Another New Year is upon us. As is typical with this time of year, people are making their New Year’s Resolutions. Some want to lose weight, while others resolve to stop smoking. Why not make 2011 the year you get serious about you and your family’s safety? Every year countless homes are burglarized quite simply because it’s too easy a target to pass up. How many times have you wondered if your door locks are “good enough” to withstand a break-in? Do you even have ahome burglar alarm? What about a high-security safe to protect your most treasured valuables? All of these items are relatively easy to get installed at your home at a price much better than you could imagine. Don’t take risks with your family’s well-being and safety. Don’t wait until you become a victim to start thinking of these things. Give 24/7 Local Locksmith a call today for a no-obligation, free consultation. We’ll give you some recommendations on how you can safe-guard your home. But remember, it’s ultimately up to you to make those 2011 New Year’s Resolutions count!

A sure thing is a description of something which is more or less guaranteed. With a sure thing you can depend on the outcome to be a positive one and in the world of locks and the locksmith the deadbolt lock is the prime example of a sure thing.

If you look on many of the homes and businesses here in your city you will find deadbolt locks in place on most of them.

The popularity of the deadbolt lock is due to its ability to work, and work well. With features such as a strong steel make up as it’s design and the utilization of a strike plate you can be sure that deadbolts are up to the job for the protection you require.

There are a large number of manufacturers with many fine deadbolt lock products on the market and just about every locksmith would agree that their installation will aid in the purpose of a locking system, to keep you and your loved ones, items, and inventory safe!

The way a deadbolt lock works is quite simple compared to more hi tech locks and you get superior results. The bolt on a deadbolt will thrown, or retracted, from a key and the turning unit inside of the lock will not throw it, however the bolt inside automatically locks, or deadlocks, when it is fully thrown.

In the easiest terms possible, the deadbolt lock is installed in the door and when it is activated, or locked, it will slide in to the door jam providing the something that cannot be moved in order to keep the door in place.

As mentioned above the strike plate that is used with a deadbolt lock with give added strength, as it is made with strong metal and makes it more difficult to defeat. Strike plates are also one of the most effective tools used with locks to prevent unauthorized access by way of forced or kicked entry.

Another very effective lock that is part of the deadbolt family is the warded lock. A warded lock has a deadbolt locking mechanism in it and they are quite effective, as well. When you are thinking of upgrading or changing the locks in your home the first thing you will want to do is research what is available and compare it to the requirements that you have.

Will you need locks for residential purposes or business purposes? What is your budget? What level of security do your need?

All of these questions are of great importance and sometimes it is difficult for someone without security experience to determine.

A good suggestion in this situation is to consult with a residential 24/7 Local Locksmithabout you ideas and what you want to do.

A locksmith has the required experience for pretty much every lock, key and protection item on the market since they work with them daily and understand which ones are easily defeated and which ones offer the most by way of defense.

Remember also that if you choose to perform any installs on your own to follow directions carefully in order to get the most out of your locks or have a professional perform this for you. Also remember to keep apprised of your locks conditions and have maintenance performed as needed.

Ask almost anyone what their idea of the American dream entails and undoubtedly the top answer will be the purchase of a home. The security, independence, and sense of achievement in such a large scale acquisition is a top goal of most Americans, young and old alike. While the purchase of a home requires your attention towards the typical items such as securing a mortgage and insurance, there is also a very important, yet largely overlooked, process that every home buyer and real estate investor should be made aware of in each transaction: assessing the pre-existing house key system.

More often than not an inspection of the keying system is not suggested or made available to the buyer via the real estate agent, broker, lender or building inspector, nor is it typically recommended by the National Association of Realtors. While a first time or seasoned property buyer would be remiss in not performing a home inspection to determine the condition of the property and having the ability to find out about any existing or foreseeable problems there would, too, be negligence in not performing a proper assessment of the pre-existing key system(s).

From value to the home buyer by limiting liability, averting any future repair costs due to poor workmanship of the previous service on the current system to a myriad of legitimate security concerns, a proper assessment can not only identify any problems that must be addressed immediately, but in most cases be repaired before the transaction is completed. A well known and common practice in real estate transactions post home inspection is the issuance of the “Buyers Inspection Report” for highlighting issues present and projected thereby providing the seller an option of paying compensation to the new buyer or performing repairs on the home for the purchaser.

