Author Archives: admin

• Shed Lock Options

  Posted on January 23rd, 2018 0 Comments

  Do you want to maintain your Chicago home security, or that of your business? Doing so includes ensuring that all areas of your property are secure, including outdoor sheds. Regardless of the specific use or purpose of your shed, they all require the security that strong locks provide – but choosing the proper one can be complicated. Here’s a guide from the expert residential locksmith at Chicago Locksmiths on how to choose the best type of shed lock.

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  Author: admin

• Car Security Tips

  Posted on January 23rd, 2018 0 Comments

  Chicago Locksmiths excels at providing vehicular locksmith services to the entirety of the Windy City. In order to do so, we need to be experts at all aspects of car security. Here’s a brief guide prepared by our expert locksmiths on how to ensure that your cars are protected from theft.

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  Author: admin

• Mailbox Locks

  Posted on December 18th, 2017 0 Comments

  Mailbox burglary is more common than publically estimated – and it can be quite serious, as if valuable information is stolen from your mail, you can experience identity theft and a whole slew of stressful theft related situations. Here’s a guide to the important facts that you absolutely need to know before you install a lock on your mailbox – or ask a licensed  commercial locksmith expert at Chicago Locksmiths to help you do so.

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  Author: admin

• Reasons Keys are Turning in Door Lock

  Posted on December 8th, 2017 0 Comments

  If your key continues to turn inside your door lock beyond the normal turning distance it can signal that there’s a minor to major malfunction occurring within your lock mechanism. This situation can call for a lock repair, or potentially a full lock replacement depending on the gravity of the error. Here’s a guide prepared by the experts at Chicago Locksmiths as to the various reasons your keys might be turning inside your door lock.

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  Author: admin

• Security Measures when Upgrading your Home

  Posted on November 18th, 2017 0 Comments

  

  Home upgrades aren’t just great times to improve the aesthetics and comfort of your home – they are also fantastic opportunities to improve your home security infrastructure! Here’s a guide prepared by Chicago Locksmiths about all the different security measures that you can take into consideration when you are undergoing a home upgrade.

   

  Doors

  Doors are one of the most commonly upgraded parts of a home. Without strong doors, your security is incredibly weak. When upgrading your home, assess how well your doors can hold up to physical attack. This includes all aspects of the door including it’s hinges and it’s frame. Of course, you’re going to want to consider exactly what’s behind the doors as well when you assess how important it’s upgrade is.

   

  Door and Window Locks

  This is an essential part of home upgrades unless you already have an incredibly strong deadbolt lock. You want to make sure that your door locks not only help keep unwanted people out, but don’t place people inside at risk during an emergency where they may have to quickly exit the property. Window lock upgrades should also be taken into consideration after testing the strength of your window locks – especially those that are easily accessible from outside.

   

  Window Films

  Window films are thin protective layers that help increase the security and resistance of glass windows, elevating your security. They prevent burglars from being able to break through your windows to enter your property. They are hard to detect from outside and help make windows shatterproof – but should not be used on windows that are meant to be potentially used as auxiliary emergency exits.

   

  Cameras

  Surveillance cameras can heighten your security when placed outside your front door, allowing you to monitor and maintain your home security. CCTV cameras help deter potential thefts or burglaries, and even a fake mock camera does a great job as a deterrent.

   

  Alarm Systems

  Every home needs a well functioning alarm system. THey help boost the security measures of your building, and often allow you to monitor the status of your home from far away – notifying you if there’s unapproved entry into your home, and automatically contacting the authorities.

   

  Window and Door Sensors

  Like alarm systems, these sensors notify you or the authorities if doors or windows are opened or tampered with in an unapproved context. They often come together with CCTV camera packages, but can also be purchased as stand alone equipment – and they really do help increase the layers of your home security. They are made up of a simple circuit that triggers an alarm when the circuit is broken. One great benefit of these sensors is that they are very difficult to spot, and are small and subtle.

  

  Author: admin

• Types of Car Keys

  Posted on October 9th, 2017 0 Comments

  

  There’s a wide variety of car keys that we commonly deal with in out capacity as professional automotive locksmiths. Here’s a brief guide to the types of car keys most commonly available today, as prepared by the experts at Chicago Locksmiths.

   

  Wafer Keys

  These keys are designed to open wafer locks and have grooves on the upper and lower parts of the blade. These double serrations are made so the key can be inserted in two ways, so the biting on both halves of the blade can move some wafers up and some wafers down. These locks are similar to normal pin tumbler locks. The wafers are spring loaded and the pins are raised to a height proportional with the wafers. The longer the wafer the deeper the lock groove, and vice versa. These locks do not’ offer fantastic security since there are many tools like Marshal keys, wave keys, and kiggle keys that can be used to open up the lock. Wafer keys can be upgraded with transponder chips that prevent thieves from being able to turn on the ignition of your car.

