All about Smart Locks – What are Smart Locks?
The name ‘Smart locks’ applies to locks that can be opened with technology like your mobile phone and does away with the need for keys. They can be fingerprint activated, voice-activated or have keypads and sensor proximity tags, depending on the lock and how you want it to operate. Smart locks are a relatively new technology with new products appearing all the time.
What are the benefits?
Smart locks can offer controlled access to your home without having to hand out multiple keys, so they are great for people who have carers or home help and find it difficult to get to the door themselves. Teens are fantastic at losing their keys; I know of one unfortunate customer in Aylsham whose daughter got in with a bad crowd and was giving her key to unsavoury friends, who then stole from the property. Smart locks here could have quickly been re-coded to bar anyone who she did not want having independent access. Keypads and proximity tags save you from having to hunt in your bag for your keys. And some more and more are now connecting to home smart networks, which in turn, connect to your mobile phone. Connected to one of these systems with cameras and zone restricted alarms, you can be on holiday in Greece, sat by the pool and when the delivery you have been waiting for arrives, you can let the delivery driver put your parcel in your house, watch them leave and lock the door up behind them.
How secure are they?
This is where you really need your local locksmith. So many smart locks lose security for convenience. Many are latch type locks that are easy to bypass if you have the right tools and know-how. If you change your existing lock for a smart lock then you might be invalidating your insurance. Always consult your genuine local locksmith before making any purchase. They are used to the requirements of insurance companies and will be able to offer the best lock to suit your needs. Also, you might be paying too much for features you do not need. If your smart lock requires you to have a key-operated lock in the same door for security and insurance purposes, then there is no real point in the smart lock. While there are many smart locks available, few will actually be BS3621 rated. You don’t need this rating on UPVC doors (yet) but even here, there is still a mechanical aspect that the lock cannot do. It will not lift the handles that engage all the hooks before locking. That sort of takes all meaning out of the hands-free point.
Are smart locks expensive?
Yes and no. As with everything, there are cheap and expensive ends of the scale. This is another reason to talk to your local locksmith. We know brands and their quality. We do the research so you don’t have to. We go to the nerdy lock conventions and get to see the items in action before we buy them.
In summary, smart locks are a great idea for certain situations but often lose security for convenience and often that convenience can be misleading. For example, with a normal lock, you approach the door and with one hand, take your keys from your pocket, insert into the keyhole, turn and you are unlocked. With some ‘faster’ smart locks, you approach the door and take out your smartphone. Holding your phone in one hand, you turn it on with the other, insert your security code, find the app, open the app, find the button that unlocks the door and eventually you are in. If you are trying to do this while laden with shopping, the process just got longer. There are better products out there, but you will need your locksmith to help you through the minefield. However, if you are really into your gadgets, then a smart lock is a great one that you will use every day. Paired with Alexa or other smart devices and part of a home network that includes CCTV, alarm and a decent door cam, smart locks show potential intruders that you mean business (if you get the right one).
If you have any questions about smart locks or any home security issue, please do not hesitate to contact me via any of the methods on my contacts page.
Thanks for reading.
Auto locksmith FAQ’s:
Do I have to bring my car to you?
No. A car locksmith has all the tools needed to cut your new car key and the computers to do the programming on board his/her van. Recently I made a new Fiat Ducatto key for a customer in Gresham village. I was able to copy his existing key in my van and then plug into his onboard computer via the OBD port and program his new key to the vehicle. This meant he could use his vehicle the same day. Had he taken the key to the dealer or manufacturer, he would have had to leave it with them, possibly waiting weeks without the use of his own vehicle.
Does the locksmith change the locks on my car?
No, if you lose your keys, we will only make new ones, but they will be coded differently, so the old keys will be useless for driving your car away. Unless you leave valuables in your car, this should not be a problem. If you want to change the actual locks on your vehicle, you should, in most cases, go back to the manufacturer. If you have had your locks modified or changed in any way, you must inform the vehicle locksmith if you later require his help. I remember being called out to a Jeep in Brancaster late at night. It was parked in a very quiet beach car park. When I tried, my Jeep lockpick, I found the whole thing felt wrong and asked the customer if anything had been changed, at which point he told me the vehicle locks had been changed for aftermarket products. This meant I was unable to do the job without damaging the vehicle, so alternative arrangements had to be made (they paid me plus an expensive taxi home to get the spare).
