Kwikset's SmartKey gives lock bumpers a whole new challenge
By Darren Murph 
posted March 11th 2008 1:47PM
posted March 11th 2008 1:47PM
[Via Apartment Therapy]
posted March 11th 2008 1:47PM
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Abloy has been making 100% unpickable locks for years (http://www.abloy.com/) and I really don't understand why people haven't switched to them in most of the world.
No lock is 100% unpickable.
Also, anyone who's worth their salt in entry system security knows that Kwikset are among some of the crappiest locks on the market.
Hey, if you can't pick the lock...
Explosives.
one post championing a particular brand. Another bagging it. Yet no links to verify / unverify?
:)
Vested interests at work?
I hope not.
Anyway, what I want to know:
"It also provides you the flexibility of re-keying your own lock quickly and easily without removing them from your door."
?? what does this mean, exactly.
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=Abloy
The youtubes beg to differ
Ok, sorry vOv, Abloy used to make an older style security lock (no longer for sale) that takes over 30 minutes to pick if it's sitting on the table in front of you. So you know, that makes it pretty useless.
Wow, I think they use those at my school. I guessing the keys are expensive.
@ ignatius
Definitely! Thats what termites for! I actually used it to burn through a lock once. It worked great but it destroyed the locked object.
If you want an unpickable lock, you go with Medeco. Seriously, those guys have thought at least three steps beyond the average lock-picker.
Actually, Medeco is a brand owned by Assa Abloy.
I just installed these on my house last night. Pretty slick.
I knew there was a reason I replaced all my locks with these.
Is this lock completely mechanical?
Mentions a SmartKey reset tool - sounds like a secure risk unless its certain you can't use that until the cylinder is removed
According to the manual (PDF at bottom of main read link), the reset tool only works when the cylinder is already turned halfway by the correct key. Seems like an interesting idea, but I really cant think of many situations where it would be useful to be able to reset a lock THAT easily.
I used one recently (at least I think it's the same as the one in this article). You put the original key in, then put in the "reset the lock" tool, then put in the new key. In other words, in order to rekey the lock you need the original key. I'm sure the idea is that by the time you can rekey the lock you've unlocked the lock. It would make a funny practical joke to change the locks, but it sounds alright to me.
Well on the website it mentions if you lose the key you can remove the cylinder from the door and bring it to a locksmith to use the reset tool. Maybe someone will figure out how to do that while its still in the door?
Handlesets, not handsets...for a moment, I thought this was available for cellphones too...
speaking about locks...i think i will need a truly durable and sophisticated one for my car after losing my front and back car license plates a few days ago.
losing my car would be the most dreaded thing! i hope it won't happen...
Insured?
Use some carriage bolts. You might have to take apart the holders or part of the trunk lining, but thieves will go wtf? and go to the next car.
Locks on your car won't help protect against license plate theft, sorry.
I don't think any kind of lock would really help, all in all, windows are still breakable.
yes, it's so disgusting. yeah, my car's insured but i'm not sure if it's covered by the insurance (i mean, the reimbursement for a lost car). i can't read my policy as it's in a different language and the locals didn't even give me a hint that it can be. so, maybe not.
what to do is just to pray everyday that no one steals it...hehe. the problem is i don't have a devoted parking space in my place, we park everywhere the the public parking lot. :(
Duh, your insurance won't pay if someone uses a bump key to break in.
As far as the police and insurance is concerned, there are no signs of a break in, so they will fight you all the way.
Have any of you guy's seen the instructions on how to rekey the lock! It's a PDF file on their website and after reading it I was like "Man, this is awesome! Imagine the possibilities!" Seriously... I want like 10 of these, right now.
Is this supposed to be news or an advertisement? This isn't a new product.
This lock isn't that new. I bought a couple of these deadbolts at Lowe's a few months ago and installed them. BTW, the SmartKey thing is on the inside part of the door(not facing the outside) and requires the correct door key in order to use it and re-key it.
Just to clarify, unless you install it backwards, it cannot be re-keyed from the outside.
According to the FAQ (What if I lose my key?) from the flash website it also can be re-keyed with a SmartKey reset tool when the cylinder is removed from the door without any key.
Yeah...but then of course the lock has to be removed from the door. My response was directed towards those concerned that someone could simply re-key the lock from the outside (for malicious purposes) when it was installed and locked.
