Tips For Choosing The Right Lock For Your Home

Finding a good home lock might be more complicated than you think. Use these tips to eliminate the guessing from your choice making process. Not every lock that is advertised as a high-security lock can actually practice what it preaches.

Some technical vulnerabilities are only discovered a few years after the lock has been released on the market. Smart locks or biometric locks that have not been tested enough could trigger various problems. A high price tag does not always reflect high quality unless the right standards are respected.

Understand The Basics Of Home Locks

If you are currently looking for a reliable lock for your home because the old one has broken down, or you have recently moved into a new home and you need to upgrade security, these next few tips should help you choose the right lock.

Deadbolt Locks, The Most Popular Locks For Homes

Unless you have been living under a rock, you surely know that deadbolt locks are the most popular types of residential home door locks you could possibly have in your house. It has been this way for the last few years. Due to their popularity, they are also oftentimes used by commercial buildings.

If you are a homeowner, you should know that the single-cylinder deadbolt is one of the most efficient types of locks locksmiths recommend for enhanced security. Nevertheless, there are various types of deadbolt locks that could be used in residential settings for protecting the exterior door. Some of these locks can also be found on interior home doors, even though they might not be the ideal solution.

Since deadbolts do not use any springs in order for the bolt to function, they are a lot more difficult to pick. Deadbolts are subject to a specific grading system that expresses how much force a certain deadbolt lock can withstand. The single and the double cylinder deadbolts are the main types of deadbolts to look into. The single-cylinder version features a keyed cylinder on one side of the door, while the double variant uses a keyed cylinder on both the inside and the outside of the door.

Single-cylinder deadbolts are the most popular, whereas double-cylinder deadbolts are preferred since they can add more protection. Keep in mind that a double cylinder deadbolt lock could prevent you from rapidly escaping a home fire or a similar emergency. This is why you might want to opt for a single cylinder deadbolt and use additional security measures along with it.

There are also people who would rather use a jimmy-proof deadbolt, especially if they live in apartments instead of houses. Double doors can also benefit from these jimmy-proof deadbolts thanks to their one-of-a-kind construction featuring a surface-mounted lock secured by a strike as well as by the lock's body. This lock is particularly good as an anti-jimmying lock, but it will not do as well when faced with other types of burglary attempts.

Cylindrical Lever Locks Are Easy To Operate

These locks resemble deadbolt locks, but they are also used in commercial settings along with the regular residential homes. Cylindrical lever locks are easy to operate due to their structure, even though they might not be the best choice for exterior doors. A lever door lock can be easily picked and bypassed without too big of an effort by the least experienced burglars. Level locks come with handles that can be easily used as access points that would render their whole purpose useless.

Door Knob Locks For Interior Use

Door knobs are extremely common in most American homes, with special emphasis on interior doors. However, there are some people who use them on exterior access doors, even though this may not be the smartest thing to do. They offer low levels of security and they can be easily picked using minimum force. When used together with deadbolts, doorknobs can be a good fit for exterior doors.

Mortise Locks On Older Homes – Top Security

Mortise locks are more common in commercial settings, even though they are also fairly used inside residential homes. A home that has a mortise lockset installed on the entryway is usually an older residential property. There are also homeowners who insist on having these locks fitted and they will go out of their way to find a locksmith willing to lend them a hand.

Mortise locks feature a special kind of hardware that needs to be mounted in the door. The cam and the cylinder that is threaded are some of the most important parts in a mortise lock. They help the lock be extra powerful and withstand bumping or picking attempts. If you live in an apartment complex, you would fully benefit from the enhanced security advantages that these locks can provide you with.

Smart And Electronic Locks

Electronic locks are oftentimes mistaken for smart locks, and it's a fair confusion given the fact that smart locks are electronic devices on their own. However, not all electronic locks also incorporate smart technologies. If you are looking for improved access control on your home, an electronic or a smart lock should do the trick. Smart locks require the use of certain instructions that need to be issued by a device in order to lock and unlock a door. The respective instructions are sent over wireless connections. On the other hand, electronic locks do not require any wireless communication, but they rely on electric current.

Power outages could possibly compromise the integrity of your home security system when talking about electronic locks. This is just one of the drawbacks you will need to keep in mind when shopping for electronic locks. On the other hand, there are smart locks that regular deadbolts or mortise locks. Figure out what are your exact needs before you go shopping for one or the other.

Padlocks, cam locks, euro cylinder locks or biometric locks are additional types of locks you could be looking into. Knowing the ins and outs of home locks could help you make a wiser choice. Get in touch with us for any additional tips.