Code Compliance Just Got Easier

This intelligent device simply slips over your existing entrance set and provides for a glow in the dark handle grip. Perfect for arthritis sufferers.

Opening doors just got easier. Stop struggling with slippery door knobs! Great Grips go over round door knobs, creating a secure, slip-free grip. Grips glow for up to 8 hours so you’ll never fumble for a knob in the dark again! No tool installation — simply moisten with water and stretch to fit. Set of 2.

Use of these sensational products is considered one of the least expensive methods for complying with ADA and AHJ panic exit requirements without the need to replace or install expensive hardware.

Most jurisdictions have adopted the 2003 International Building Code as the basis for construction. Many inspectors will not issue occupancy permits unless door hardware meets code. Now you can comply with the code without the need for expensive hardware.

Bilock Slam Cam

Bilock produce one of the industry's most innovative locking systems.

Particularly the Bilock Slam Cam lock is the only deadlatching cam lock available today in a removable core style.

This unique lock can secure drawers and swing door cabinets easily and inexpensively.

The added benefit of being able to include the locks in a master key system to reduce the number of keys you require at the office or showroom, is another excellent advantage.

Locks210.com can supply and install these locks keyed to your personal requirements and you can rest assured that keys can only be reproduced upon presentation of a correctly authorised letter, thereby preventing unauthorised access to your valuables.

For more information on how Bilock can make you extremely secure, contact us on (314)266-1533 today!

NDE Magazine Issue #3

NDE magazine, one of the voices of the Locksport Community, recently released their 3rd installment of this new and popular magazine.

An interesting article written by a notable leader of the Locksport community is as follows:


It’s a New Day:
Security Through Obscurity & the
Locksmith Industry
"It seems that everything changes over time, but the physical security industry has changed
dramatically and it will never again be the same. For hundreds of years the locksmith trade has
been one of precious secrets and knowledge, passed from journeyman to apprentice, from father to
son. That was the old paradigm, or what some might even call “the good old days” of locksmithing.
Today, anyone with access to the internet can discover “secrets” that were previously possessed by
only a select and trusted few. The old paradigm no longer fits and it hasn’t for many years. While
some may wish to blame locksport, it has been this way for longer than locksport has existed. It
is left to the professional locksmiths to grow and adapt to this new world and satisfy the needs of
their customers.
In days of old, the “lock smith” was the one who actually made the locks. They worked hard to
develop the best possible lock, carefully guarding their secrets. They truly aimed to create security
for their customers. Since it was they who crafted the lock, it was they who knew every detail of
it, details they certainly didn’t want falling into the wrong hands. And so it was for generation after
generation, and the system worked reasonably well.
Something changed though, and it wasn’t the proliferation of the internet, where secrets are passed
around more rapidly than a doobie at a Grateful Dead concert. No, it was much, much earlier than
that. What changed? Locksmiths stopped making locks.
Indeed, it was this shift that changed the face of the industry. The role of the locksmith changed
forever. They were no longer craftsman, they were knowledgeable experts. They were no longer
builders and designers, they were installers and troubleshooters. The locksport community didn’t do
that to them. It wasn’t even conceived of yet. It was the economy of mass production that
irreversibly changed their role. It is not to say that locksmiths needed to know less. In fact, one
could easily argue that they needed to know more, with the need to know about the wide variety of
products and options available to the consumer. Locksmiths continued to serve a vital role in
society, but that role had changed.
So what’s the problem? The problem was, and in many cases continues to be, that many of the
“old ways” remained. Left unchanged was the desire to protect valuable “trade secrets” and other
such pieces of information that, at the end of the day, amounts to nothing more than knowledge of
vulnerabilities. To some extent, this was done to protect their trade. While it’s an understandable
position to take, it’s not necessarily helpful. Add to this a second influence that came in the form of
pressure and expectation from the manufacturers. In some sense, locksmiths have become the
salespeople for the lock manufacturers. Locksmiths even invest large sums of money to gain
“authorized reseller” status from leading manufacturers. With all this invested, it’s easy to
understand why they would hold to their old position of security through obscurity.
This does present a serious question to consider: If locksmiths are influenced by pressures to
protect their industry and to protect the interests of the manufacturers they represent, then who
shall stand as advocate for the consumer? This is the question of the moment in the physical
security industry. Before the angry responses begin to fly, it might be worth the effort to note that
not all locksmiths can be painted with the same brush because each locksmith may choose to
conduct their business as they see fit. There are numerous locksmiths that hold, as the single
highest matter of importance, their responsibility to the consumer. With others, the interests of
the consumer have been shuffled down on the list of priorities.
The proliferation of the locksport community, though still in its infancy, has emerged from those
who simply have an interest in the products they use to secure their person and property, and the
limitations inherent within those products. Indeed, few enthusiasts set out to “change the world”
in any meaningful way. However, in many cases some have stepped up to become the de facto
advocate for consumer awareness. This role would not need to be filled if the locksmith industry at
large was fulfilling that need.
It is wise in any industry to consider the needs of the consumer first, because clearly it is the consumer
that drives the industry. For far too long they have been left in the dark concerning the
vulnerability and risk to which they were subjected. This is made evident by the reaction of average
people when they view media stories on the “bumping” technique. Their shock and discomfort
serves to show us that the physical security industry has done a poor job of informing the public.
Locksmith trade groups claim that the technique has been known to locksmiths for decades. If this
is true, why was the public not informed or the vulnerability corrected?
Some argue that it is the public release of information, such as bumping, that creates the vulnerability.
The argument is that bumping attacks were uncommon or even unheard of before information on
the subject was released widely. There is just enough truth in that argument to make it dangerous.
The problem, of course, is that the technique was used. Because bumping leaves little in the way
of physical evidence, it is difficult to accurately judge how often it was used. One can’t help but
wonder if the victims of these crimes would be pleased to know that the locksmith that sold them
the lock may have known of the threat, but chose not to inform the consumer. Were those victims
better off not knowing of the problem?
The issue of security through obscurity is a dead concept in virtually every area of security, except
the locksmith industry. Computer professionals and corporate security advisors have long recognized
that security through obscurity can act as one of many layers in a security plan, but left to stand on
its own it is disastrous. Anyone doubting this might consider a preview of Kevin Mitnick’s The Art
Of Deception. Despite this, the locksmith industry continues to hold tight to its old ways.
This article is an extrospective look at the locksmith industry. That is to say it is written from an
outsider’s point of view. The author writes from his own perspective only. Before anyone lines up
to state the irrelevance of the author’s perspective, it might be worth noting that the author is,
himself, a consumer in the physical security industry. If this consumer’s perspective is considered
invalid, does it not serve to validate the article itself? Food for thought.
Josh Nekrep
President, Locksport International
Administrator, LockPicking101.com"