Same here, I've seen the Kwikset SmartKey at local Home Depot and Lowe's stores for quite awhile and have bought them...
I'm not sure how you secure your house, but if you look at the picture, the smart key goes in right next to the regular key. I know all my doors require the key to be inserted from the OUTSIDE to get into the house. :)
As a side note, I put these in when I bought a house a couple months ago. it's a nice feature, but I don't know how many times I'll really need to re key my locks. I could see them being really convenient for landlords who have people constantly moving in and out of their houses.
These locks are not that great at all. Kwikset, if memory serves me, are made by Black and Decker. They are notorious for making absolutely horrid products, and these locks are no different. These are nearly exactly the same as Weiser locks, which have the same ability, but came out a little while before these (and are supposed to be higher end). Both of them feel cheap.
Schlage locks had by far the best quality to them (for the cheaper store shelf locks), but ive personally bumped them open when a customer came in with a lock that they lost a key to (used to work at HD, Rona).
The technology isnt impressive. Taking a number of them apart after unintentionally pulling out the cylinder with a little too much strength when the key got stuck (during one of these rekeyings, because customers are dumb enough to say "well cant you just do it?" after explaining to them the procedure) isnt impressive at all to me. Thank god for RMAs.
Uh, no. Unless it's a double-cylinder deadbolt, which is illegal in most places for residential entrance applications, then the SmartKey would need to be inserted from the outside of the door. Kwikset is infamous for doing this with their less expensive, hardware store residential knobsets, which can be popped off with a simple tool from the outside.
Some of you need to think a little outside the box. Bloobie figured it out - I installed double cylinder deadbolts, so it is keyed on both sides. My "smartkey" slot is on the inside of the door.
Considering I have glass next to my exterior doors I found double cylinder deadbolts to be the way to go. And don't worry, there's no statute against them in my jurisdiction.
crowbar?
Gordon Freeman never used keys afterall.
This technology has been around since the 80's, the original patent has now run out and that is why it is coming to the market again. Another solution that has been around for just as long is a product called InstaKey ( http://www.timelocksecurity.com/instakey/timelock.html )
Step 1: Find house with valuables locked with smartkey
Step 2: ?
Step 3: Profit!
Step 2 hint (read engadget post above this one)
Remember, if you can't get through the door, try the wall.
Widows are so much easier. Just ask the swat guys.
widows? It's go time...
Industrial users who have security issues should be looking at biometric and electronic systems.
Home users don't have to stay 100% ahead of the curve, just enough of it to bypass the typical uneducated thug likely to try to burglarize your home.
If you're fancy enough to have to worry about professional thieves, hopefully, you're not looking at engadget for security news on how to protect your Van Goghs.
Why spend time trying to pick a lock when there is probably a perfectly good window nearby? Seriously people, if somebody wants into something they will eventually get in given enough time and opportunity.
Most residential locks are arcadic designs at best, besides rekeying a lockset is not that hard. I used to do it in a few minutes as well as master key locksets when I worked at a hardware store years ago.
This is why people aren't all that concerned that their door locks are insecure.
Security is only as secure as the weakest link (to butcher the phrase).
Once somebody makes stronger glass windows (screens, pet doors, etc.) then people will start to worry about the quality of their locks. Until then, who cares?
Casual thieves don't pick locks- they look for unlocked doors or windows or break them. And an unpickable lock isn't going to stop a determined thief.
Or you could buy a dog.
Still the best security system after 10,000 years.
What the hell is a lock bumper?
One word: Youtube
I bought a Biometric Deadbolt doorlock from these guys :
www.viaetechnology.com
Best investment for my house yet..NO MORE FRIGGIN KEYS!!!.......tell em Paul sent ya and get a great deal ;)
Incidentally, Kwikset also makes a biometric deadbolt called SmartScan.
There have been some posts on LockPicking101.com (I'm a reader and occasional participant there) about these. They're not pick-proof, but the sidebar keeps bump keys from working. As far as security locks go, these are trick.
Also, not all kwikset locks are crap (as evidenced here), but the kwikset locks you find at wal-mart are.
The sure way to get through any door with any lock:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rpZlClVdNF4
The weak point in residential security isn't the lock on the door, it's the weakness of the doorframe.
Burglars don't break windows when they can simply kick in the door (much less noise than breaking a window - no risk of cuts)
If you have a typical residential wood door and wood doorframe, you need to install something like this: http://www.djarmor.com/