Whether at your home or business, we see locking hardware as an important first line of defense against crime at your property. Of course, thieves can create a breach through other means. However, entering a house or commercial property without going through a door often proves quite conspicuous. Therefore, installing robust locks can encourage burglars to commit their crimes elsewhere. Unfortunately, many of our customers fail to install the best locking equipment, for a variety of reasons. The sheer number of hardware options can overwhelm anyone not in the security industry. Additionally, locks present plenty of opportunities for improper installation or use. In this post, we review some of the biggest threats to your locks, as well as how to address them.
First, we’ll review the importance of installing deadbolts, especially in a house. Then, we’ll move on to the dangers of letting hardware deterioration go unchecked. As frames and locks age, the security of your locking hardware also fades. Then, we’ll show you how to go about choosing the best locks for your own property. Many people install less-than-secure locks simply because they don’t know how to find the highest-quality equipment! Finally, we’ll focus on how to add security through proper key control measures. After all, the wrong person with a key negates even the most effective lock hardware. Now, let’s dive in with a look at the importance of installing deadbolts.
Failing to Install Deadbolts
One of the most basic and biggest threats to your locks lies in failure to install the right locks in the first place. When it comes to commercial properties, this usually involves installing high-quality locks specially designed for commercial-grade security that also fits business safety codes. In homes, deadbolts almost always represent the best security boost possible. In many businesses, we cannot install deadbolts because they could make it difficult for customers to exit the building during a fire. For this reason, we recommend discussing your security needs with a locksmith outfit such as ourselves. We can let you know whether you can install deadbolts at your business.
High-Quality deadbolts, such as this model by Medeco, provide the best security available for your doors.
We prioritize deadbolts over knob and lever locks because they truly provide the door’s security. Deadbolts contain a sturdy bolt that always provides more security than the small latch at the end of a knob or lever. Furthermore, this bolt extends much further into your door’s jam than a latch, which only overlaps the edge of the door by a small margin. Finally, deadbolts are constructed more sturdily and must be installed more securely than their non-deadbolt counterparts. Unfortunately, some homeowners simply fail to install these locks on certain doors. Basement and garage doors, in particular, often rely solely on doorknobs for security. Instead, we recommend installing high-quality deadbolts on all exterior doors. Now, let’s see why letting lock hardware go untended represents one of the biggest threats to your locks.
Letting Lock Hardware Deteriorate
At times, lock hardware falls into the “out of sight, out of mind” category in both homes and businesses. Of course, you may quickly notice the failure of locks that you use frequently. However, your property’s more “obscure” doors may fall into disrepair or age-related decay without you knowing. This provides a major security concern. After all, these out-of-the-way doors are exactly the entry points preferred by criminals! The combination of lying out of sight and having ineffective locking equipment creates a dangerous situation.
We recommend checking on all of your door’s locks and frames frequently. Furthermore, we also suggest that you put heavy-duty locking hardware on doors that don’t get much use. Of course, this may seem counterintuitive on the surface. However, you want to make sure that your locks come through when you need them most. Buying the best locks available can keep your doors secure for as long as possible, easily justifying the investment. In the next section, we’ll tell you exactly how to evaluate the security a lock will provide!
Choosing Easy-to-Conquer Lock Hardware
All of us have heard the old adage that “you get what you pay for.” This sentiment runs especially true in the locksmith industry. Many customers express surprise at how much the quality of lock hardware varies. In fact, lock hardware quality varies so much that the industry uses a three-point grading system designed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) to measure a lock’s quality!
Lock manufacturers often seek out ANSI/BHMA certification for their product lines. This certification involves putting locks through tests meant to gauge factors such as bolt strength, security, the ability to withstand impact and force, and quality of finish, among others. The ANSI website provides this helpful guide on testing methods and result scoring. The lowest-quality hardware receives a “Grade 3” designation, with the best scoring in at Grade 1. As you can probably guess, Grade 2 falls right in the middle. We always prefer installing grade 1 locks, such as our preferred lock products made by Medeco.
Unfortunately, most locks fall under Grade 2 or even 3 quality standards. Burglars can easily pick these locks, or drill them to gain access to your property. Before purchasing locks, look at the packaging to see if you can determine what grade of lock you are buying. If you cannot find this information, assume that you are holding a Grade 3 lock. We recommend installing a lock that will last longer while also providing more security. Next up, let’s check out one more of the biggest threats to your locks in the form of key control.
Keypad locks, such as this Yale commercial model, greatly increase your property’s security by bypassing the need to hand out keys.
Getting Careless with Key Control
Maintaining proper key control goes an extremely long way towards controlling access to your business. After all, even the best locks get thwarted if the person attempting to gain entry has a key. We take a couple approaches to help with this issue. For example, we often work with customers to create master key systems to customize who can access which doors of your business. We do this by creating keys that we place on different “levels.” This type of system works especially well in a business.
The “master” key sits atop the key “pyramid,” and master keys can open any doors on the system. We can also create keys that unlock only certain “sets” of doors. For example, we can provide employees with a key that works your property’s main entrance as well as their office and any common areas they must access. From there, we can also create keys that only unlock one door. You can then provide these keys, known as “user” keys, to provide access to a very specific area. For example, you may create a “delivery” key that only provides access to your lobby. This ensures that even if an employee’s key ends up in the wrong hands, it still doesn’t compromise the most sensitive areas of your home or business.
Additionally, we often install keypad locks in both homes and businesses. Keypad locks allow you to create keyless entry to any property. This helps eliminate key-control issues, as you no longer have to hand out keys that others can copy for future use. Furthermore, these locks also let you delete user codes as you no longer need them. This means that a pet sitter or a past employee has no way to access your property after you no longer expect them. However you address it, we highly recommend you take measures to keep your keys safe!
Addressing the Biggest Threats to Your Locks
We hope that this post helps you understand how to address some of the biggest threats to your locks. Additionally, we also encourage you to contact us with any questions this post may raise for you. Getting the right locking hardware installed properly can be difficult, but we’re happy to help! Over our 35-plus years in business, we’ve helped over a thousand customers get the security and user experience they desire out of their locks. Feel free to have us out for a free security audit. We can discuss your security needs with you and provide a quote for security equipment to solve your security needs. Together, we can create a complete security plan to keep your property — and everyone on it — as safe and secure as possible!