The worry of feeling safe at home is one of the main concerns from people around the world, especially when you cannot afford the installing of an alarm system. In that case, you decide to use a good lock for your house and surroundings; but how can you choose the indicate one? How do you feel safe in an environment just by installing a lock at your entrance or inner rooms? We should provide you with some useful information about this topic.

Besides the security aspect, there some other features you have to take into consideration such as appearance and durability, since a lock should close and open doors frequently and, especially, the front door lock should look like if they are tough enough to protect your place and offer security during those moments you are away, even for a very brief time.

Today, locks are being classified into two types: conventional deadbolts and smart locks. The first group includes all those who are more traditionally used in securing you doors for years and they have been in the market during a very long time. They are ranged from high-end, drill-proof model to inexpensive deadbolts you would find at a variety store. All of them are single-cylinders locks, and a few of them can’t be rekeyed if you do not count with the help of a good locksmith. The advantage of these types of locks is the affordability and the possibility to rekey them. They are also an improvement in security over key-in-knob locks alone. Although, they lack the convenience and extra feature of the following group: the smart lock models.

This second group does more than lock doors; they offer remote control, voice control, access logs, geofencing, and other smart features. Unfortunately, to use them you will need a separate Wi-Fi hub or bridge that transmits the signal from the lock to your wireless router, and that is reflected in an extra payment to install these sorts of locks. But as they are more convenient and easy to access for the owner of the house, they can also provide an easy access to digital hackers and are as susceptible to force entry as non-connected locks. Also, the extra hardware for remote features and the price of these locks made almos unaffordable.

Once you determine what sort of locks you would require, how would you choose the convenient one? There are several features you have to take into consideration and we are going to provide you with some of them.

First you have to learn how locks are classified and what the highest level of security they can offer you. For this reason, you should learn the lock lingo and find out how they are categorized. The lock industry classify them in grades going from 1 to 3, being the Grade 1 the most difficult to disable. Unfortunately, when you buy a lock, most of the times, the packages do not give the grade information; so it is a must that you get into the company website to find out how a lock is rated.

After that, you should take into account the amount of money you are willing to spend. If your budget is limited, we recommend the acquisition of a conventional lock; but if you have enough money to invest in a security or a smart one. Take into consideration insurance policies generally give discounts for homes with deadbolts instead of smart locks. But if you are from those people who always forget to lock your door, a smart lock would be an asset in that case; furthermore, this sort of lock would be very useful of contractors or cleaners need to get into your house while you are away. Since smart locks need Wi-Fi service, you have to take that into consideration. In case you cannot afford the extra burden of the wireless connection; an electronic lock might serve your needs. This sort of device offers keypad access and the ability to program and distribute PIN codes to various guests, but it can’t communicate with your smartphone.

But locks are not relevant if the door is supposed to be closed by it, it is a weak one. Be sure that the door you are going to use is strong enough to stand any possible break-in and support the lock, especially those security varieties. As well as your doors, hinges should be very secured, using 3-inch screws mostly.

Other features taken into consideration at the choosing a lock is that they should be pick-resistant and bump proof. A good lock use mushroom pins or pick shields to prohibit thieves from using pick tools to manipulate the lock’s internal components and, thus, easily access to your house.

Besides the locks mentioned above, you can also go and select one of the followings:

• Mortise Locks: this sort of locks is fitted into the edge of a door. They are available in deadbolt variant. To lock the door, the deadbolt is thrown into the keep in the frame and need a turn of a key. They are ineffective when fitted to sliding doors, requiring a lock with a hook or a claw bolt to these sorts of doors.
• Rim Locks: This sort of lock is fitted to the side of a door. They are classified into Night latch Locks – they use a larger latch bolt which is automatically engaged with the lock. Keep located on door frame when the door is closed. The other sort of the Rim locks is the Deadlocking night latches which operates very similar to the previous one but adding a deadlock feature from a key from the outside
• Padlocks are still usable by most people and they are a cheaper way to secure your certain areas of the home. These are especially come for home-owners with sheds or other similar home attachments on the property permitters. They come in 2 categories: combination and keyed padlocks. The advantage of them is the transportability and their usage in different places, since they don’t require to be attached at specific door.

Now, the decision lies in your hands and you can use one of these devices or make a combination of any of them to provide you a better and secure environment in your house or apartment. For further information or assistance, feel free to contact ABC Locksmith and Security directly, located in Naperville IL off of Washington Street.