   

  Slider Keys

  These keys, not to be obvious, move sliders. They have a serpentine path cut into both sides of the blade, which, similar to as with wafer keys, can be inserted in two ways, and similar as raise or lower aspects of the lock. The sliders correspond to the path of the key’s cut, raising it to precise height. However, different from wafer locks, slider locks have multiple gates – with a single gate, the deepest one, being the one necessary to allow the lock to turn, and many additional false gates being present in order to provide additional security functionality. These are the ideal keys for the majority of smart key systems, as they are commonly integrated with electronic fobs.

   

  Transponder Keys

  These use multiple key systems in conjunction, the traditional slider or wafer key which unlocks the doors, or trunk according to normal pin raising/lowering principals, and a transponder chip – which fuses the technology of a transmitter and a responder in order to provide a unique and custom electronic signal that allows the key ring wrapped around the ignition cylinder to turn on the car. This security system will prevent unauthorized attempts to turn your car on if a misprogrammed or blank key is used. If a transponder key is lost you will need to program a blank transponder key to fit your car’s specific needs, a process which the experts at Chicago Locksmiths can easily carry out.

   

  Key Fobs

  This term describes the electronic remote part of a key that can unlock doors, open trunks, or even turn on the ignition in push button cars. They key fob works as a security token that authenticates that you are the authorized user through either near field communication, infrared, or Bluetooth technology. Some cars will automatically unlock when the key fob approaches its vicinity – these keys are known as smart keys, which can turn on your car before you are inside it. Key fobs can either be housed inside the key itself, or located in a separate device.

  

  Author: admin

• Broken Key FAQ

  Posted on October 3rd, 2017 0 Comments

  Here at Chicago Locksmith, we often receive calls regarding broken keys – one of the most common lock and door related issues in the industry. Our locksmiths are trained to handle this situation, and have long standing experience to get you a working new key in no time at all. Here’s some examples of the most frequently asked questions we get receive from our customers regarding broken keys.

   

  Do I have to replace my lock if the key broke off in it?

  Usually you won’t have to do so. Our locksmiths can get the broken aspect of the key out of the lock quickly – this is usually a simple and quick operation. However, we stress the importance of not trying textract the broken part of the key yourself, as you can cause damage to the lock this way.

   

  What’s the timeframe for a broken key extraction?

  These operations take under a half an hour.

   

  Do I have to rekey my locks?

  Nope. As long as you work with our talented locksmith professionals, the security of your lock will never be altered.

   

  Can you make me a spare key?

  Absolutely. As professional locksmiths, this is our bread and butter. We can do this with the pieces of the broken key, or with it’s biting code.

   

  Can I open my door by attaching two broken pieces of my key?

  Absolutely not. This can result in pushing the broken part of the key further into the lock, making it much harder to extract. When a key breaks off in a lock, make sure to contact a truly professional and trustworthy locksmith who can handle the job – don’t insert any random objects into the lock in an attempt to remove the key pieces, as this can complicate the damage rather than allowing you to fix it with an easier solution.

  

  Author: admin

• Electronic Locks

  Posted on September 23rd, 2017 0 Comments

  

  Electronic locks add a great deal of safety and security to private property. All the very best safe makers these days create specialty electronic lock systems. Of course, different technology has different pros and cons – so the balance of what mechanical lock and what electronic lock you use dictates the true levels of security in your property. Here’s a brief guide to electronic locks, as prepared by the experts here at Chicago Locksmiths.

   

  Electronic Lock Definition

  Electronic locks get unlocked or resealed through electric current that either powers an electromagnet, a solenoid, or a motor, which in turn activate the lock in either fail-safe or fail-secure ways.

   

  Fail Safe Locks

  Fail Safe locks open on the sides of the ingress if there is a power outage, or if an emergency alarm is activated. This happens because the electric current is used to keep the door lock, and by taking out the power you will disengage the lock technology.

   

  Advantages of Fail Safe Locks

  • Protects workers during emergencies
  • Allows large buildings with high traffic like schools or museums to maintain efficient and safe exits

   

  Disadvantages of Fail Safe Locks

  • If power is fully lost the building will no longer be secure.
  • Pulling the emergency alarm will unlock all emergency exits.
  • Will make buildings somewhat susceptible to crime during real or fake emergencies

   

  Fail Secure Locks

  These locks are the opposite of failsafe locks, and they use the electric current to retract the bolt. If there is a power outage, the bolt will remain locked.

  Advantages of Fail Secure Locks

  • Protects property during the time of emergency.
  • An electromagnetic pulse or power failure won’t disengage the locks.

   

  Disadvantages of Fail Secure Locks

  • This isn’t ideal in large buildings that have lots of traffic because it can slow the entry of emergency responders.
  • Evacuation can be blocked if door locks are fail secure.

   

  Not all devices are found in both fails secure and failsafe varieties. The majority of the time the way that the lock functions determines if loss of electricity would open or lock the door or other entranceway. Other types of electronic locks are:

   

  Electric Strikes

  These strikes consist of a spring loaded keeper that moves the lock’s bolt. Only when given the right cde will the keeper move allowing the bolt to retract. It’s installed on the side of the door frame or on the inactive door in double door situations.