How much does a car locksmith cost?
This is like asking how long a ball of string is. Unlike house locks and keys, auto locksmithing has many components. And the cost will be based on how many of those components you need. Will I need to pick the lock? Will I need to work out the key shape from the lock? Will I need to access a database that charges me for certain codes to allow me to program the new key to your car? Can I use aftermarket products or do I have to use genuine branded parts? How far did I have to travel to get to you? Does coding your key require me to a plugin, or do I have to take half of your dashboard apart to get to the chip that I then have to remove, code and return? These and many more factors make up the cost, but in nearly all cases the auto locksmith can sort your problem on the day and will be cheaper than going back to the manufacturer. For example, I produced a key for a customer with a Renault Clio in Fakenham and saved them £300 on the price they were quoted by the dealership. What’s more, it was all done at the customer’s place of work, allowing them to get on with their day.
Will the locksmiths make keys for my old classic car?
To be honest, no. Cobblers and engravers can usually copy the keys of older cars and motorbikes. If not, you may have to change the locks and ignition barrels, in which case scrap dealers are always a good call. But for the auto locksmith, we can only make a profit on keys with computer chips. Travelling to Dereham from my home town of Holt to produce a key for an old Ford Capri is not even going to pay for the cost of the round journey, whereas making and coding a key for a 2015 Ford Mondeo will work for me. A very few auto locksmiths might just be able to produce older keys, but often the cost would be more than the value of the vehicle itself.
Can the auto locksmith make keys for all modern cars?
No. We can make keys for most car brands and models, and there are very few we cannot get into if your keys are locked inside, but there are a few when we have to tell you to go back to the dealer. Land Rover Discoveries and Volvos spring to mind. There just isn’t the data available for us to do our computer work on these vehicles. You might see websites advertising that they can indeed clone your key when the locksmith says he cannot, but these sites include every vehicle in their menus just to drive traffic to their sites. When you actually ring, they are just as powerless as the car locksmith.
What is the most common reason for an auto locksmith call out?
By far it is keys locked in the boot. When you are loading/unloading your vehicle, unlock all the doors. So many people only unlock the boot. They then put the keys down inside the boot, load the shopping, the golf clubs, the tools, etc, and then slam the boot down and swear in the next five seconds when they realise the keys are now in the back and they are locked out. There is no security benefit to only unlocking your boot if you are only going to lock yourself out of your car in a high crime area.
Does my breakdown cover include the cost of an auto locksmith?
No. Some recovery drivers will make a quick attempt for you, but I have been called many times by the biggest recovery service in the UK and I am a registered peripheral of the second largest. In all cases, I charge the customer direct. From Cromer, Fakenham, to Burnham Overy Staithe, call me first and save time. You don’t want to wait hours for the recovery service only to be told you have to wait even longer for me.
Can you make me a new car key if I have lost all the original ones?
Yes, I can read the lock using a special tool or get the information for many vehicles from your registration document, providing I have proof of ownership. Once I have cut the key blade, I can then let my computer talk to your car and program the new key to your vehicle. It is a much faster job copy from an existing key, though.
What is cloning?
Cloning is simply replicating an existing key. As far as the car computer is concerned, it believes there is only one key when you may have two or even more. You can clone some keys without having to plug into the car. This is a cheaper way to replace lost keys, but it does not protect you from those lost keys being used should someone else find them and want to steal your car. Making new keys that are uniquely programmed to your vehicle gives you the option of deleting the old keys, in exactly the same way you would put a stop on a lost credit card.
How do you get into my car if there is no keyhole?
There is always a keyhole. On modern cars, the keyhole is covered and the key is hidden in the key fob. But for safety, there must be mechanical access. A customer of mine in Norwich was astounded when I turned up to get him into his vehicle. His fob battery was flat and he could not get in. So I showed him the hidden key blade and then revealed the hidden keyhole on the vehicle. Had he listened to the dealer (if the dealer had even told him), or read the car paperwork, he could have made his meeting that day because the car will still work when the fob battery is dead. The customer was still happy though as he had expected a very expensive job. It was still expensive for a battery change he could have done himself.
How long does it take to pick the lock?
Seconds – hours depending on the vehicle, age, possible rust/damage inside the lock. I’ve taken two hours to open a car in Hunstanton and one and a half minutes to open a car in Beeston. Conditions like cold and rain might also slow me down. It takes as long as it takes.
