Some of the Most Popular Types of Locks that are Made for Homes, Businesses, and Auto’s
It’s no secret we live in a world that is protected by many different types of locking devices. This has become more necessary over the years with theft and other types of crime constantly on the rise. Locks are often the first line of defense when it comes to protecting the security of you, your loved ones, and your valuables. Most of us shudder when we think what a world without locks would be like. So what are some of the most popular types of locks that can be found? You are about to find out as you read this article.
Mechanical Locks
- Keyed locks
These are by far the most popular types of locks that are made. They are the everyday locks that take just a simple key to open. They are found on everything from home doors to company filing cabinets. Some of them work very simply and others have significant security upgrades to them that make them harder than ever for thieves to defeat. Keyed locks are easy to remaster and there is very little upkeep that needs to be done to them also.
- Deadbolts
One of the drawbacks of keyed locks is they can be picked or forced open. That’s why so many homes and businesses also install deadbolt locks on exterior doors. These locks do not have a typical spring tumbler like keyed locks do. This makes them much more difficult to pick. That and the sturdy metal plate that receives the deadbolt make them one of the most secure types of exterior door locks.
Electronic Locking Devices
- Keycard locks
Electronic locks are quickly gaining on keyed locks as to their popularity. One of the favorite electronic locks for those with commercial properties is keycard locks. These locks can be found controlling parking entrance gates, limiting access to secure areas of a business, and providing door security for large apartment or condominium buildings.
- Keypad Locks
Here is another very popular type of electronic lock. The electric keypad lock has so many uses because of its versatility. It can be used on entranceway doors, on secured access gates and to control storage area access. They are even now the most popular style of lock that is found on commercial and home safes. There really is no limit to the number of places where one of these locking devices can be installed.
- Radio Signal Triggered Locks
You may not be able to recall if you have any radio transmitted locking devices but you probably use one every day without knowing. That’s because these are the type of locks that you use a transponder key for your car with. The locking mechanism is under the hood of the vehicle and it uses radio signal communication with the transponder key to do such things as unlock/lock car doors, open a trunk, and turn your car alarm on and off.
Locks That Offer Increased Security
- Bump-Proof Locks
For many years thieves have been using a technique on home and business entry doors that’s called ‘bumping locks’ to get them to easily open. Once lock manufacturers become wise to this practice they knew they had to do something about it. That’s when bump proof locks were born. These locks have a special internal working mechanism that makes them virtually impossible to ‘bump’ open.
- Sidewinder Locks
Automobile locks were proven not to be as big a theft deterrent as auto manufacturers would have liked. Regular auto keys were simply becoming too easy to duplicate and their locks were getting easier for thieves to quickly defeat too. This is when the lock industry came up with the sidewinder lock. Sidewinder locks are different than other car keys because they have no jagged cut outside edges. They work by having a laser cut a groove into the sides of them and the outer edges remain perfectly smooth.
Biometric Locks
- Fingerprint Scanners
Biometric locks have taken lock security to a whole new level. The most popular of these types of locks is what’s known as a fingerprint scanner. They work based on the principle that no two fingerprint patterns are ever the same. Just a simple electronic scan of a fingerprint will allow or deny access into an entranceway or secure area. These locks are also found on computers and high-security safes.