Author: vc_locksmiths

The Internet of Things: The New Wave of Home and Business Security

If you are familiar with the Internet of Things you may already be aware of the new level of convenience it offers to home and business security.

Security used to mean hardwired contacts that set off an alarm if a circuit was broken and a lot of heavy deadbolts that needed extra keys. Now, with the arrival of the Internet of Things security and comfort can be handled from afar via your smartphone or laptop. The Internet of Things refers to the ability of “things” to talk across the Internet to other “things.” Specifically, while at the beach you can check to see if you locked the front door. You can let the neighbor kid in once a day at noon to feed the cat while you’re at work, then re-lock the door when she leaves. You can get an alarm to detect water in your basement and you can bring up a cam to take a look at your entire property. Furnace fails while you’re on a winter getaway? You can find out and arrange a repair before all the pipes freeze.

Locksmiths are in business to offer security for you, your home and your property. Ask for an evaluation to learn about new opportunities to keep everything in your life more secure. Want to learn more about one of these great Mul-T-Lock devices? Visit Entrlock.com and learn more.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Car Lockouts: 4 Things to Avoid

Locking your key in the car makes you feel so totally helpless. You can see it, but you can’t get to it.

Here are 4 tricks to use to avoid this happening to you.

1. When you turn off the ignition, make a habit to immediately remove the key and keep it in your hand. If you have packages to take out with you, stop and put it in your pocket, or only grab them with the key still in your hand. Getting gas, same rule. The key goes with you when you get out to fill up.
2. Take the spare – On long trips, take the spare with you and keep it on your person. If you accidentally leave the key in your car, the spare is on you. Put it in a pocket, on a belt loop, or a lanyard. Don’t leave it in a purse or wallet. These might not leave the car when you stop at a rest area to stretch your legs.
3. Only use the fob to lock the car – End the habit of locking the door manually when you step out. If you use the fob, by definition you can’t lock yourself out.
4. Always store the spare in the same place at home – For around town driving, you aren’t likely to carry the spare. Just be sure it is stored somewhere it can be found. If you have to call a family member or friend to bring a spare to you, you need to be able to tell them where it is stored.

For these and other tips, contact your local locksmith at . Visit http://valleycyclelocksmiths.com/ for more information.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

5 Basics of Vacation Security for Your House

Today’s blog is a simple one. It is a basic reminder about your home and vacation security. It is a good idea to take a few steps so that it is less noticeable to the casual observer that your house is empty for an extended period.

Here are 5 small changes you can make that will have a big impact

1. Trash – Ask a neighbor to put out some trash in front of your place on garbage collection day. No trash means you aren’t home to create garbage to be thrown away.
2. Packages – Packages are a twofold threat. Left on the doorstep for days, they are a red flag announcing no one is home. Second, they are a tempting crime of opportunity. Anyone can see them and steal them front your front porch. Place orders so that items won’t arrive until you return or else ask a neighbor to watch out for deliveries.
3. Lights on – A few timers set to turn on lights in a pattern that reflects normal nighttime habitation takes a few minutes, but is worth it.
4. Leave a radio on – A silent house is an empty house.
5. Mail and papers – Fewer people get newspapers delivered today, but mail still arrives. Schedule a suspension of mail and papers, or ask someone to collect these daily for you.

These are 5 quick tips that take very little time but eliminate the biggest signs to everyone that you’ve left town for a while.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Who Locked the Dog Out?

This blog today is about both plain old convenience and moving into the new century. Remembering to carry your keys in all cases is just a pain. Clear and simple. Sure, when you leave for work you remember to take your keys, but when you step out of the house on a whim you often forget. Got to take the dog for a quick break, go for a jog, or mow the lawn? Who remembers to take a key or wants to carry it along. Get yourself some real convenience and get rid of the house key FOR. EVER. Keyless entry pad technology means you never need to carry along a set of keys, and will never lock yourself out of the house again.

