Importance of Rekeying Your Locks Before Moving To A New Home
Apr21

Importance of Rekeying Your Locks Before Moving To A New Home

When moving to a new home, there are always many things to do as you hasten to move things and unpack them so that you can return to normal routine. Before moving to a new home, you have to note that the previous residents may still be having several copies of your keys, which may lead to safety issues. To avoid such complications, it is always important to either change or rekey locks in the new home.

Why Rekeying Your Locks Is The First Thing You Do When Moving To A New Home?

Replacing locks can be an expensive and complicated thing as you have to remove the entire lock and replace it an entirely new lock. You also have to ensure that you replace it with a more reliable model especially if you feel that the current model is not strong enough. This process of replacing the entire lock is expensive since you have to hire a professional to remove the old lock and replace the lock with a new lock, which can also be expensive.

If you are pleased with the available lock in you new house but still afraid that someone may be having some copies of your keys and can have access to the home anytime, you don’t have to replace the entire lock that just rekey the old lock. Rekeying a lock involve changing the lock so that it can be operated by another key. Lock rekeying is achieved by altering the tumbler, forcing a new key exchange or changing water configuration.

Rekeying help to improve security:

Your security should be your first concern when moving into a new home. In most cases, the previous homeowner is likely to be having some extra sets of keys and might have given some extra sets to his trusted neighbor, friends, family members or even a contractor. This makes it easy for a stranger to access your new home, which can be unsettling. To be safe and secure while moving into your new home, it is important to invalidate the other copies of keys that other strangers might be having. This can be attained by either changing the whole lock or rekeying the existing lock. However, changing the whole lock can be expensive, and the only easy and affordable remaining option is keying the existing lock.

Cost effective:

Lock rekeying is the most cost-effective way of blocking strangers from accessing your new building and can be done by a reliable and trustworthy locksmith. It is a simple, quick and far much affordable process. However, never underestimate the capabilities of rekeying. Rekeying a very effective way of ensuring that no one apart from you and the people you know can access your home.

Rekeying is an approved standard:

Rekeying is done by professional, and only some grade of locks assigned by ANSI can be rekeyed. Professionals understand when it is better to rekey a lock instead of changing the whole lock. If installing a new lock makes sense, the professional will help you to recommend on the action. Locksets are available in either grade 1, 2 or 3. Each of these grades offers different effectiveness. If your locksmith learns that the lock in your new home is not reliable, he will recommend on changing the entire lock. However, if your lock is efficient and secure, a standard rekeying procedure will be the most recommended as is the most convenient and cost effective. It may also be necessary to add a deadbolt to provide some added protection.

 

While moving into a new home, it is always necessary to consider the security of your home. Although new re-enters have the right of restricting access to their home, some strangers may be having access to your home. The previous owner may be having some extra keys, or someone else may be having a copy of the keys to your new home. Block strangers from accessing your home by either change the entire locks or rekey the available locks. However, changing the available lock can be a complicated and costly process. Rekeying the keys is a cost effective option of invalidating any key that may allow a stranger to enter your home. Get an expert to help you rekey the existing lock is you believe that the existing key is strong enough.

 

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What Steps Should I Take When I Lose My Car Key?
Apr18

What Steps Should I Take When I Lose My Car Key?

Imagine you’re on a weekend break and you get your car keys out so you can lock your car, only to fumble and watch them drop down a drain. Other times your car keys can be stolen or you can drop them accidentally. The cost and nuisance associated with replacing car keys would be high up the order of annoying, every day, things that can happen. But what do you do if you have lost your keys, or don’t have your spare set with you and need to use your car fast? Here are the first steps to take when you lose your car key:

Don’t Panic!

People freak out when they lose car keys, forgetting that there are several simple, reasonable solutions available. But, realize that car replacement is not a DIY situation. People try breaking the ignition, which results in a costlier fix. Plus, many cars have an anti-theft system that prevents the car from starting even if you get its ignition to run.

Retrace Your Steps.

Sometimes it’s in your best interest to retrace your steps, as many times, you may have just dropped your keys or left them behind. Visit any bars, restaurants, or other venues you traveled to the night or day before. If you have any luck, some Good Samaritan may have given them to management or put them in the lost and found.

What type of key did you lose?

