with a guide that will trace the key while the blank is being shaped to that trace. The blank key will be clamped into the side with the cutting wheel and will be cut to the depths of the original key from the path created by the guide on the original key. This machine is not fully automatic because it requires guidance of a technician while it performs the cuts. As with the punch machine, any loose metal or burrs should be clean off with a brush. 

Options for a Keyless Door Entry System.

You’ve seen the new reports on lock bumping, and the numerous amount of lock picking videos online. Seeing all of this information leads you to believe that key locks are ineffective and can be picked far too easily. Whether you own a company or a house, chances are there are a number of copies to your locks floating around. And having to repeatedly get your locks replaced or re-keyed will get expensive fast. That being said, you may be considering getting a keyless door unit.

Your first choice is the Keypad lock. There is no need to worry about finding your keys or who has a key. You just have to remember a number combination. By chance, somebody may guess your combination. But that would be a rare event. Just make sure your code is random and not your birthday or something else identifiable to you. The other downside is that if the lock runs on electricity a power outage could leave you locked out. On the other hand they usually have battery backup.

Biometric locks are also making their way into more domestic use. With this style of lock you won’t need to have a key or remember a combination. You just need to scan your fingertip. These units will also require energy and might leave you locked out in a power failure, unless there is a battery backup.

Another type of lock you may want to employ in your home or business is the buzzer lock. This is they type of lock you see in apartments for tenants to allow guest entry into the complex. Many companies use it as well, for the same purpose. This system usually requires that someone is there to operate the button.

Auto Jigglers are lock picks designed for car doors. They come in the form of metal cut outs in the shapes of familiar styles of car keys. Ideally you take the jiggler that is the shape of the original car key, insert it into the lock and wiggle it around until you hit the right spot and the door unlocks. When you see videos of this being done, you just think "Why is it that easy?"