Keyless Electronic Door Locks Are The Future of Access Control

Did you know that the basic concept for your high security door lock is over 2000 years old. It was refined, almost one hundred and fifty years ago by Linus Yale, but I think it may be time for an upgrade. Keyless electronic door lock is the next step in the evolution of door access control. These devices offer home owners multiple benefits, including key control, and are actually pick-proof.

Traditional locks all have mechanical parts, and are therefore vulnerable to manipulation by tools. A trained locksmith can open one of these doors in a few minutes. Granted a locksmith has training, and specialized tools, but guess what, so does a professional burglar.

A electronic lock has no exposed parts to be picked. To bypass these types of locks you have to hack the access credentials. This will mean fingerprints for biometric locks, or numerical codes for key pad locks. Biometric security is nothing more than using some unique physical trait to verify our identity. It can be fingerprint pattern, hand geometry, facial recognition, even the unique pattern of the iris. Currently this technology is being presented as being unbeatable,but when it comes to fingerprint scanners it most definitely is not.

These devices can easily be fooled by an impression made of your fingerprint. The problem is that unless you wear gloves all day long you will probably leave fingerprints that can be retrieved. Keypad entry systems are much more secure, especially those that utilize a scramble pad.

A key pad entry system can present a burglar with hundreds of thousands of possible entry codes. These locks are more secure than fingerprint readers, but they also have a few weakness. Professional burglars have been known to dust the keypad with an invisible UV powder, return after you have opened your door, and see which numbers were entered. This slick little move has just reduced the hundreds of thousands of possible combination's, down to a much more manageable number.

There are two ways to defend against this. The first is by making sure your lock is programmed to time out after three or four failed attempts. This will make number guessing impractical, because a burglar will be forced to wait thirty minutes after every three attempts.

Another solution used by those requiring a higher level of access control, is the scramble pad. These devices defeat the security threat previously mentioned, and many others of a similar nature, by simply rearranging the order of the keypad after every use. This works because the specific area of the pad touched cannot be connected to a symbol.

Key control is a major exploitable weakness in all standard door locks. If you do not know where your keys are 24 hours a day, and that they cannot be duplicated, your home is vulnerable. Unless you are using a high security lock set with keys that are registered, anyone with access to your house keys can make a set of copies at the locale hardware store.

With a keyless lock set you have nothing to worry about. The moment you feel that your access code has been compromised, you can change it in minutes. This is also handy for anyone that only needs temporary access to your property. Rather than give them a key that can be copied, give them a temporary access code, that can be disabled at a moments notice should the need arise.

Every day criminals are getting smarter, and in order to protect yourself, you need to keep one step ahead. Depending on how much you spend, a high security door lock will be a good investment. The problem is that the basic concept behind these locks is very old and criminals have caught up with it. An electronic door lock are the future of home security, and will be protecting homes for a long time to come.