Guides
Security guides
Plain-English guides to locks, key systems and access control, from the people who fit them.
Is Your Front Door Lock Up to Standard? Anti-Snap Cylinders Explained
Most uPVC and composite doors in the UK use a euro cylinder lock. Older and budget cylinders can be snapped with basic tools, which is why lock snapping became one of the most common ways burglars get through a door. What an anti-snap cylinder doesAn anti-snap cylinder is designed to break at a sacrificial line if attacked, leaving the locking part of the cylinder in place so the door stays locked. Better cylinders also resist picking, bumping and drilling. Standards to look for* TS007...
Key-Alike and Master Key Systems: Which One Does Your Building Need?
If you manage more than a handful of doors, keys quickly become the problem. Too many of them, nobody sure who holds what, and a lock change every time a tenant or member of staff leaves. Key-alike and master key systems fix this, but they solve different problems. Key-alike: one key, many doorsIn a key-alike system every cylinder is set to the same key. It suits a home with front, back and garage doors, or a landlord who wants one key for a property's external doors. It is simple and...
Standalone vs Networked Access Control: A Plain-English Guide
Access control replaces keys with codes, fobs or cards. The big decision is whether each door runs on its own or every door is linked to one system you manage centrally. Standalone access controlA standalone system controls a single door. Users are added and removed at the door itself, by code or by presenting a fob. It is quick to install and good value for one or two doors: a staff entrance, a store room, a communal door. Networked access controlA networked system, such as Paxton, links...