(source...)

Bump Keys In The News

National Public Radio aired this report about a sting operation that nabbed "Bump Key Bandits" in Texas, late last year.

This is further evidence of the vulnerabilities of almost all conventional lock and key systems currently used across America today.

Click on the picture to listen to the radio report.

Bilock, is the only pin tumbler product in America that is 100% fully guaranteed bump proof.

The design of the Bilock product is far advanced compared to other products and includes devices that deter effective lock pick devices

Locks210.com and our parent company, Master Key Systems America LLC offers Bilock as our signature product. When combined with the Bioaxxis BD1 fingerprint biometric deadbolt, you create the most formidable lock product available today.

If lock bumping doesnt or hasnt concerned you in the recent past, perhaps it is time to re-examine your priorities?

Many houses and residential condominium and apartment complexes use sophisticated master key systems to easily maintain smooth and efficient maintenance access to residential entries and public areas. With all the recent publicity surrounding lock bumping and the quantity of news stories across America about this issue and the issues relating to Scam and Phony locksmith companies, consumers need to be more diligent and proactive than ever before.

It is staggering the quantity of people I meet who know about lock bumping. If as many people know about it, you can be assured that many people are doing it.

How would you know? There is no evidence of forced entry.

Locksmith scam bill passes state assembly

California has been proactive about the issue of scam locksmith companies with the recent introduction of new legislation that increases fines and convictions for unlicensed locksmiths caught for ripping off consumers.

Assembly Bill 2592 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D. San Francisco) and inspired by a 7 On Your Side investigation passed by a 42-27 vote. Most democrats supported the bill. Republicans mostly opposed it.

The bill would increase fines for unlicensed locksmith activity tenfold to $10,000. It would also place restrictions on misleading ads and require licenses to be prominently displayed.