How easy is it for thieves to hack the signal and steal my car?
Thieves that do this have bought special equipment. They are stealing cars to order. While not impossible, it is not likely for those of us with standard cars to have our signals stolen. You can, if you wish to, buy signal jamming pouches and I am happy to source them for you. But the biggest growing way for cars to be stolen is via your home letterbox. I see it all the time. People come home and put their keys on a table or other piece of furniture near the door so they can easily pick those keys up as they leave. Thieves are now fishing through the letterbox to get keys which can give them access to your home and they can use your own car as a getaway vehicle. Don’t make it easy for them.
If you would like more information on the above questions or have others to ask, please get in contact via any of the methods on my contacts page.
Thanks for reading!
AC Locksmiths Norfolk
Locksmiths most commonly asked questions:
Do Skeleton Keys open all locks?
A key to open all locks is only found in magical fantasy. Even us locksmiths need many different lock picks for the different types of locks we come across, so that hero you see on the TV who carries a few needle-like implements in a little pouch, is only making a small representation of what is really needed, and even then, the speed shown would be for very easy, smooth running locks. That being said, each lock type and brand have a finite number of combinations and if you were to try your house key in enough other houses using the same brans and lock type, you will find houses that you can enter with ease. This is an important point when moving into a newly built home on a large estate. The average new house comes with front, back and patio doors. A 500 house estate means around 1500 locks and the developer will use the same brand and lock type on every one of them. Locking doors to garages and sheds could easily make that 2,500. With that many locks, the statistics say there is an extremely good chance someone else’s key on that estate will fit your lock. So, it is very good advice to change your locks, even on a new home, preferably to a different brand to all the rest.
How will the locksmith gain entry?
There are many ways to bypass a lock. You might even want to see for yourself how it is done. Please do not be offended if the locksmith asks you to step away while he works. Some techniques require a learned feel or special technique. Watching the locksmith work can show people how to get into other people’s homes which is not really a morally good thing. Also, watching the locksmith and trying to replicate what they do next time, might lead to bigger complications and an even bigger bill. Besides, if they are given room to concentrate, they can work faster, getting you in quicker.
Why do locksmiths charge so much?
Hopefully, you only see the locksmith for a very short time. What you don’t see are the endless hours driving between jobs. It is very that two people have an emergency next door to each other and usually the case that a locksmith will criss-cross his patch several times in the same day. In cities, the patch may be small but the traffic will be horrendous and rurally, the patch is much bigger due to lack of population density. On top of that, locksmiths need to keep up with the latest changes in law and products, keep on top of their own accounts, maintain their vehicles, replace tools and nowadays, write blogs! There might be additional training programs. This doesn’t just mean the cost of the course itself, but losing however many days work the course entails. Then there is the time spent ordering parts online or time spent in shops purchasing tools, etc. As a cost example, I have to do two jobs a month just to pay for the chisels and drill bits I will need to replace each and every month. So you can see, there is a lot more cost involved than just the time the locksmith spends with you.
If I have my locks changed, how many keys do I get and where do I get more cut?
Most locks come with two or three keys. If you are booking a lock change for a future date, it is wise to get the number of keys you require ordered with the lock. This way, you can guarantee the keys will have been tested in that lock before they get to you. Some locksmiths can cut keys on site which again is a sure way to see they are tested. The alternative is to go to your local engraver/cobbler who will usually provide key cutting services. But here you are chancing your luck because you will have to wait until you get home to try the keys and if they don’t work, you have to go all the way back to the shop again, still, with no guarantee, it won’t happen again. Chances are, key cutting outlets will not use genuine branded blanks either. You might think chain key cutters would be the best option but these have high staff turnover and very basic training. Every time I have been recalled to a faulty lock that I have installed, the problem has been poorly cut keys from chain stores. If getting keys cut, always ask for genuine branded blanks that should show the same brand name on the head of the key as the one you getting copied. Many will tell you the non-brands are just as good, but this just isn’t so. Demand genuine. Leave a deposit and pick up the keys a couple of days later if needed. This could save you a much more pricey second visit from the locksmith. Never use an already copied key to cut another. If you have lost your original keys, get a new lock an order the appropriate number of keys with it.