You then have to figure out what type of key you use. If it’s an older car – like a Holden Astra, Commodore, Cruze or Mitsubishi Lancer – odds are you will be dealing with a traditional old school key, similar to the ones used in your home. If your automotive offers push-button start and remote unlocking, however, then it is likely you are dealing with an electronic key fob. Query from your car dealer or car key specialist on whether they can replace that type of key.

 

Car Key Specialists.

If you are in a pinch and need your car key replacement right away, a car key specialist may be your best option. These specialists will help you to avoid the cost of an expensive replacement from your car dealer. An ordinary key may be replaceable for a few dollars. Car key specialists offer the most-effective solution because they have the equipment and knowledge to program a new key or make a copy from a spare key. This is the only way your car will recognize the key and you will be sure that you did the right thing. Whether you’ve lost your keys and need a new copy, or your keys have been stolen, car key specialists are undoubtedly the best solution.

Car Key Specialists also offer mobile services which are especially useful if you find yourself in one of many car lockout scenarios. A mobile specialist can come out to the vehicle, open the car and if necessary, and make a key for you. And if you lost a key fob, the car key specialist may be able to help you make a new one – depending on how sophisticated the key was. Additionally, they should be able to assist you to reprogram the replacement key, though your manual may also have instructions on how to do that. Be sure to bring any other key fobs associated with that vehicle with you, as they sometimes won’t work until the new key is programmed.

Prepare the following information for your car key specialist.

· Make and model of your vehicle.

· Registration number of your vehicle.

· Vehicle identification number ( found on your V5 document – see your vehicles log book ).

· Personal identification ( documentation showing name, photo, address to help confirm ownership of the vehicle ).

· Postcode of where you are, should you require an emergency car key specialist to come to you.

The biggest advantage to working with car key specialists is that they can have your lost auto keys replaced within the day, which is an enormous relief given the busy schedules of most people nowadays. They also cut the key on-site as opposed to dealerships, who order the key itself from elsewhere (usually the manufacturer) to maintain each key’s brand-name status, which leads to a wait time of up to two weeks.

Check with your insurance.

Your car insurance policy should cover any costs incurred by losing your keys, but you should check to see if claiming will affect your no-claims bonus. It would also be worth comparing the cost of replacing your keys with the excess on your policy. Some insurance companies offer breakdown cover, which can include help with accessing a car that you’ve left keys inside, recovering and delivering a spare set to you, or the cost of replacing them.
Whether you’ve just lost your auto keys or fear that you might do so, it’s a good idea to obtain an extra copy and hide the extra set in a safe place. Then the next time you lose your car keys, you’ll be able to replace them within a few minutes.

 

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A Look At Baldwin Locks
Feb15

A Look At Baldwin Locks

Founded in 1946 by Chairman Emeritus, the Baldwin brand has made solid forged brass the unanimous standard of excellence. Baldwin Door Locks has been able to revolutionize the industry with its marriage of style and security built into mortise locks that have architectural style and finish. With a multi-variety of looks coupled with a consistent high standard of the world’s finest brass the Baldwin brand engineered a patented breakthrough with its invention of the Lifetime Finish, that promises beauty for 100 years and is also why locksmiths around the world like Arvada Locksmith Pros use and recommend this brand.

What makes Baldwin Locks A Good Choice?

Baldwin Door Locks are designed with today’s style which gives you a sense of pride when displaying that style for as long as you choose. Should you ever need a change, it should only come out of need and not out of necessity. Baldwin’s products are built with the highest standard in mind and provides you with quality assurance which promises that your chosen style will remain free from any mechanical or finish problems until you want to try out a new look.

All of Baldwin’s locking mechanisms carry a full lifetime mechanical warranty. The Baldwin 8000 and 8200 series dead bolt locks are all tested and ANSI Grade 1 Standard approved. This means that you are protected by the maximum level of security for lock set deadbolts. The UL listing you find on the Baldwin mortise locks means they have outlasted the most rigorous three-hour fire test by the Underwriters Laboratory.

When shopping for a new Baldwin Door Lock for your home you should understand that you have many options available for you to choose from. These options range from traditional to modern styles, so there is something for everyone when it comes to fulfilling your needs. Believe it or not your front door’s hardware is what best expresses your home’s true architecture as well as your personal style.

