Tuesday, July 11, 2017

WHY YOU NEED TO ADD ACCESS CONTROL SYSTEM



Are you thinking of adding access control to your Ahwatukee, AZ business or industrial location? It may be a very smart choice! For those not familiar with access control, it is simply a way to better control the flow of people throughout a location, by use of locks, hardware, signage or other tools. While the term “access control” sounds mysterious or even intimidating, it’s really not. Remember the last time you went to a sporting event? You entered through one location and got in line at another to buy your ticket. You got into another designated line to present your ticket in order to gain paid entry. You were directed to an assigned seat and after enjoying the event, you exited through a designated doorway that most likely opened from the inside and not the other way around.

It’s all around us!

Access control is used by all of us on a daily basis - not only here in Ahwatukee, AZ but everywhere in the world! You see evidence of access control in restaurants, hotels, nursing homes, shopping malls, universities, apartment rentals, retail stores, government buildings, schools, casinos, sporting events and even funeral homes.

Why is access control important?

Access control use enables us to enjoy privacy, security and order. By restricting access to certain parts of a building or location, we can enjoy enhanced benefits that would not be possible during an all-out free for all. Take banks for instance. Our Ahwatukee Locksmith AZ technicians often are called upon to install keypad devices, CCTV, panic bars and badge readers at local banks, savings and loans and other financial institutions. Can you imagine if anyone visiting your bank was allowed to enter into the vault, safety deposit box room, or manager’s office? Thanks to access control, only authorized personnel can gain entry to these areas and their contents.

More examples

Visit your local jeweler and you’ll see additional examples of access control. The gems, watches and necklaces are kept inside of locking glass cases and only the staff, manager or owners have authorized access. Additional gems and investment grade stones are kept in a private vault in a private, no public access area. The back door to the store is protected by a panic bar, an exit sign and an alarm system. You as a customer know that you are to stand on one side of the cash register and glass cases. How do you know? The signs and roped-off areas say so! If you are observant, you will start noticing access control everywhere you go. Access control can be applied in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional locations and in each case, it makes crowd flow and employee access more controlled, safer, and orderly.

Fingerprint locks

Biometric lock technology or fingerprint locks is a fairly new and emerging from of access control. The person trying to gain access to an area or a device must enter a thumbprint, handprint or even retina scan first to see if it is recognized. If it is; access is granted! This form of access control is probably the most expensive form and is used in high dollar locations or products like banks, luxury high rises, jewelry stores, museums, luxury hotels and the like.  Apple is now using this form of access control mixed with a number sequence on a keypad backup for greater security for their iPhone buyers.

Panic bars

Also known as push bars or exit bars, these universally used horizontal bars seem to be everywhere! There’s a reason for that; they work! Push bars help with crowd flow by allowing the user to “push” on the bar and open the door. This is done easily, quickly, and with no knob turning or keys in the lock. You’ll usually find panic bars on exit doors that don’t have normal access into the room or building. This one-way flow helps keep the traffic moving along and leads to less panic and trampling in times of danger.

Push to exit buttons

These are mounted on walls near the exit doors and just like the name implies; you push on the button to release the door in order to exit. Most of the times, these buttons are red or green and clearly marked “push to exit.”

Motion sensors

This unique technology detects a person or a vehicle approaching the exit and when it does, it unlocks the door or gate. This is often used in government facilities or in country club communities where access is limited to authorized personnel or certain residents.

Emergency exits

These are usually located near the exit and are attached to the wall. There are two main types of these. One type uses a pull down handle that releases the door. The second type is the one where you break the glass and a switch inside is activated that releases the door.

Keypads

These are quite common in the access control industry and can be found in many applications ranging from car doors to luxury hotels. They are easy to use and only provide minimum security as anyone standing behind you can observe your key code and use it later to gain access. In order for keypad devices to be more secure, a video surveillance system needs to be implemented along with it so that visual recognition can be matched to the number sequence entered.

Proximity readers

These are also known as swipe cards or badges. These readers are a form of keyless entry in that no keys are needed to gain access to a room or building. A badge or swipe card embedded with a bar code or a computer chip is either held up to the device to be read (proximity) or swiped in order to be recognized and to be allowed access.

Get more info

Is access control right for you? If you’ve read this far, it might be! We urge you to call an experienced Ahwatukee locksmith expert and get additional details and all of your questions answered.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A SAFE IN YOUR HOME



It’s Better to be Safe than Sorry!