With the help of 24/7 Local Locksmith to perform a professional assessment of the existing key system of the home or investment property, the buyer can also ask and expect to have repairs made, replacements installed prior to the close of escrow or, if preferred, compensation offered to them by the seller to make all necessary changes themselves, as well as the peace of mind that a dependable, safe and secure key system is in place. The idea of this practice, a pre-existing home key system inspection, which is currently grossly under used, is one that when brought to the attention of all prospective and current home buyers and investors will prove through proper inspection of a locksmith, with suggestions and recommendations provided, to be just as important as the aforementioned general home inspection to give an even better, safer and more accurate portrait of the home or investment property being purchased.

For the current and future dreamer and investor remember that your investment is your future and your future is more secure when having a residential locksmith perform a pre-existing home key system.

Biometric locks are based on fingerprint authentication, and to be more exact, a certain individual’s fingerprint. Unlike reading a fingerprint in a manner of forensic examination, these locks read the print in a different method. In order for us to understand the authentication process we first would have to understand the anatomy of a single fingerprint.

Fingerprints have many elements to them, they include ridges or elevated lines of flesh which create the unique and various patterns of the fingerprint and they are separated by valleys. These ridges form all kinds of different patterns which include curves, arches, loops and much more. Minutiae are discontinuities in the ridges, which also come in different shapes and various forms such as bifurcations which are like forks and also there are crossovers that are more like intersections.

The basis of the print authentication is relies on a select amount of subset features from the entire print. There is a special formula that reduces the data collected on a fingerprint only to the information which is completely unique to that fingerprint alone. An example would be to perform a data collection only on a very specific type of series of ridges as we mentioned earlier. In other words, the entire data of the fingerprint is not stored, only a few key factors which represent that print is stored instead. And as we also mentioned before, this is quite different from the forensic meaning of fingerprint which usually requires an entire print.

Your average data file of a print is less than a 1000 bytes, this is used for either a one on one or a one to several verification methods and ordinarily takes just a few seconds. Forensic data files of prints are much larger, they reach over 250 kilo-bytes, and this is mainly due to the fact that it stores a complete fingerprint, and these files are used in large databases such as the FBI, CIA and other law enforcement agencies to allow one to many searches.

The actual operation of a fingerprint authentication is very easy. Initially the end-user would first have to submit a fingerprint sample to register in the system. The sensor will capture the prints image. This will be translated by the formula we mentioned earlier and only a few select features will be saved and stored. This procedure can be done either on a remote or local computer. On a biometric lock this is usually done locally. When the user wishes to gain entry from now on, all they would have to do is swipe their finger against a sensor which will in turn identify and match it with any of the data files stored, if a match is found, access will be granted. This process usually takes between 1 to two seconds.

Did you ever wonder how the maintenance guy can open every door in your building, yet all he carries with him is one key? The key he carries is a master key, and while all other keys may only open of each doors in the building, his key is not limited at all. There is nothing special about the actual key in a master key system. The real explanation lies actually within the locks themselves. The way a lock works is very similar to a puzzle, only when inserting the correct key will align everything inside the cylinder perfectly allowing you to turn the key. But what if the puzzle had more than one solution? Instead it had two, maybe three, maybe even more?

To make things easier to understand, we’ll just use an example of the most basic master system. Imagine you had two doors, each door had its own individual key which unlocked it. In addition you now wanted one key for yourself which would unlock both doors. This is where master keying would used. A locksmith would rearrange the pins inside the cylinders of your locks in such a way that would allow your previous individual keys to still work, but at the same time you would have one key that opened them both.

At a larger scale, imagine a building where you had over a thousand doors, a hotel for instance. Now you would like to give each guest a key that would only work his room, you would want the maid to have access to all the rooms but limited to certain floors in the building. And on top of all that, the hotel manager would have one key that would unlock everything. This would be a three level master system, since now you have multiple levels of authorized entries.

Of course, this is an overly simplified explanation of how Master Key systems work, but it should provide a good starting point.

1. When do I need to call a locksmith?
For any type of job that has locks and keys. In a case of an emergency lock out, car lock out or house lock out.

2. Why should I use a professional locksmith company?
You should always use a licensed bonded and insured locksmith company to insure that you are getting the job done correctly.

3. I just purchased a new house do i need to rekey my home?
It’s highly recommended to rekey your house locks because when the home was being built the contractors probably had access to your homes key. To ensure you safety you should call a locksmith and have your entire home rekey.