If you’re worried about the security of your existing locks (and many people are), you may want to consider upgrading. Many conventional locks aren’t as safe as you would think. “Bump keying”, a method of cylinder manipulation used by some thieves, can allow your existing locks to be opened from the outside, and there are a number of other picking methods, too. To avoid this problem, invest in Baldwin locks. They’re pick resistant, feature bump proof technology, and their keys can’t be duplicated by anyone. Here’s some more information about Baldwin locks and their advantages. This company developed their unique lock design in the late sixties, using elevating and rotating pin tumblers combined with angled key cuts. This provided millions of possible key combinations, and created a new, unmatched level of security. Angled key cuts were used to rotate unique bottom pins in the lock, and the use of a side bar and hardened steel inserts created a cylinder that could resist almost any kind of attack.

Your door locks can make the difference between having a secure home and being another victim of a seemingly unstoppable crime wave. There was once a time when provided you had locked the doors, you pretty much knew your home was secure, sadly this is no longer the case. Regrettably the inter-net is in part responsible for this. Like the ‘Force’ the inter-net also has a Dark side, and in recent times it has seen a growing number sites offering information on Lock picking and Locksmiths Tools for sale.
Our homes are our safe havens, providing us with protection, and our businesses provide us with the income we need to live. We should feel safe and secure in these places, and Baldwin locks, combined with good doors and windows, can offer this. Avoid problems with lock duplication, picking, or other security issues by investing in a lock with patented key control. If you have an ordinary key, you can have it copied at almost any location that duplicates keys.

The keys to Baldwin locks, on the other hand, can only be duplicated with the right identification at a dealer authorized to do so. Dealers of Baldwin locks actually have to follow closely enforced legal procedures when they copy this kind of key. It’s required for them to match your identification to their records, verify your authorization, and record each key cut. A high security lock ensures you that no one has a key to your home or business that you’re not aware of. Feel safer by using Baldwin locks in every location where home or business security is a concern.

 

 

 

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Keyless Entry Locks – Home Security At It’s Finest
Feb08

Keyless Entry Locks – Home Security At It’s Finest

It has been said many times that the safest place anyone can get into is the home. This is probably one of the reasons why many people would work hard to have their own homes. Safety inside homes cannot be realized though when the entrance ways are not secured. Unwanted visitors may just come in like a breeze. With this, a sturdy door and reliable keyless entry lock systems would be a couple of things you need acquired to ensure the safety of your loved ones and possessions. You’ll also want a competent locksmith like Phoenix Locksmith Pros to install these amazing locks.

There are two kinds of digital locks which are available in the market today. They are the assigned and shared types. The assigned type is used for single doors only. This is usually seen in the entrance of most houses. This type allows only one access code to be used by all. It allows the programming of another code though which is called the master pass code for emergency purposes. The shared type, on the other hand, comes with the feature allows the creation of multiple pass codes for the benefit of different users but there is also a master code that can be pulled when emergencies arise. The shared type are usually installed in office facilities. Nonetheless, huge houses sometimes make use of them.

Keyless entry locks provide many benefits as far as home security is concerned. One of these benefits includes the ability of these gadgets to automatically lock the door as it shuts. When everyone else in the house is busy with work or school, the door is usually left open and burglars can get in without any difficulty. Apart from locking automatically, they also come with a built-in alarm that gives off a warning when forceful entries are made anytime. This is helpful not only in combating theft and vandalism. The alarm also sounds in case of fire and other disasters which your whole family needs to be warned about.

As a digital door lock functions with the use of an access code or a pass code, there is no need for you to bring keys all the time. You may not notice it but bringing keys is really a source of inconvenience most of the time. For one, they are susceptible to getting misplaced and lost. Looking deep into your bag and elsewhere can be very time-consuming especially when you have other things to care about. Duplicates may function as great solution to this for a moment but not for long particularly when you are losing your duplicates too. Whoever picks up your lost keys intentionally or unintentionally can have easy access to your home.

Another benefit that family members would enjoy with the installation of keyless door locks in your home is the freedom to enter the house any time they need too. Since each of your family members is armed with the unlock code, they need not wait for you before they can get in the house which is a usual scenario with doors protected by traditional locks and keys.

Types of Keyless Entry Locks

The most frequent keyless door lock is the keypad lock which is now employing generally on important areas like hotels, offices, etc. In this system, an electronic keyboard will be set up outside of the door. People who need to enter the door must type a certain code in the keyboard to unlock the door. Many codes can be set for this kind of lock.