Banks, billionaires, and businesses have safes. But why should regular people like us own one? If you’re living in a neighborhood you feel fairly comfortable in, you are probably thinking a safe isn’t something you need. On the other hand, if you reside in an area you’re doubtful about, you might be at least a little curious about what kind of safe you should purchase. You may still be wondering: What would I ever keep inside a safe, anyhow? There are indeed a good number of reasons to purchase a home safe ~ and some that may not have occurred to you before.


Do your research.
 
Do your homework so you’ll be able to wisely choose the right safe for your requirements and your property. Let’s consider the following:


  • How big does your safe need to be?
  • Should the safe be hidden or visible?
  • What’s the most secure location for your safe in your home?
  • What company will you be able to contact if you were to ever get into technical problems?
  • Are there any uncommon aspects regarding protecting your specific items properly ~ such as temperature, humidity, light, and so forth?
  • Industry guidelines indicate the security rating for every safe manufacturer. What level of security is needed for your circumstances? Would you like to have a basic standard combination lock, or a safe that’s more sophisticated, such as a retina scan or fingerprint, and/or other features in between? What about a simple metal box? Or, what about something that’s firmly anchored?
  • Get familiar with industry standards when it comes to fire-resistance and water-resistance levels.
  • It’s vital to formulate a backup plan, just in case someone loses the information needed to get your safe open?
  • Which individuals will you decide to trust enough that you’ll show them how to open your safe?



Almost everyone owns valuables ~ collectibles, treasured heirlooms, and critical documents. Why risk losing or misplacing them? Let’s consider the following:

Protect against fire. 

If there’s a fire, a prime-quality safe will protect whatever’s inside from destruction. Think about what would happen if you were to lose these crucial items to fire?


  • birth certificates
  • passports
  • mortgage records
  • documents regarding any properties you own
  • copies of your driver's licenses or other identification cards and papers
  • your will
  • safe deposit box keys or other significant keys that you rarely use
  • investment documents
  • emergency cash
  • rare stamps or coins
  • a list of family doctors with their contact information
  • tax records
  • funeral arrangements
  • outstanding loans and other debt records
  • retirement plans
  • insurance papers for filing a possible claim
  • powers of attorney, living wills, & healthcare proxies
  • bank account information
  • titles to your vehicles
  • prescription medication and pharmacy information


Put a stop to theft.
 
A safe prevents a robber from stealing your much-loved possessions. Protecting your cherished items kept inside a safe will give you peace of mind. Do you often throw parties? Do you entertain house guests from time to time? When people visit, you can’t keep an eye on everyone. It’s a comfort to know that your irreplaceable items will remain intact inside your safe.

Guard against floods.
 
If a flood or any type of water-related disaster should occur, if you have the right safe, then anything inside it will be safe and sound.

Restore computer data. 

As every computer owner knows, you must make backups of your computer files continuously. Additionally, if you also store your computer data in your safe, if you ever were to face grave computer problems, your files would be totally retrievable. If your computer ever were to suffer a complete hard-drive crash, you’d still be able to restore everything.

Keep your loved ones out of harm’s way.
 
Do you own weapons? Then it’s absolutely imperative that you stop them from falling into the wrong hands ~ a child, a visitor, a teenager, an intruder, and so on. Take every possible step you can to avoid danger and tragedy! Buy a gun safe so only you will ever gain access to your guns, explosives, knives, axes, or any other weapons.

Preserve family photographs. 

Store digital duplicates of all of your family photos inside your safe, and keep the old-fashioned family photos there, too. Such photographic memories are otherwise irreplaceable.

You’ll always know just where your things are.
 
If you are constantly misplacing stuff, when you keep your essential items in your safe, you won’t lose them ever again.


The fact is, a safe is superior to a safety deposit box.
 
You may presume that a safety deposit box at the bank is better than having a safe at home. But the truth is, a home safe gives you numerous advantages:

  • Your home is private, not kept in a public area, like a bank, which means you always have direct access to your items.
  • As a general rule, believe it or not, at a bank, the contents of a safe deposit box aren’t insured. On the other hand, the items inside your home safe are usually covered by your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy.
  • Of course, you can open your safe 24/7, instead of only during business hours.
  • You make a one-time investment only, instead of paying a monthly charge.
  • Any emergency cash in a safety deposit box isn’t FDIC-insured.
  • Upon the death of a loved one, if you’re the beneficiary, you may think you can open that person’s safe deposit box; but customarily, a bank seals a safety deposit box upon receipt of the individual’s death certificate. You won’t be permitted to open it until the estate representatives supply the bank with the proper court papers.


There’s no doubt about it: A home safe provides lots of benefits. Safes are available in many sizes, brands, and types. If you have any questions about which safe is perfect for you, and you’re in Ahwatukee, Arizona, consider calling a professional safe technician on staff at Ahwatukee Locksmith AZ, where free consultations are available.

