Door code lock: advantages and principle of operation

Keys have a bad property of losing, and therefore interest in locks that open without a key in people only increases. Moreover, their designs are constantly being improved, and the modern door code lock doesn’t resemble in any way those antediluvian locking mechanisms with pushing buttons that were still standing on each access door 10-15 years ago.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of coded locks, how reliable are they, and what is their price? We will help you understand these issues, based on the video in this article.

Locks with code: fundamental differences

Door code locks are classified only by two signs: the type, and the principle of control of the locking device. There are two types too. Among them, as among all other locks, there are mounted options that are used for garages, utility rooms, cellars, as well as mortise and overhead models.

Varieties

Naturally, the hinged door locks - with or without encoding, no one hangs on the doors of houses and apartments. But for a modest country house, this option is fine. As for the overhead and mortise mechanisms, locked by a combination of numbers or letters, they are used in various fields.

They differ in the method of installation, and even design. But any potential buyer always has a dilemma: which option to give preference to?

Before drawing any conclusions, one should be familiar with the principle of operation of locks, which are divided into two categories:

• These are mechanical locks.which can be push-button, roller and rotary. Push-button models, one of which we see in the photo above, can have quite respectable appearance. But due to their small reliability in terms of security properties, such locks are set, perhaps, on the gate. Roller locks are more often used on office premises. Rotating devices, very reliable and compact, usually equip safes.
• Electronic models - an individual coded door lock is best to ensure the safety of the home, and therefore this device deserves a separate, more substantive consideration.

Electronics is the future

An electronic lock is a high-tech locking device that is controlled by a microprocessor. The coding of door locks has hundreds of thousands of possible variations. To select the only combination that will open the lock is unrealistic - even if you do it with a computer.

• Electronic devices can also be push-button. With locks of mechanical action they are united by the same problem - dropping and abrasion of buttons. Therefore, this option is not suitable for intensive use.
• Locks in which the locking mechanism and control panel are integrated into a single unit, today universally installed on the doors of the entrances. It is enough to de-energize such a lock or disable it in another way - and the path is clear.
• But the advantage of modern electronic locking devices is that their control unit may be in a completely different place.. In such a situation, the intruder does not have access to the lock at all, and accordingly, he cannot try to open it.

It cannot be said that all electronic locks open without a key. Just the key may be somewhat different to what we are all used to.

There are, for example, variants in which the code combination is recorded on magnetic media. These devices have the highest level of protection, so they are used today in all reputable hotels, scientific institutes, administrative and public institutions.

Note! As a key for such locks use a plastic card, key chain or chip. Remote control options, controlled by a radio signal, are less reliable - the signal can be intercepted, and, accordingly, the code can be accessed.

The lock on a magnetic carrier is not only much more reliable, but also much more difficult technically. As you understand, no instruction found on the Internet will help you to install it yourself - do not even try.

However, buyers are not so interested in the installation process, which in any case is carried out by specialists. They are more concerned with the question: "How to recode the door lock in the case of a key?". About this we will say further.

How does the electromagnetic lock

In order for the code lock bolt to move, an impulse must be given to the electric magnet mounted in it. The magnetic field will open only when the code of the card or other carrier coincides with the code of the receiver. It is a reader in which there is no electronics at all.

In the castle there is an internal control unit with a magnetic winding. The lock case is fixed in the door leaf by lining or tie-in. The iron strike plate is mounted on the box, which is a static part of the door.

So:

• When current is applied to an electromagnet, they are strongly attracted to each other, and it is impossible to open the door. From the inside, it is usually opened by pressing a button, but in order to open the door from the outside, you must have an electronic key.
• To create an electromagnetic field, six volt voltage is sufficient, which is provided by a pair of mini-batteries. If the lock had to be connected to the mains, it would be enough to disconnect the wire - and the door is open.
• When installing such a lock, it is very important to ensure that the door frame fits snugly to the box. The smaller the gap, the stronger the magnetic field will hold the door. In such a situation, the door closer (see the Door closer for the door: design options and requirements for them) mounted on the door will not be out of place.
• The power of the lock is selected depending on the weight of the door leaf, but is taken with a margin. For the front door is better to buy a lock that can hold a canvas weighing 300 kg. For the interior - enough and 120 kg.

By the way: some magnetic locks can not only lock the door, but also vice versa - fix the canvas in the “open” position. The undoubted advantage is the fact that they can be installed on any doors - including plastic and glass. The average price of magnetic locks 12000-15000 rubles.

Features of electronic locks

An electronic lock is opened not by a card, but by dialing a combination of numbers on the panel - and forgetting the code is no better than losing the key:

• Trying to dial the code at random will not work either: three or four wrong combinations, and the outer handle of the lock will lock for 5 minutes.
• 2 more wrong sets - again a lock, during which it is impossible to open the door even with the correct code.
• All this is accompanied by sound signals, so thieves try not to get involved with such locks, so as not to attract attention.
• When buying a lock, it is better to choose a model with an alert. In this case, it will not immediately block if the code is entered incorrectly, but will first draw your attention with a sound signal - or, depending on the model, the corresponding indicator will light up.

There are such variants of locks - and they are the most expensive: 35,000 - 40,000 rubles, which can be connected to the telephone or the host’s computer. The signal can also be sent to the security guard. If someone tries to pick up the code on the lock, you will immediately know about it.

As for the conversion function, then everyone understands that it eliminates the need to change the lock in case of loss of a key or code. Anyway, the lock can be reprogrammed from time to time solely for security reasons.

Conclusion

Code conversion of mechanical type locks, which are often on apartment metal doors, is carried out in just a few minutes - using a special key that comes with a lock. You can perform this operation an unlimited number of times, so the manufacturers of such locks offer separate sets of keys.

Note that the keys need to take the keys of the same company as the lock. To change the code, just open the door, insert and turn the key counterclockwise several times.

A click in the lock will inform you that the recoding of the door lock is done safely. With digital locks, everything is much more complicated, since for this you need to dismantle the deadbolt mechanism.