There is also remote device securing system intended for deadbolts. This requires a button to push when open this. We will notice these types of securing program on vehicles. The benefit of this sort of locks is that we might use them if we are in run and don’t like to invest time on unlocking locks. Only one push would do the job of unlocking here.

Once more for better degree of protection, you’ll find locks available with biometric techniques which mean that we will need to use particular parts of our entire body to open them. Typically, hand print is a paramount to those locks. For this reason they are more potent on safeguarding houses. The locations where greater level of safety is necessary similar to finance institutions, increased authority spots need this kind of locks.

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The Types Of File Cabinet Locks

There are a lot of different file cabinet locks that you might not be aware exist if you are not familiar with office equipment. There are some that will work better for protecting your files than others, so it will be helpful for anyone who has files that need to be protected to know about the different ones that are available. There are also some other mechanisms that you should consider using around your office if you want to make sure that everything is secured properly. Here are a few tips that will help you to know about the ways to keep your files safe, brought to us by Gilbert Locksmith Pros.

One thing that you should consider besides locks for the file cabinet is a keypad door lock that you can place on the door that the files are kept in. This will help to add some extra security so that not just anyone will be able to enter into the room where the files are located and take a peek if they want. It will also add protection the room in case there is a break in and the burglar is after the files you have. You want to have as many locks in place as you possibly can to keep the thief busy until the cops arrive.

When it comes to the locks that you are going to use on your filing cabinets there are a few different types to choose from. Most of the ones that a person can buy are replacements for the ones that come built into the cabinets that are purchased. These are cylinder locks that can be locked and unlocked with the turn of a key. There are also locks that can be used if you have a hanging file folder box that needs to be secured.

These are the different types of file cabinet locks that you can use to secure your filing cabinets. There are other types that you will want to look into depending on the type of cabinet you have that needs to be secured. Also make sure to consider the other devices to use in conjunction with locks for the file cabinet so that you will be able to keep your entire file room as safe as you possibly can. There is a lot of information that you will want to make sure to protect so that it does not end up in the wrong hands, so make sure that you have the best locks to use.

When it comes to key based locks, the popular type is the pin tumbler lock which has different lengths of pins on the inside. The other type is the tubular tumbler lock which has horizontal and exposed pins. Another category of locks is the cam lock which is opened and closed by a key and the plunger lock which needs a key for opening only. In closing or relocking, all you need to do is just push the cylinder. If you want additional security, you can install a keypad door lock as an added level of protection to the internal locking device.

With respect to electronic locking systems and access control mechanisms on filing cabinets, there are also a wide range of models with different design, shape, size and function features. There is a revolutionary, electrically-activated locking instrument for cabinets which is being developed today. It is powered by an actuator, an electronic module for controlling power, a rotatable cam connected to the actuator and a lifting pin carrier which is vertically moveable by cam rotation. The lifting pin carrier receives the lifting pin while the locking bar goes to a locked or unlocked position in response to the cam rotation. This model will be out in the market soon.

There are also drawer cabinets with e-lock individual access mechanism. Access control is assigned to specific individuals. Authorized users can open drawers individually via a PC. A display screen in front of the drawer file cabinet shows which drawer is open. All other drawers are closed. Another electronic locking system is operated by a hand held radio transmitter for unlocking. Cabinet locks automatically after lapse of time set guided and monitored by an LED (Light Emitting Diode) device. Another feature is an emergency opening if the radio control transmitter is lost and a manual operation mechanism. It is also battery operated and simple to use.

A unique coded locking system of a file cabinet features two password and combination of numbers for the boss and user. The keypad records and monitors day, date and time cabinet is accessed. When idle, info is displayed on the display screen. Another file cabinet lock has an advanced LCD electronic lock system with a backlit key pad. It features a programmable PIN access and tubular key lock. In choosing file cabinet locks, it is advisable to get the branded locking systems from well known manufacturers.

Whatever your locking system is, be it steel case lock, lock bar system, electrical, mechanical and electronic lock, It is essential that your file cabinet locks are not easily accessed by locksmith thieves or unauthorized individuals. Your confidential and important documents particularly those related to your personal assets or business trade secrets should be protected and kept secure to the maximum at all times.

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