Category Archives: CT Residential Locksmith

CT Residential Locksmith, Halloween, Security

Tips to keep your home and family protected this Halloween

Happy Halloween
If you’re out and about this Halloween attending one of the many fun Halloween events in the Hartford area make sure you’re following these tips to keep your home and your family protected from scary witches and mischievous goblins.

  • Don’t post your Halloween plans on Facebook, Twitter, etc. – even if you’re planning on staying home. Twitter posts are for everyone to see (unless you set your tweets to be protected). No need for the world to know where exactly you are and what you are planning. It makes it really easy for burglars to get exact details about your whereabouts and to help themselves to your belongings while you are out.
  • Motion sensor lights are great to have. Not only do they help the trick-or-treaters find their way safely to your front door, they also help keep pranksters away.
  • If you are leaving the house to go to a halloween party or an event, and you have a home security system, make sure you activate it.
  • Keep pets inside. Many pets get frightened by unexpected noises and lots of people walking around and might run off.

Stay safe this Halloween, and don’t forget – Jim is a CT licensed Locksmith with over 30 years experience. He’ll repair your locks or install a new lock at your Connecticut home or business and you’ll never have to worry. Simply email or give him a call at 860-678-9797.

CT Commercial Locksmith, CT Residential Locksmith, CT Small Business, Home Safety, Security

What is a bump key and should you be concerned?

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bumping keyPin tumbler design locks are probably the most popular locks in the world. These types of locks come in different sizes and finishes, can be used in exterior and interior doors, and they’re suitable for residential and commercial applications. They can also be picked quite easily with a “bump key,” sometimes also called a “999 key,” which is a normal key cut to a specific code that can then be used as a lock picking tool.

What exactly is key bumping? Security.org describes the technique in this way:

“The term “bumping” refers to the process of forcing the key to interact with the pin tumblers by “bumping” or rapping it with a plastic mallet while it is inserted into the lock. This process entails hitting the head of the key, causing it to rapidly move forward. When the key is struck correctly, each of the bottom pins is “bumped” upward for a brief instant, thus allowing the lock to be opened.”

Bump keys are nothing new. They have for many years been part in a variety of techniques used by legitimate master locksmiths to open locks that are malfunctioning or in instances where the key was lost. Professional and ethical locksmiths did not share this technique with the public.

So what’s the commotion all about then? In 2005, after a television program demonstrated the technique, the video ended up on the internet for anyone to see and by now there are many more videos available on this topic – making it extremely easy for criminals to learn about key bumping and how it’s done.

Should you be concerned? Standard pin tumbler locks offer very little resistance to key bumping, if you have a standard lock contact us. Higher security grade locks offer better protection, but they are not 100% secure if a burglar really wants to get in. Electronic and magnetic locks offer the best protection, a bump key cannot be used with these types of locks.

Finally, key bumping involves a lot of banging and is pretty noisy. Chances are that a burglar will not opt for this method to break into a residence when people are at home or neighbors are within earshot.

Have a question about the effectiveness of your pin tumbler locks in your CT residence or business? Email Jim Arsenault or call him at 860-678-9797.

CT Residential Locksmith, Scams

Consumers beware… locksmith scams still going strong

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Has this ever happened to you? You’re locked out of your house, you find a locksmith in the Yellow Pages or online, you call. “No problem,” they say, “we come right over and unlock the door for you. And all that for $35!”

Oh, they do come right over. That’s not the issue. The locked out homeowner is relieved. But that feeling soon changes when the locksmith demands payment up front, in cash, and by the way, it’s triple or quadruple of what was quoted on the phone.

The first clue that something is not right, the “locksmiths” almost always arrive in an unmarked, personal vehicle. They don’t wear uniforms, have a company ID or business card. And when asked to show their license (if this happens in a state where licensing is required), they come up with all kinds of excuses why they can’t show it to you. Or, they produce a fake license. Once they start working it’s also apparent that they’re not trained locksmiths.

Fifteen states require locksmiths to be licensed: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Continue reading Consumers beware… locksmith scams still going strong →

CT Commercial Locksmith, CT Residential Locksmith, CT Small Business, Technology

Keyless, wireless locks for cabinets and drawers…

…make life easier at medical facilities.

Commercial Lockmsith - keyless, wireless locks for cabinets and drawers

Busy doctors and their staff no longer have to worry about who has the keys when they need to get medications in a hurry from the medicine cabinet. The same applies to the office staff when they need to access patient files that are locked in a drawer and nobody knows where the keys are.

How does it work?

Keyless wireless locking systems for cabinets and drawers consist of a transmitter pad, receiver latch, and strike plate. The receiver latch mounts inside the cabinet and the strike plate locks the door or drawer.

A code is entered into the transmitter which then in turn sends the signal to lock or unlock the cabinet or drawer.

Lost, misplaced or stolen keys are no longer an issue with these systems. The transmitter code can be changed whenever the situation requires it, thereby improving security and making the work environment a little bit less stressful on a daily basis for the staff and owner.

Medical facilities are not the only businesses that can benefit from these systems. The applications range from gym lockers to residential cabinets (baby proofing kitchens and bath rooms for example), to offices that need to secure sensitive information.

Have a question about how keyless, wireless locks could be used for your business or residential home? Email Jim Arsenault or call him at 860-678-9797. Jim Arsenault is a Connecticut licensed Master Locksmith with over 30 years experience.