4. I’m renting an apartment should I rekey the locks?
You should rekey the locks to ensure the safety of the house your belongings and to make sure no one else has access to you living space.

5. When do I need to get my house locks changed?
It’s highly recommended to get your house locks changed when you move in to a new home or a new business. Whenever the locks start to have issues or problems always have a professional locksmith install new locks.

6. Should all my house locks operate on the same key?
Yes, they should all be working on the same key. This also prevents a case of a house lock out by mis placing keys.

7. Should I put high security locks on my home or business?
Yes it’s highly recommended to do so, in the case that your home gets broken in to, having high security locks will help keep your home safe.

8 How can I get keys stamped “DO NOT DUPLICATE” duplicated?
You can get them duplicated by a professional locksmith who will verify the ownership of the house or business.

9. What is “Impressioning”?
Impressioning is a technique for opening a lock by making a key out of a key blank for the lock.

10. Is it legal to carry lock pick tools?
Only a professional locksmith is able to carry lock pick tools.

11. What is a Master Key?
A Master Key is created when a group of locks are custom coded so each lock uses a different key, but a combination is added so one key will open all locks. In a group of locks that are Master-keyed (MK) each lock is operable by both its own individual key and the Master-Key. Each individual key operates its own lock only. The Master-Key operates all the locks in the group. Other systems are also possible using sub-Masters, Grand-Masters, etc. Therefore, maximizing flexibility to suit you. Master key systems can incorporate different.

12. Why should I use a professional locksmith company?
Skilled professional locksmiths bring experience and fund of knowledge in lock, safe & security problems and are better prepared to solve security issues to your unique situation. Professional locksmith can prescribe state-of-the-art products that work, and more effective solutions in an efficient manner.

13. Does your locksmith service your automotive needs?
From opening your service vehicles, replacing lost keys, and repairing locks, servicing automotive locks has become a specialized field. Most lock shops won’t touch it. 24/7 Local Locksmiths can make most automotive keys including computer chip and programmable keys from scratch. We can make VATS keys, transponder keys, and we make keys on the spot, in the field, while you wait.

14. Can you cut keys for different types of locks on site?
We can cut keys for all the locks that we supply and fit on site. We don’t carry every type of key for every type of lock but can cut most vehicles, commercial and domestic keys on site.

15. Does your locksmith give complete service?
Many lock shops concentrate on the selling and installation of hardware. When it comes to servicing that very same hardware, they’re hard to find or make appointments several days later. 24/7 Local Locksmith will solve your problem that very same day or even in the middle of the night.

16. What should I do in case of a lock out?
In case of a car lock out or a house lock out, it is highly recommended to call a professional locksmith who is will able to help you unlock any door for your home or car.

24/7 Local Locksmith has compiled a list of security measures you should follow to help dissuade break-ins. Following are two lists which should help secure your home and possessions:

Suggested “TO DO” tips to enhance your home security:

• Purchase the highest level security that your budget will allow.
• High level security is recommended by the Police Department and Insurance Companies.
• Use the best quality locks to secure gates leading to your fire escape.
• Turn off the telephone ringer when you are away from home for an extended period. An unanswered telephone signals to intruders that no one is home.
• Install a 180-degree peephole so that you can inspect your hallway without opening your door.
• Ask to see the identity of someone claiming to be from the utility or telephone company. A genuine worker will be pleased that you asked and will give you their card. Inspect the card carefully before allowing them to enter your home.
• Re-key your locks immediately if you lose your key.
• Ask your locksmith for a valid license, he must carry one.
• When in doubt, ask for advice from your locksmith or from the Crime Prevention Officer at your local precinct.

Suggested “NOT TO DO” tips to enhance your home security:

• Leave a spare key outside your home. Most hiding places are obvious to intruders.
• Leave your keys in or near the lock where it might easily be seen and taken by a thief.
• Mark your keys with your identification or address.
• If you have a telephone answering machine, do not leave a message revealing that you are away from home.
• Never leave notes on your door, even when you’re at home.
• Tune the stereo or TV to your favorite station when you leave the house to indicate to an intruder that someone is at home.
• If you leave a spare key outside, be creative.
• Burglars routinely check under flowerpots and welcome mats and on window ledges.
• Install a security system.