Lockdown key thoughts on home security
Lockdown key thoughts – As we enter another lockdown, home security might not be at the forefront of your mind, but be aware; Just yesterday, the delivery person for Amazon left two packages at my front door without so much as a knock or ring of the doorbell (four people in the house and no one heard a thing). Lockdown means we move to even more to on-line shopping and, despite the rules to have us stay at home, we are still doing school runs, grocery shopping and personal exercise. A package openly sat outside your front door may be enticing to an opportunist to make a quick grab. Please keep on top of your orders and if you can’t be in, talk to a neighbour to at least keep an eye out for the delivery. Don’t think asking the delivery driver to put the package in your unlocked shed is a good idea either. Sheds are one of the first places burglars look because the security is often extremely poor. Look in your local community paper for the police reports, sheds are often on the reports, with tools be stolen to make a quick turnaround at boot fairs, etc. Plus whatever other goodies you may have there.
The other place we do not secure enough is our garage. So many garages can be popped open with a single tool. And the locks are rarely difficult to pick for someone with a little time. We store so much in our garages these days, it hardly makes sense for the burglar to even bother with the house itself. Investing in a good garage door defender can make a huge difference. If you have lots of stuff in your garage, you should talk to your local locksmith today about better garage security.
CCTV is becoming ever more important for home security. A smart door cam will capture anyone approaching your front door whether they ring the bell or not. And if you are out, you can talk to the delivery person and tell them exactly where to put your package. HD, wireless smart cameras upload directly to the cloud, meaning no one can break in and then steal your recording device. They might not stop the thief but a combination of visible deterrents and smaller hidden cameras will get an image the police can use to convict the intruder.
Smart products continue to be ever more popular, but security and smart locks in the UK are a minefield. While most smart locks on the market may be fine for standards in countries like the USA, here in the UK our insurance quite rightly insists on locking and security products having a British Standard (BS) 3621 rating to show it has been tested against all the main attacks burglars use. Most smart locks do not reach this level and therefore buying a smart device without professional guidance may actually be making your security worse. That being said, there are now some excellent products for owners of second homes or holiday lets with limited access control that allows you to control who can access your property and when without the need for multiple keys or requiring guests to meet someone before they can start enjoying their holidays. As this is a tax deductible cost, there is nothing to stop you making sure your guests/traders/cleaners, etc have Covid safe entry to your property. If your local locksmith is not up to date with ways to do this, please message me and I can guide you to some excellent products.
Even safes are now going smart, with biometric options and attractive slim wall mounted safes that can be positioned at a level where people can get to them easily without having to get down low every time you want something. Many burglaries are facilitated by keys being left in the vicinity of the front door where they can be fished through the letter box. Having a wall mounted digital safe holding keys and a few other essentials, will cut down your chances of being attacked.
Smart alarm systems are more than just alerts that your home has been attacked. They can be tailored to incorporate smoke alarms, CO2 detectors and panic buttons. If you have an elderly relative and they have a fall, pressing a button on a remote around their neck auto dials pre-stored numbers until one picks up. They can then talk to you through the system, allowing you to asses the seriousness of the problem and decide on what action to take.
Home security is about looking more secure than your neighbours. If the burglar can see you are a harder target, they will seek easier pickings elsewhere. The cylinder of a traditional nightlatch (often called a “Yale”) and the cylinder of most UPVC doors can be picked in seconds by someone who is skilled enough. These locks are like magnets to the potential intruder, because they know the other ways to bypass these locks as well. Swapping these locks for visibly different anti-pick locks show the potential burglar that you mean business with your home security.
These are the standard barrels:
Nightlatch:
UPVC door barrel (Euro cylinder):
And now the visibly different, better nightlatch barrel:
And kite marked Euro cylinder:
There are some kite marked products that still employ the old style keys, but you have to get up close to see these are kite marked. The locks using “dimple cut” keys and similar, are visibly different, meaning the burglar can often see from the road that you have better locks, making him less likely to even set foot on your property. And yes, your local locksmith will charge you more for products than you can find on line or even in some shops, but he only has a van and can only carry limited stock. But you can trust that he does not want to come back for a recall, so he will make sure he only fits quality products.
It may be you are looking for improved security for you or your family, you may want them to be able to keep their independence, while having the safety net of being able to call you direct for help if they have a fall? You may need limited access solutions? Or you like the idea of a slim profile wall safe? Perhaps it would be easier for the emergency services to be given a code to unlock your frail relative’s door if you are not able to be near? If you have any questions regarding the above information, please get in touch via any of the methods on my contacts page.
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Door Cams advantages
Right now, video door cameras are being advertised heavily across the radio; The Ring system from America is making big strides into the UK market, but there is a British brand that is just as good. The ERA door cam looks a lot like its American cousin, but is made here and links into the ERA complete security system giving you the top rated wireless smart system in the country. With cloud-based storage for free initially, it really is the way to go? What are the Door Cam advantages?
But what do you actually get from a door cam? Well, for a start, you can answer your door from anywhere in the world, so if you are on holiday in Spain, and a delivery arrives, you can talk to the delivery person and tell him/her where to leave your parcel. The door cam will also automatically record anyone who comes within the field of vision, meaning you have a log of everyone who approaches your door whether they ring the bell or not, night or day. This means you can look back through files to see if any suspicious people are scouting your property for a later burglary. There is nothing to stop you fitting one of these door cams to your back door as well. One of the summer scams is that a decoy person will ring your front doorbell and distract you with some sales ploy while their accomplice will be ready to dive in your open back door and steal whatever they find. Having a door cam on the back door destroys their chances of doing this. Even if they damage the camera, it will have filmed them approaching and sent the images straight to the cloud.
There is another hidden advantage to the door cam. Increasingly, they seem to capture people doing silly things and the footage finds its way onto the internet. So, if you want to be an internet sensation, you can always fall over in front of your door cam!
Door cams are promoted as easy to install, but it very rarely goes as easy as expected. They do not tell you that you will be required to do some electrical wiring when hooking the bell up to your existing built in doorbell. If you don’t already have a mains powered doorbell, there are extras you will need to buy. Having your local locksmith install the door cam takes all the potential hassle out of the equation and guarantees every bit. A good local locksmith will do a free survey and quotation for you. It might cost a bit more, but it is a much easier approach.
AC Locksmiths Norfolk is proud to be an ERA recognised installer able to answer any questions you may have on this British product.
If you have any questions regarding the above, please get in touch via any of the methods on my contacts page.
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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.
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.
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