A 7 On Your Side hidden camera investigation originally aired in February 2007 and uncovered exactly how the scam works.

Consumers locked out of their home call a locksmith desperate for someone to pick the lock. The locksmith pretends the lock is pick proof and then proceeds to drill the lock. The unsuspecting homeowner is then charged as much as $5,000 to replace the lock. Legitimate locksmiths say the normal charge would be $75 to $125.

If the consumer complains about the charge, the locksmith sometimes threatens to leave without replacing the broken lock.

A 7 On Your Side check of locksmiths advertising in the San Francisco phone book found 98 percent of them were unlicensed. Many listed phony addresses or no addresses at all. Many of their phone numbers automatically forwarded to a central call center. Sometimes that call center is as far away as New York.

The bill now goes to the full senate. Nick Hardeman, a spokesman for Assemblywoman Ma, says his office would work with the California Department of Consumer Affairs to gain their support. He says the Department is concerned that some of the provisions in the bill would be too burdensome and impractical to enforce.

(source...)

How Much Does It Cost To Change Locks?

Many enquiries that locksmiths receive, are about the cost to change locks.

Often, clients are meaning to inquire as to just changing the combinations of their existing locks, so they can maintain the same hardware on their doors.

Or when the keys to their house, office or automobile have been misplaced, stolen or even copied unknowingly (suspected), the have the need to re-code their locks.
Also many new home buyers or new tenants want to make sure that previous residents of their property can no longer gain entry.

Locksmiths across the country vary greatly in their fees. There are accepted industry averages published in locksmith publications like The National Locksmith magazine and the Locksmith Ledger magazine annually, but the going rate can vary from around $5.00 per keyhole to as much as $20.00 per keyhole for residential or commercial door locks and from $10.00 to $35.00 for automobile locks. Often this does not include labor for the removal and refitting of locks.

Master-keying is another charge that most locksmiths charge slightly higher fees for. Often, specialist products like Medeco or Multlock or Primus or Best or Assa or Abloy or Bilock products can incur significantly increased fees due to the higher cost for the pin or disc tumblers.

Locks210.com charges a standard fee of $10.00 per keyhole to re-key a standard residential or commercial door cylinder not including labor for removal and refitting. Master-keying is $15.00 per keyhole.

We can offer automobile re-keying services but prices are subject to application. There are many and varying brands and manufacturers of automobile lock cylinders, requiring multiple different keying kits. Stocking all possible kits to service all makes and models of foreign and domestic vehicles requires significant amounts of warehousing that directly impacts costs.

If the products are brought to us, we charge the same fees without labor of course.

Most locksmiths will provide the first 2 keys at no charge. For residential or commercial doors (not automotive) we provide the first 3 keys.

For an obligation free estimate contact us today on (314)266-1533.

Brightdoor

Last year we posted an article on Brighthandle. A glowing handle indicating the room was in use.

Here is another take on that design, only in the full form factor. an entire door that glows the color, determining whether it is busy or not.

Now even those inebriated souls can be instantly stopped in their tracks.

(....source)

New Biometric Ignition Lock

Hitachi, one of those forward thinking Japanese companies, recently released details on this new type of ignition lock for cars.

A biometric fingerprint ignition lock, effectively does away with the need for mechanical car keys completely.

You will never lose the keys to your car again (unless you lose your finger).
The one drawback, could be, when taking the car to your mechanic for service or repair. You would need to program their fingerprint into the biometric reader.

This will be one surefire method to prevent auto theft or even the kids from taking mommy and daddy's car for a joyride.

The company’s finger-vein biometric technology has been around for a while, most notably in Japanese banks, but the latest attempt to expand the identity-authentication technology goes public this week at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Hitachi already has a far simpler system that works as a key to open car doors, but the update, which uses a reader embedded in the steering wheel, goes much further.

Aside from acting as an ignition key, each driver’s finger can be linked to their own preferences for seat position, mirror angles and so on. Additionally, Hitachi reckons a driver’s different fingers could be used to adjust different aspects of the car - middle finger to switch on the GPS, little finger for the air-con and the like.

Own an iPhone?

The next 12-24 months should be an interesting time to own an iPhone. There are many new companies producing all manor of gadgetry to work in conjuction with the iPhone.

One such company is Lextech.

Check out this interesting video of a pan, tilt, zoom camera, being controlled using an iPhone.