Contact Valley Cycle Locksmiths for more information on how to enable this in your home. Visit http://valleycyclelocksmiths.com/ to learn more.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Security is an Ongoing Commitment, Not a One-Time Investment

When you buy a car, you don’t just run it and hope for the best. You change the oil, do periodic inspections, check the tires for wear and air pressure. It is an ongoing effort, but it is necessary for your own safety and to protect the large investment you made in the vehicle. You don’t want something to go wrong at 70mph.

Security for your business should be handled in the same way. You don’t just install alarms on the windows, fire detectors and some automatic door closers and then forget about it. These systems need to be checked and maintained to be sure they are in working order for whenever they are needed. If this isn’t done, you may only discover that something has malfunctioned after a theft or disaster has occurred. Security is an ongoing commitment and the best way to approach this is to have a term maintenance contract that provides routine inspections and checks on all aspects of your security. This will help prevent breakdowns and protect the investment you made in your firm’s security.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Ain’t Broke? Keep It That Way

Looking at physical security for your business or rental/commercial property as something that you fix when it breaks isn’t good for security. 24 hours and 7 days a week, people are accessing your buildings. Because of all that wear and tear, eventually a door will jam open, a door closer will fail, a window will get stuck midway. Most likely, a resident or tenant will fail to report it. As a result, until it is reported or you notice the problem, your own business security and/or your tenant’s security is compromised. This is bad for you because you are potentially responsible for any failure to keep your sites secure. However, there is a solution.

Consider using an ongoing security maintenance contract with a certified locksmith. This maintenance contract can include routine inspections of all access and egress points to ensure that everything is in working order, and that moving parts are checked for wear and replaced before a problem arises. Security is something that needs to be handled on a proactive basis. After-the-fact repairs are a bad business model for you and your property.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Locksmiths: The Hidden True Story

Say “locksmith” and everyone thinks “keys.” Yes, locksmiths make keys, but that isn’t really what locksmithing is all about. Keys are just metal things that have a broader purpose: making something or someone secure. Locksmiths are all about making you and your property secure. Using a key is just one method to accomplish that. As a result, the locksmith profession is about making you secure, not making you a key. In the 21st century, security involves technology, the Internet, and a variety of very sophisticated tools to protect you and your property. All of these are part of the locksmith’s toolkit. Locksmiths can provide complete security audits for your home or business and provide a wide range of solutions that involve a broad range of technologies. And security isn’t just about preventing a break-in. Security can involve fire alerts, water alerts, cold temp alerts: all things that can damage your property but have nothing to do with the actions of people with criminal intentions. So look to a locksmith as a security consultant for all of your ongoing security needs.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Vacation Home Security: It Isn’t Just About Burglars

Most homeowners are aware they should try to make their house look as if someone is living there when they go on vacation. They should be using timers, cutting off deliveries, having the lawn mowed, etc. These efforts are important for deterring opportunistic break ins. However, there are other things to consider when you are away.

Unnecessary electrical usage – There is no need to continue to power some of your electronics while you are away. Your set top boxes, microwaves, and televisions are all things that drain small amounts of power even when not being actively used. If you are going to be away for an extended period, consider unplugging some of these items. This saves money, cuts the risk of fire, and makes the world just a tiny bit “greener.”

Temperature control – Adjust the thermostat. There’s no need to heat or cool the house to ideal human specs while you are away. In winter, lower the temp to save energy, but be sure to keep it high enough to avoid frozen pipes in case of a real arctic surge. In summer, raise the AC to cut utility costs but enough to keep humidity levels in the house at tolerable levels to avoid mold growth.

Water – This is the biggest potential source of damage. A broken water connection to a washing machine or frozen pipe could create a flood of unthinkable proportions. Imagine days of unchecked water pouring from a broken pipe. Consider turning your water off at the main (usually found in your basement). By the way, if you do this, also turn off the electric ice maker in your fridge. Icemakers often are not designed to stop trying to function if the water source is cut off.

