The latest in door handle design has adapted all the combined functions of buzzers, cameras, intercoms, keypads, motion detectors and RFID readers and converted it into an integrated infrastructure to permit or deny access.So when on the search for new door hardware, be aware of these 5 simple tips to help in your selection.

Safety First: When it comes to the security of the home, locksets are probably the most crucial part of any entryway. Besides the looks must be special and beautiful, the locks must be safe enough. If a lock isn’t reliable, then it’s worthless.If you have glass porch doors, then you may want to go for a double cylinder, which requires a key for both the inside and out.

The Looks:Make sure to match all your door hardware throughout the house.A very popular trend, for both the exterior and interior, is to get retro.Nostalgic products, such as glass door knobs or brass handles, are timeless and never go out of style.And since the entryway is the first thing people see, spending time and money on beautiful door decor will ensure that guests get an appropriate first impression.

The Latch:Many times interior doors will use simple handle-locks.But when it comes to door knobs, the crucial thing to keep in mind is alignment. In other words, does the door open and close easily. Occasionally check to make sure your latches are catching properly. Remember, a door is only as effective as its upkeep.

Attachments: It’s not just about latches and hinges. Door hardware can take on all kinds of components. For added protection to your walls, invest in some kick plates and spring door stoppers. To brighten up the entrance, buy an address plate or door knocker. In the bathroom, install a hanger or two for those wet towels.

Maintenance: If a door is to remain functional, then you have to make sure all the inner (and outer) workings are running smoothly. Never leave a lock broken . Make sure you doors open and close smoothly.

The five tips of door hardware may be helpful for you to decor your home doors.

Passage Lockset

Passage lockset is used inside the home in hallways or closets between rooms where privacy is not important. It has two non-locking knobs, one on each side of the door. Some models use levers instead of knobs.

                      passage lockset                                             privacy lockset

Privacy Lockset

This is an interior lockset designed for privacy rather than for security, usually having a locking button on the inside knob but no key device on the outside knob. It can either be a knob or a lever.

In an emergency, the lock can be opened from the outside by inserting a narrow object through the small hole in the outside knob and either depressing or turning the locking mechanism inside, depending on the type of lock.

Dummy Knob

Used only for decoration or applications that do not need a latch, dummy knob has no latching mechanism and does not turn.

The three kinds of locks above are all available in a wide variety of styles and finishes.

                               dummy knob                                   entry lockset

Entry Lockset

This is a medium security entrance-door lock with two doorknobs that can be locked from both the inside and the outside. One type locks from the inside by turning or depressing a small button, while a key must unlock the outside knob. Some models must be locked with a key on both the inside and outside. In other models, only the inside knob can lock or unlock both sides of the set.

A quality feature on entry locksets is a deadlatch.

Deadbolt Lock

Deadbolt lock provides maximum security on a door. It was called “dead” because there are no springs to operate the bolt. It is only operated manually with a key or a thumb turn from the inside.

More information about deadbolt lock can be found in another blog: Deadbolt Lock.

Surface-Mounted Deadbolt

It is squarish in shape and mounted on the surface of the inside of the door. Instead of sliding into the door frame, the bolt slides into a surface-mounted strike. The bolt may be turned with a key or a turn knob.

                      surface-mounted deadbolt                             mortise lock

Mortise Lock

Consisting of a flat, rectangular box that fits into a recess in the door from its edge, mortise lock is used on many types of doors, from heavy entrance doors to apartment buildings and residential doors. It also includes two faceplates that include the knobs and keyholes and has a pin tumbler locking mechanism in a cylinder. Latch operates from either side except when the outside knob is locked while deadbolt operates by a turn of the inside knob. A key from the outside operates both the deadbolt and latchbolt.

Mortise lock is available in right- or left-handed styles.

Night Latch

Installed on the inside surface of the door, night latch has an automatic locking feature. The large, spring loaded latch automatically locks whenever the door is closed.

It is for light security and usually used in combination with another lock.

                         night latch                                               keyless entry system

Keyless Entry System

Designed for advanced home security and convenience, they are usually audio and visual indicators confirming the lockset is activated. Anti-theft rolling code feature ensures the same code is never used twice. Some models will sound an alarm after the incorrect code has been entered more than three consecutive times. Some systems are compatible with some garage door openers so the homeowner only needs one remote control.

handleset

Handleset

It is usually an entry set that combines a lockset with a deadbolt, which is located just above the knob or handle. It can be a one- or two-piece unit and is available with both single and double cylinder deadbolts. Styles of this kind of lockset also vary widely.

Cylinder locks have a pin tumbler locking mechanism in a cylinder. They are most often used in new installations and as replacements because they are mortised into the frame of the door. Because of the wide range of use they can be installed on heavy entrance doors, apartment buildings and homes with a recommended pin number for the type of door.

A deadlock may be either single cylinder or double cylinder.

A single-cylinder deadbolt is operated by key outside and thumbturn inside. This lock is good to use for solid metal or wood doors.

Double-cylinder deadbolts insure safety with same key-operation from both the outside and inside. This can prevent unwanted unlocking of the door by forced access to the twist knob, via a nearby window for example. Doors with glass panes require a double-cylinder deadbolt to prevent someone from breaking the glass, reaching in and unlocking the door. While you are at home it’s better for you to leave the key in the lock in case of a fire or other emergency. Make sure that you purchase a lock designed to fit specific size holes and backset for your door. Backsets refer to the distance between the edge of the door and the center of the handle.