   

  Electric Latch Retraction

  These fail secure locks have bolt functions that retract when electricity is provided, and it will stay retracted unless the current stops or is turned off. The bolt stays securely in place when there’s no current, so preparations have to be made for potential emergencies. However, they can be programmed to be opened by fire alarms.

   

  Electromechanical Locks

  These locks are available as fail secure or fail safe and consist of a gear and latch system that can be manipulated with lock cylinders and/or electricity. The fail safe versions of these locks have the bolt extended with electric currents. If there is a power outage the door will stay unlocked. The fail secure version of these locks use electricity to retract the bolt where it will stay locked until power is restored.

   

  Electromagnetic Locks

  These common magnetic locks cannot be fail secure, meaning if there is a blackout they will unlock. They were actually originally manufactured for this purpose, to unlock in the event of power loss or when a fire alarm is pulled. When power is restored, the current will allow the door to magnetically bind itself to the metallic door frame with varying strength depending on how the magnetic coil is wound, and how much electricity is being deployed.

  

  Author: admin

• Residential Rekeying FAQ

  Posted on September 23rd, 2017 0 Comments

  Here at Chicago Locksmiths we often get asked questions about our residential rekeying process. Although it seems like it might be a straightforward process, rekeying actually contains many variables that can affect the efficacy of the entire operation. Here’s a brief guide to the most common rekeying FAQs that we receive from our loyal customers.

   

  Can this lock be rekeyed, or does it need to be replaced?

  Often you can rekey locks instead of fully replacing it. Good locksmiths will always provide rekeying as an option, and it’s always possible unless a major part of the lock is damaged or the customer desires a brand new lock. This is a cost effective and practical solution.

   

  How long does rekeying take?

  This depends on what type of lock you have. Experienced locksmiths can rekey a lock in a matter of minutes. However, some locks are more complicated which can lead to longer service times – but you can rest assured that the experts at Chicago Locksmiths can carry out any rekeying operation in no time at all.

   

  Can I try to rekey my lock myself?

  Rekeying is a much faster process when carried out by a professional locksmith. However when amateurs attempt to rekey locks themselves they often complicated things, and often damage the locks in the process. This is why we advise prospective customers against attempting to rekey their locks themselves/

   

  Should I rekey my locks if I just moved into a new house?

  Definitely. You never know who might have a copy of the key to your home procured before your move in date. There’s a possibility that your lock is master keyed, especially if there’s been any recent construction on it, which means that there’s definitely master pins still inside your lock – increasing the amount of keys out there that can be used to gain access to your home, property, and family.

   

  

  Author: admin

• Pros and Cons of Rekeying and Replacing Locks

  Posted on August 23rd, 2017 0 Comments

  Many homeowners, when posed with the choice, don’t understand the difference between rekeying a lock and fully replacing it. Surprisingly, it’s more common for people to choose to totally change their locks rather than rekey them. Sometimes, however, rekeying is a better option. In this guide, prepared from the expert experience of the technicians at Chicago Locksmith, we’ll detail both the pros and cons of rekeying locks and replacing them.

   

  Rekeying Locks Pros

  Increased Security

  When rekeying your locks you will reassert your key control, by rendering all other keys void. This process is commonly carried out by homeowners when they move into their house in order to prevent previous homeowners or anybody else from being able to walk on in, sealing up gaps in security.

   

  Cost

  Rekeying simply consists of the keypins in the lock cylinder being swapped out. Key pins are much less expensive than brand new locksets, making rekeying a fantastically cost effective option for homeowners.

   

  Quick Process

  Professional locksmiths can quickly rekey locks quite easily with just a catch tool, a spanner, a key decoder, and the current key. This should be a cut and dry easy operation for any professional locksmith.

   

  Cons of Rekeying Locks

  Not too many security upgrade choices

  Rekeying locks give you only a slight boost in your security – as you’re simply limiting the potential of other people with keys being able to access it, as opposed to increasing the inherent security features and durability of the lock itself. If you have a less-than-perfect lock installed, and rekey it, you’ll still be left with a not so good lock. This isn’t nearly as strong of a security upgrade compared to upgrading the lock completely to a stronger lock.

   

   

  Pros of Lock Replacement

  Customizable Options

  When you install a new lock you can customize your security, choosing the feeling and appearance of the locks, as well as choose additional features like extra long screws and additional security pins. By replacing your lock, you have a whole new set of security tools to protect your property with.

   

  Upgradability

  You can upgrade your locks, and thus, the general security of your property. If you have a Grade 2 deadbolt on your door, you couldn’t upgrade it to a Grade 1 deadbolt simply by rekeying – but you easily can through a lock replacement, choosing a stronger and more durable lock, exponentially increasing the security of your property by scores. Replacing your lock gives you endless flexibility for security upgrades.

   

  Cons of Lock Replacement

  Labor/Cost

   

  Lock replacement is a more expensive and technically complex operation than simply rekeying your locks. You will have to pay for the extra labor in addition to the price of the brand new lockset, which is usually, even on its own, more expensive than the entire cost of the keypins required for a rekeying operation. However, for home or business owners with a budget, there’s simply no replacing the security benefits that come with a lock replacement.

  

  Author: admin
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