Do You Regularly Lose Your Keys? Might Be Time to Upgrade Your Lock

Posted on: 6 December 2016

Is a lost house key a common occurrence in your household? Perhaps you or someone in your family is continually misplacing their key. Perhaps you find it necessary to have the number for a local 24 hour locksmith saved in your phone. To lose a key can be a massive inconvenience, making you worry about the security of your home, and it can also become rather expensive. There are a couple of ways that will make losing a key far less of a problem, and you might no longer need a key at all! So what are some solutions for your home's lock when you're regularly losing your key?

Re-Keying Your Lock

It would require installation of a new lock, but it is possible to get a front door lock that in effect can be reset. The traditional pin-tumbler internal mechanism is completely absent, although it still accepts a traditional key. If one of your keys is lost, you simply insert a key into the lock and partially turn it to the left until you hear a click. You then insert the reset tool, which is a thin piece of metal that fits inside the lock next to the key. Remove the original key and insert a new key. Turn both the key and the tool to the right until you hear another click. Remove the key and the tool, and the lock has now been reset to accept the new key. This immediately secures your home, although the downside is that you will need to have a number of new keys cut.

A Smart Lock

You could also upgrade your front door to a smart lock, wherein you wouldn't need keys at all (unless the power goes out).  The lock looks like a traditional lock but is electronically triggered via a smartphone app.

  • This can be set to open automatically when you get close enough to the door by receiving a proximity notification from the app.
  • It can be set to be opened by manually activating the app when you're at your front door.

If losing phones also runs in your family, you can use a smartwatch to operate the app, meaning that your key is always attached to your wrist. A smart lock will also come with a traditional key, allowing you to operate the lock in the event of a power outage.

Regularly losing your keys can be a massive inconvenience, but it's not something you have to live with.

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