These are 3 basic DIY tips regarding utilities when you go away. For more sophisticated and secure tools for addressing these concerns, talk to a locksmith about cam technologies that allow you to visually check your property from anywhere. There are also tools that can alert you to temperature extremes in the building or water leak detection and auto shutoff systems.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Your Personal Lock Nest Monster

Today’s blog talks about that mess of keys you have on your belt, in your purse, or hanging on the nest of hooks inside the basement door. It’s a pain to carry around or rifle through when you need a particular key. There is another problem with all those keys. Keys are easily stolen or lost; if they get lost with your ID, your house becomes a bunch of open doors.

Maybe it is time to realize that keeping a mess of keys is akin to still using a rotary phone. Technology has moved on; security is now more convenient and it also allows for greater security. Make an appointment to talk with a locksmith: there are so many new ways to handle security and access that don’t require a physical key. For example, new door locks can be accessed via entry pads that require a personal code. Most allow many individual codes that can be deleted or changed as needed. No more giving a key to a neighbor when you go away. Just add a new code for them to use while you are gone, and delete it when you return. Beyond the keyless entry pads, new smartphone apps can unlock your door when you approach the house. You don’t even need to remember a code if you don’t want to.

Check with a locksmith to learn how you can take your household security out of the 17th century. Like to see a specific example? Check out ENTR, a keyless lock from Mul-T-lock that can be accessed by smartphone, keypad, and biometrics (fingerprint).

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Garage door craziness: Part II

Sometimes lockouts happen that could have very easily been avoided. One thing we’ve seen is that homeowners who don’t like carrying a lot of keys rely solely on their automatic garage door openers as the only method of getting into the house. An easy idea. Why bother with the other keys? This idea falls flat if you come home to a power outage. You either have to wait it out or get a locksmith.

Also, we don’t recommend you ever leave a spare car key inside the car itself. If the car is stolen and there is any piece of mail or other items, such as an owner registration card with your address on it, the thief not only has your car, he has access to your house. The same risk to home security occurs anytime you ever use valet parking.So, take the extra step and carry a house key. It will save you a hassle when the summer storms come along and knock out the power.

And don’t forget to return the favor whenever they are away.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Keys and neighbors

Forgetting your key can be SUCH a frustrating feeling. You feel so hopeless as you stand there realising what you’ve done. Before it happens again, consider giving keys to neighbors that you trust. This idea has a lot of merits to it.

The key is safe in someone’s home, unlike keys hidden in fake rocks or under doormats that are pretty easy to find. ( Please, don’t do this. Fake rocks look…fake. And what intruder isn’t going to check under the mat or over the door frame?)

Friends or neighbors with keys can also be helpful beyond lockout crises. Have someone you trust check the house periodically if you are going to be away for an extended period. This way, a broken pipe, failed furnace in winter, or other mishap won’t go unnoticed and leave you with a huge mess when you get home. Similarly, ask them to check for packages and mail. Anything left outside is nothing but a big “VACANT” sign on your home.

And don’t forget to return the favor whenever they are away.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths

Different doors, different locks

If you are looking to keep your home as secure as you can, make sure that every lock is appropriate to the door style you have. Every external door should have a solid, heavy duty deadbolt that is resistant to drilling or hammering.

In particular, if you have an external door with windows, you have a specific security issue because the glass can be easily broken, allowing an intruder to reach through and unlock the door. In this case, you should have a deadbolt that has some kind of removable thumbturn or key.

When the turn or key is removed, the deadbolt cannot be opened. (Note: be sure that the key is kept nearby in case of the need for an emergency exit, but not within reach of a thief’s hand. Too often homeowners place them on a nail or hook right near the deadbolt.

As a final note, contrary to what one might think, front doors are frequently the door used for break-ins. Don’t assume that door is protected just because it is more visible.

Contact us at Valley Cycle Locksmiths