Monday, April 3, 2017

Garage Door Locks for Additional Security




Everyone who owns a garage realizes that it’s important to keep it locked. Why? Because often times, very expensive items are kept in this space. Cars are kept here. Boats are kept here. Expensive bikes, tools and even little things such as holiday decorations are stored away in the garage. All of this is secondary to the fact that often times, garages lead straight into the home. Ahwatukee Locksmith AZ is here to make sure that everyone (not just people in Ahwatukee, Arizona) realizes the importance of having garage door locks for additional security. Most locksmiths will be able to help you out with garage locks. Look for one that focuses on residential, automotive and commercial services. You will find a plethora of options to choose from, all of which improve the security of your property tremendously. There are locks that have been created for the largest garage doors, deadbolts and many other possibilities. Here, you will discover more information in regards to why you need garage door locks, and you will even learn about some of the solutions available to you. 

It’s a given that today, many people use remotes to operate their garage door. But just because you have an opener system installed, doesn’t mean that it is sufficient when it comes to security. Someone could fairly easily get into your garage if your only means of protection is the opener system. Don’t assume that this is enough. Instead, consider the many different lock types that are out there. Whether you have a manual or automatic garage door, there is a lock for you. There are internal locks and external locks. If you have a sectional garage door, you might want bolts. Do you have an up and over garage door? Again, consider bolts. 

Here are some of the many different options out there: 

·         Garage Door Side Locks for 2 or 3 Inch Tracks
·         Key Shutter Padlocks
·         Garage Door Bolts
·         Quick Release Locks
·         Garage Door Deadbolts
·         Garage Defender Masters
·         Garage Door Inside Deadlocks
·         Secure Universal Garage Door Lock Kits
·         Garage and Shed Latches – Heavy Duty Steel, Tamper Proof
·         And more!

Call a Lock and Security Provider

Clearly, there are a lot of options. If you pull up options online (try using a search engine such as Google, which will lead you to sites such as Amazon.com) you will likely end up being overwhelmed. To eliminate the confusion, get in touch with an expert. They will be able to go over everything with you and outline it in such a way that makes sense. Don’t know of a lock and security provider in your area? Not a problem. Just search online for one if you don’t have anyone you can ask. Friends and neighbors tend to provide the best feedback because you can trust the source the information is coming from. But sites like Yelp tend to have plenty of company reviews, and you should be able to find a locksmith in your area that has good ratings. Obviously, if you are in Ahwatukee, you should call Ahwatukee Locksmith AZ because we offer affordable help and proven services. But if you live elsewhere, be sure to seek out the best option for you. 

When it comes to locks for garage doors, there are so many different brands as well as various materials. Specific kinds of locks must be used with specific types of garage doors. Whether you have a sliding door, roll up door or anything else, a professional will be able to provide the best solution for you. 

Get New Locks and Maintain Your Current Locks

The need to have garage door locks for additional security really isn’t up for debate. The fact is, you need more than just an opener system, and you need to think about how dangerous it would be to physically pull your garage door shut, and then leave on vacation for a week. No one wants to think about the fact that their property could get broken into. But the truth is, you work hard for everything you own, and the items in your garage deserve protection. So have a lock installed on your garage door. Then take things one step further. Don’t forget to have a lock installed on the door inside of your garage that leads right into your home. Most people already have locks installed on this part of their property, but if you don’t have one, make sure to purchase one! Also, check to make sure any existing locks are in great shape. Whether you have Kaba, Kwikset, Schlage, Mul-T-Lock or any other brand, it is important that you pay attention to it and keep it maintained. Over time, everything starts to fall apart. Locks are no different, even if they come from the absolute best manufacturers. Think about it – locks are often used on a daily basis. Over time, cold weather, extreme heat and overuse can lead to them falling apart. You might eventually find yourself dealing with a key that has broken off inside of the lock. You can avoid certain problems altogether by maintaining your existing locks!

Hopefully you have a better understanding of the additional security that is offered by garage door locks. Any questions should be directed to a locksmith expert. Remember, you are sure to be able to find one in your area if you do an online search or ask trusted friends, neighbors and even coworkers who they recommend. You don’t want to install the garage door locks yourself, as you could end up causing damage to your property or injuring yourself. Let an expert do the trick. Just remember there are many different options, from garage latches, universal garage door lock kits and deadbolts to quick release locks, padlocks and so much more. Whether you want side locks or something else, you are sure to find something that works perfectly for you. Best of luck in your search for the ideal locks for your garage door!