What is British Standard and why do I need it?
British Standard or BS3621 is a rating for the effectiveness of locks against certain attacks that include; picking, drilling, slipping, bumping and a whole host of other terms you might not be familiar with. Your home insurance will demand your locks on wooden doors to be up to this standard. While it is not an insurance requirement for doors where you have to lift the handles before locking, every locksmith will correctly tell you that you should a BS3621 lock on these doors as well because, without them, the intruder can enter your home in under 60 seconds with no power tools. Even if the intruder does get in through a BS3621 rated lock, your insurance might not pay out if another door on your house is not up to standard, so check now that all your final exit doors have a BS3621 kitemark.
What is a fair price for my locksmith?
This is a bit of a minefield. The nationals will charge more because they have to make their profits, pay office staff and pay the locksmith they sub-contract to do the work, but they will do the work that saves you ringing several people in an emergency, and many local locksmiths rely on the work that comes in from the nationals while they get themselves established. That aside, locksmiths seem to have a standard rate, evening rate and through the night rate, plus weekend rates and bank holiday rates. If possible, you should check the locksmith’s website to see if they have any indication of what you might expect to pay. Personally, I have one rate no matter what time of day of what day of the week it might happen to be. But if you have the time, you should ring two or three locksmiths. The cheapest one will probably be the least experienced or hiding costs until he gets there. The most expensive one will be overpricing and you should usually go with the one in the middle, especially if these prices are wildly different. Be sure to get a quote on the phone, a revised quote once the locksmith has visually assessed the job, and find out if the price includes VAT. You also want the locksmith to inform you if anything happens that will cause a price increase. The locksmith should tell you about any potential price increase reasons before continuation.
How long does it take the locksmith to open my locked door?
This can be seconds to a very long time. Locks are often worn, rusty or might have something causing a jamb. The locksmith is wary of damaging your door so they will take time and care to make sure the job is done quickly with the least amount of damage. A simple latch lock might be opened in seconds, but a seized multi-point locking system can be very difficult to open without causing damage to the door. Rest assured, the locksmith wants to get you in just as quickly as you want to be in yourself. With car locks, the picks require the feel of springs inside the lock itself. If the lock is old, this feel can be difficult, or if the internal workings are too loose, the individual parts can keep passing beyond their opening point, making a three-minute job last an age. Patience is your only requirement.
Why do I need to pay on the day?
You are paying for a service and often new products. Most locksmiths are sole traders and unable to run back accounts like big companies. The costs of materials and van/tool maintenance keep things tight all the time. We just cannot add tracking who owes what where and when all the time in addition to everything else. Now that doesn’t mean we are heartless and unsympathetic to those who just don’t have the means to pay in an emergency situation. If you genuinely cannot pay on the day, make the locksmith aware before work commences and something can usually be worked out, but be aware, should you not pay the locksmith within an agreed time, he may well charge late payment fees or you might just find yourself paying more should you need that locksmith in another emergency.
if you think of anything else you would like to know please contact us:
AC Locksmiths Norfolk
07846643176
Christmas present ideas
I’ve noticed the Christmas goodies starting to pop up in the shops so thought I’d get in there with some early Christmas present ideas:
Do you get frustrated every Christmas trying to find a present for your parents that isn’t a boring jumper they never wear? Do your parents have pretty much everything they could want that doesn’t cost thousands of pounds?
Why not get them a new security feature? The older generation are the most at risk of burglary, and many just don’t get to see the products that can make them much safer.
From upgraded locks to burglar alarms with SOS features so they can call you if they have a fall, there are products to suit every pocket and you will be buying your parents (or grandparents) something that is genuinely useful.
Collaborating with other family members will allow for even better products.
Here are just a few ideas for security features;
Lock upgrades.
Safes.
CCTV.
Video Doorbells.
Wireless alarm systems with connection to your phone.
Why not talk to your local locksmith today for a free consultation?
If you would like any information on any of the products stated, please get in touch via any of the methods on my contacts page.
Thanks for reading
Yesterday, I got to called to a house where the customers had accidently shut themselves out of their house. A nice easy job, I thought. Most nightlatches (often referred to as ‘Yale’ type locks) are simple to bypass. As I arrived, I got a bit more excited. The lock was a kite marked BSI 3621 variety, meaning I was in for more of a challenge and probably late for the next job of the day.
