A man who created a lock as a joke to stop his children from stealing his Nutella has ended up selling 1000 units on ebay!

Daniel from Germany had enough of heading to his cupboards to make a snack with his favourite spread only to find his kids had beaten him to it and used all his Nutella! So as a joke the inventor created an acrylic lock as a simple solution to keep the chocolate spread thieves out. The lock consists of a small acrylic box that can be clamped down over the lid which is then held in place with a padlock, meaning the only person that can get in to the jar is the person that holds the key.

When people started to hear about his Nutella gizmo, orders started to roll in - he said: ‘As the demand continued to grow we decided to offer the device on eBay’. The lock has been a huge success with parents wanting to keep their children’s mitts out of the chocolaty spread, so much so that Daniel has now sold over 1000 units. Due to be being made from acrylic the gadget can be easily broken so whilst the lock may not keep out every crazy Nuttella fiend it shows that no idea is ever too crazy! 

Read the full story here... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-3217138/New-German-gadget-clamps-Nutella-thieves-customised-jar-lock.html

The Future of Home Security

Home Security is literally getting smarter!

As technology has advanced increasingly over the last few years we are seeing more and more advances in the way we can secure our homes from an intruder.

For years we have dreamed of the idea of a fully functional smart home, the idea has even been depicted in movies i.e. the technology depicted in Back to the Future II such as keyless entry. Although the movie may not have exactly predicted the future for us i.e. hover boards, you may be surprised by the kinds of technology that are available to homeowners in 2015, right now you can control your heating and lighting from your smart phone or even text your fridge.

According to Mashable: “Right now we're seeing a myriad of independent smart appliances, but eventually these products will be programmed to work in tandem ... hence, the "Smart Home." Yes, there are smart Samsung refrigerators, and yes, there are smart Sony televisions -- but can they, or will they ever, be able to communicate with each other? If and when they do, the adage "If these walls could talk" will take on a whole new meaning.”

Already we are seeing ‘smart locks’ that allow a homeowner to open their front door using just their smart phone. Some of which even allow the user to let in guests when they are not at home. The ‘August lock’ was launched by an American Company in 2014 and is a keyless entry system which uses Bluetooth.

As well as different types of keyless entry we are also seeing numerous home security apps being introduced to the market which allow you to control different parts of your home from either your phone or tablet. Although these sound great there are some reservations that have been raised by technology experts, in 2014 a study was carried out by HP to see whether these apps could be vulnerable to hackers. The security Company found that the biggest concern with these types of apps is the fact that the majority (8 out of 10) didn’t require consumers to use hard-to-hack log-ins which could leave their home vulnerable to being hacked.

To infinity and beyond!

In 2014 Apple announced that they are working to develop a product called ‘Homekit’ which will allow homeowners to control lights, locks, cameras, doors, thermostats, plugs and switches. Although this is still very much in development other manufacturers are already building products to encompass Apple’s ‘Homekit ‘.

Who knows what the future holds for our home security but we are sure it’s only going to get smarter!

Locks of Love

You may have noticed the ‘love lock’ trend on a bridge of some kind near you; couples attach a ‘love lock’ or ‘love padlock’ to a gate, bridge or anything to symbolise the love and commitment shared between them. 

The trend is said to have originated in the early 2000s in Rome, Italy by teenagers imitating a popular Italian book and film.

As it is Valentine’s Day, here are our top 10 places to leave a love lock or padlock.  

1. Tower Bridge, London, UK 
2. Ponte Milvio Bridge, Rome, Italy 
3. Pont de l’Archevêché Bridge and the Pont des Arts Bridge, Paris, France 
4. Huangshan, China 
5. Pécs, Hungary 
6. Hohenzollern Bridge, Cologne, Germany 
7. Luzhkov Bridge, Moscow
8. Puntan dos Amantes, Guam 
9. Mala Strana, Prague, Czech Republic 
10. Montevideo, Uruguay

For more information regarding ‘love lock’ locations visit ‘Unique Honeymoon Ideas’.

Can’t make it to any of the listed locations then why not leave a virtual love lock – No travel necessary!

Top ten Valentines’ gifts for a locksmith or lock enthusiast

We have put together a list of top ten Valentines’ gifts that you may want to give as a romantic gesture to your locksmith or lock enthusiast.  

1. Majestic Lock Pick Set
   
2. Silver key cufflinks
3. Yale Novelty Heart Luggage Digit Combination Lock
4. Vintage tie pin in the shape of a key
5. Wine lock bottle stopper
6. I love my locksmith t-shirt  
7. Keep calm I’m a locksmith travel mug
8. Heart Key Head cover
9. Kiss me, I’m a locksmith mug
10. Heart Key Blank

Cylinder Snapping

Did you know that there are approximately 22 million doors across the UK that could be at risk to lock snapping?

So what is lock snapping?

“Lock snapping involves snapping the lock cylinder in two, by applying force, and removing the outside part to expose the lock mechanism. Doing so provides access to the mechanism, allowing the door to be unlocked.” (Yale)

In order to snap a lock an intruder will often use makeshift tools that can be easily found around the house. Worryingly this technique doesn’t require experience or skill, just brute force.  

