Key control (knowing where and who has your key) can prove to be a challenge, both for residential and commercial customers.

Residential:

It can be a challenge to know who has a key to your home, especially if you just moved in. Are you sure that you have received all your keys? That they weren’t given out to neighbors? Family? Friends? Even if you have a brand new home, do you know if any of the contractors who worked on the home still have copies? Knowing who and where the keys to your home are IS important for both security and peace of mind.

When buying a new or previously owned home, or even renting a new place, it is important to make sure that the keys on the locks are changed. This is the beginning of securing your peace of mind; knowing that you won’t walk into your home and someone’s Uncle Charlie isn’t sitting on the couch making himself at home. (Just a couple of months ago a “new” home owner in our area purchased a previously lived in house. They were getting ready to move in, when they discovered that relatives of the previous owner had taken up residence. They had to rent a hotel room while the matter was resolved; and quickly had the locks changed to avoid further incidents from occurring again. Yes! It really does happen.)

After you have had your locks re-keyed how do you keep the keys from getting away from you? Well, with advances in technology, you can now purchase keypad levers and deadbolts at affordable rates. (Master has had a combination deadbolt out for a long time.)

Master Dial Combination Deadbolt

One of these type of deadbolts I personally really like is the EMTEK line. While it doesn’t use blue tooth technology nor does it auto-retract the bolt for you, here are three reasons I like it:

It allows up to 20 users. What this means is that you can give each family member their own user code; you can also give user codes to caregivers, house sitters, house keepers, etc. This also means you don’t have to give any one a key to your home. You have peace of mind that they can’t make copies you don’t know about. Then if you change services or you don’t want a specific person to have access to your home, you can remove their code. This gives you the assurance that only the people you want in will be able to legally get in.

The next thing I like about this product is that even though it doesn’t have an auto-retractable bolt (meaning you have to still use a thumb-turn to move the bolt) this feature allows for the locking mechanism to last longer; you don’t have to worry about parts wearing out and then having to either get the item warrantied or purchase a new one. Currently, most brands average about $200.00.

Finally, call me a skeptic [I heard that!], but I am not fully behind the use of software to open my home. When even “the cloud” is being hacked, I don’t want someone to find a bug in the software and have access to my home. While, technology has come a long way, we still have people who make a point of being destructive. While, we know that locks only keep honest people honest; I rely on the feeling I am secure with my locks.

While, this can open up a whole entire discussion about people still being able to pick locks to get in to your home; at least if someone uses a pick you can tell that they have been in your home (or at least a professional can). There are additional “higher security options” as well; such as replacing your cylinder with a high security cylinder into your lock.  Your locks have to be able to do this not all locks are made to. [Since ASSA Abloy is the parent company of both MEDECO locks and EMTEK, the Medeco cylinder can be used as a replacement; if you feel the need to have the highest security solution possible. (Just remember if someone really wants in, they will still might find a way.)]

I am certain that technology will eventually catch up making me feel more secure. Things are always being addressed; however, since this is a relatively new technology, I am more of the mind to wait it out before making a recommendation toward these types of door hardware solutions. Others may disagree with me, which is why I feel the need to make this statement; this is MY personal opinion and may not reflect the opinion of our company in regards to the door hardware.