Here is the lock we will be exploring:

When you get inside a lock, you’ll find a collection of parts like this:

There are three cams in a typical combination lock. In this lock one of the cams is metal and is bonded directly to the turning face of the lock. The other two cams are plastic. There are two plastic spacers that fit between the cams:

They fit on a shaft molded into the back of the lock with a spring pressing the stack of cams together when the lock is assembled. The spring provides friction between the cams to hold them in place.

The cams each have one tooth on each side, and these teeth engage as the cams rotate:

The purpose of the cams is to control a latch that engages the end of the lock’s hasp. The cams each have an indentation in them. When the indentations align properly the latch is able to fit into the indentations and release the hasp:

Otherwise the latch engages the hasp like this:

If you have used a combination lock before you know the drill: “Turn the dial clockwise two full rotations to the first number of the combination. Then turn it counter-clockwise past the first number to the second number. Then turn the dial clockwise to the third number and the lock will open.” You can now see why you have to do that. Turning the dial 2 full revolutions gets the teeth of all three cams engaged, so the three cams are turning in unison. Now when you turn counter-clockwise only the top cam is rotating. As you go past the first number, the first cam’s tooth engages the second cam, so now the two cams are moving. The friction provided by the spring, however, keeps the third cam in its position. When you turn the dial clockwise again, only the top cam rotates. Once all three indentations are aligned properly by this process, the lock opens.

You could, in theory, stack up 4 (or 10) cams if you wanted to. It would make for a tedious session opening the lock, but it would certainly be secure!

After reading this instruction, I’m sure you’ll achieve a better understanding of the principle of combination lock.

This lock provides ease of entry with the scan of a fingerprint while maintaining bump resistance strength of security. Once inside, simply press the button and the remote control and lock your door completely keylessly. You never have to worry about your keys falling into the wrong hands because this lock is completely keyless, allowing you to restrict and control who has access to your home or office quickly and easily.

With the included remote control, unexpected guests can drop by at a moment’s notice. If you’re in the middle of watching your favorite movie on the couch, the cyber fingerprint door lock with remote control is really a great help. With the press of a button you can unlock or lock your door from the comfort of your couch. No more getting up and down to let guests in – perfect for parties or movie night. Using infrared technology, this IR remote doesn’t even need to be pointed directly at the door to remotely open the keyless lock quickly and easily. When you get something full in your hands or simply in a rush, it does come in handy.

This lock can handle up to 99 users that can be added or deleted in seconds. This high level of customization makes a keyless lock an obvious choice for individuals serious about security. Never again have to worry about how many people have a copy of your house key.

This keyless door lock will alert you the moment power drops below 4.3 volts, warning you that only have 50 more entries are left before the battery dies. Even if the battery does die, you can connect to the lock to external power or use a standard backup key to open the door. With these backup safety features you never have to worry about being locked out of home because of failing power.

See, the fingerprint door lock with remote control will help you to achieve the ultimate ease without having to sacrifice strength of security.

One kind of new locks, coming from Pickersgill-Kaye which traditionally supplied the majority of toilet door locks on railway vehicles in the UK, supplies with a microswitch fitted within the striking plate assembly which can be linked to a remote toilet status indicator which illuminates when the toilet is in use. To provide long term reliability the indicator uses the latest LED technology.

There is another developed door lock which interfaces directly with the toilet waste tank also by this company. The lock operates normally until the waste tank becomes full. Once full, the door automatically locks out and can only be opened by traincrew staff in possession of the appropriate override key. A field trial for this new system is currently ongoing on a class 165 train in co-operation with Interfleet Technology.

Generally speaking, a lock is a mechanical fastening device which may be used on a door, vehicle, or container, restricting access to the area or enclosed property. Locks are always come in a variety of forms due to the unstoppable bout between lock and picklock. Bicycle lock, cam lock, chamber lock , child safety lock, combination lock, cruciform (or Zeiss) lock, time lock, turner lock, wafer tumbler lock, warded lock and so on is never occur to be found rare. What I want to talk this time is electric locks, which are widely used now.

An electric lock is a locking device which operates by means of electric current. Electric locks are sometimes stand-alone with an electronic control assembly mounted directly to the lock. More often electric locks are connected to an access control system.

The advantages of an electric lock connected to an access control system include: key control, where keys can be added and removed without re-keying the lock cylinder; fine access control, where time and place are factors; and transaction logging, where activity is recorded.

Electric locks come in many forms. The most basic is a magnetic lock (commonly called a mag lock). A large electro-magnet is mounted on the door frame and a corresponding armature is mounted on the door. When the magnet is powered and the door is closed, the armature is held fast to the magnet. Mag locks are simple to install and are very attack resistant. But mag locks are also problematic. Improperly installed or maintained mag locks have fallen on people. Also there is no mechanical free egress. In other words, one must unlock the mag lock to both enter and leave. This has caused fire marshals to impose strict codes on the use of mag locks and the access control practice in general. Other problems include a lag time in releasing as the collapsing magnetic field is not instantaneous. This lag time can cause a user to walk into the door. Finally, mag locks by design fail unlocked, that is if power is removed they unlock. This could be a problem where security is a prime concern.