Best Locks For Home Security

Best Locks For Home Security

Posted by on Feb 2, 2017 in Locksmith Services |

 

Purchasing a home is normally the single largest purchase that most people make in their lifetime. Protecting your home and your investment should be a priority to every homeowner. Increased violence and crime rates also make it imperative to be proactive in defending your home against threats. One simple, inexpensive method of shielding your home and loved ones is to install quality locks on your home’s doors. But what types of locks are used for home security? According to PortlandLocksmithPros.com, deadbolts, keyless digital keypad locks and fingerprint locks are a few of the different types of locks that are more commonly used to secure a home.

Nearly every home has lock-in-knob locks on their doors. These are small locks located within the door knob and they are very easily compromised. While this type of lock is perfect for inner door privacy, a knob lock is not sufficient to provide home security. The next step up for locks is the deadbolt. Deadbolts are made of a strong metal rod that enters the door frame about 1″ deep. They have a twist knob on the interior of the door that quickly and easily turns to release the lock; however, a key must be used to unlock the door from the inside. Because of the thick rod and the strike pad on the door frame, it is impossible to open this type of lock with a screw driver and/or other similar object. These locks can be added to most doors with little problem. There is also a double cylinder deadbolt lock that is best used for doors with glass in them. Double cylinder locks require a key on both the interior and exterior of the door to release the lock. This added level of security is needed because a window could be broken and then the single cylinder dead bolt can be unlocked by reaching an arm through the broken window. This type of lock should only be used if needed as they can make emergency exits more time consuming and difficult. If you do not want two different keys to unlock a single door, a knob and deadbolt combo can be purchased that uses one key to unlock both a lock-in-knob and deadbolt lock. Deadbolts are widely accepted as the standard home security locking system. These locks are relatively inexpensive compared to the other types of locks used for home security.

Digital keypad locks are the next popular type of lock used to secure a home. These are locks that do not use a key to operate, but rather use a keypad and a set code to release the locking mechanism. These locks are not as widely used because they can be up to four times more expensive than dead bolts. Keypad locks use a thick rod just like a deadbolt, making them equally secure. However, a code, which can be changed, must be entered in the correct sequence to unlock the door. If the code is entered incorrectly, the door will not lock. Businesses like this type of lock because they can give access to employees but quickly change the code, with little to no additional cost, should a person leave employment.

A growing trend among businesses and some larger homes is the use of biometric locks, or fingerprint locks. These locks have a similar construction as the deadbolt lock but are comparable to the keypad locks because they do not use a key to open the lock. A fingerprint must be matched to the lock’s database in order to open. These locks sometimes also include a keypad code in addition to the print. These are considerably more expensive and therefore have not been used often in the past for home security. Although the costs have been going down which has made them more affordable for even a modest sized home.

If you want to up your home’s security to the next level as far as door locks are concerned, there are various electronic solutions that are very effective and secure. One of these options is a keypad. With a keypad, an intricate system of locks is set and released with the touch of a few buttons. There is no way for a potential criminal to jimmy the lock or easily bust the door open. And since the keypad is wired from the get go, its easy to intimately link all of the doors to your home to the main home alarm, so if there were any tampering with the keypad or incorrect numbers being tried in order to gain entry the alarm would automatically sound either scaring away the criminal or alerting the security company and police to get to your home before any damage can be done.

Another electronic solution is the fab system. With the fab system, there is an electronic pad mounted next to your door that controls a heavy set of locks linking the door to its frame. When the fab key is held next to the electronic pad, they communicate with each other and the door opens. The fab key can be small, no larger than the tip of a man’s thumb, or it can be rectangular like an id card. Whichever type you choose is up to you. Like the keypad, since this lock system is electronic it is easily connected to your home alarm system and any tampering with will set off the main alarm.

No matter what type of lock system you choose for your home, just remember that your door locks are an integral part of your home security system and if you can afford to spend a little extra, its always a good idea to purchase a good sturdy door lock.

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