Euro profile locks (better known as Euro Cylinders) are found in the majority of uPVC doors and are the most likely targets for this type of forced entry. 

What can I do to prevent being a victim of lock snapping?

In order to combat lock snapping simply call a local locksmith to upgrade your cylinder to one that is specifically designed to prevent this method of attack, ideally a cylinder that meets the TS007 3 star standard. If possible when having your lock upgraded have your new cylinder fitted in conjunction with a high security mechanism and handle set. 

Keeping you secure with ABS High Security Euro Cylinders...

All of our local locksmiths are able to supply and fit an ABS High Security Euro Cylinder, to ensure your uPVC or double glazed doors are not only meeting your home insurance requirements but are also ultimately secured for your peace of mind when it comes to your home security. The ABS High Security Euro Cylinder is the only security cylinder currently on the market which has a TS007 3 star rating, SS312 Sold Secure Diamond Accredited and Secured by Design Accreditation combined.

Speak to one of the Keytek™ Team today on 0800 035 0451 to find out more about having your cylinder upgraded to the 3 star versions.

Summertime Home Security

We’ve all been enjoying the return of the glorious hot weather this week! According to The Guardian the hot weather is set to continue and warm weather is expected for events such as Glastonbury and Wimbledon.

Don’t let your home security lapse this summer!

Unfortunately the exceptionally high temperatures are not great for uPVC or wooden doors as changes in heat can often cause doors to swell or shrink. Potentially, these changes can unfortunately leave your property unsecure, as you may be unable to unlock or worse lock your door, leaving your home vulnerable to break-in. When a door swells or shrinks it’s often a simple case of calling a highly skilled and trained locksmith to fix the problem for you, making ongoing accessibility much easier during those hot summer days, leaving you far less likely to find yourself locked out when you return from a day on the beach!

Problems with your door can be caused by a variety of other factors during the summer; a common cause being simple wear and tear especially when everyone is more partial to popping in and out of the back garden to top up the tan. This can also cause security issues for your home, especially if you’re unable to lock up due to the lock being damaged by continuous use. This problem can also be solved by calling a local locksmith to your home who will be more than willing to fix or replace any locks that have been damaged by wear and tear.  

Also, don’t forget to secure your home even when just popping out to the garden, this includes the window you have left open to catch the rare breeze. Leaving any doors or windows open during a sunbathing session in the garden could leave your home unsecure and pretty much a burglar’s dream of entering your property undetected whilst you’re in the garden.  According to statistics provided in this fantastic UK Burglary report provided by Tesco Compare 73% of burglars use a door to gain entry and in 3% of cases the door was open.   

Watch our Home Security tips video below to find out more about keeping your home secure this summer...

 

Useful links - Locked Out? Lost Keys? Burgled? Locks Changed?

 

November the month you are most likely to be burgled

It has been recently reported by the Daily Mail that November is the month that you are most likely to be burgled!

According to Victim Support around half a million burglaries take place each year in England and Wales, although crime overall has fallen considerably over the last few years, in fact BBC News in October of this year reported that crime had fallen by 7%, burglary still remains a common crime that affects a large percentage of the population. A recent study by LV= Home Insurance highlighted the fact that in the month of November a home in the UK is burgled every two minutes.

Burglary is largely an opportunistic crime, many home insurers will advise taking certain security steps to insure your home isn’t ‘easy pickings’ as according to Home Insurance Guide.co.uk, “burglars are looking for a home that gives them the easiest way of committing their crime undetected, with the fewest obstacles to negotiate.” The majority of burglars will not even use force to gain entry to a property, two out of ten burglars according to the Home Insurance Guide.co.uk, in fact 73% of burglars use doors to gain entry and in 3% of cases the door was open (Tesco Compare).

A burglary cannot only affect a victim financially, but it can also affect how safe you feel in your home after the burglary has taken place, some may even think they are at fault if they had forgotten to secure a window or door to their home, which can be distressing and traumatic to some especially if an item of sentimental value has been stolen.

When having any type of lock upgraded or replaced for security or insurance purposes we always recommend that you contact a locksmith who can carry out a full home security and insurance compliance check as part of the service for your peace of mind.

So don’t get caught out this November by watching our home security tips video.

Advice on the uPVC security risks that were highlighted on Sue Hills Crime File on This Morning

As you may have already seen on ITV’s ‘This Morning’ today ex–burglar Michael Fraser who you may remember from BBC television programme ‘Beat the Burglar’ demonstrated that he was able to snap a Euro Profile cylinder in just four seconds!

(Please view the above video at 03:30)

In this blog post Craig, the Technical Manager at Keytek™ gives his own advice, tips and information in regards to what security risks this video has highlighted...

This week’s ‘Sue Hill’s Crime File’ on ‘This Morning’ highlights a design flaw in Euro Profile cylinders. It basically shows how a Euro Profile cylinder can be removed from the door and how the lock case can be manipulated therefore allowing an intruder to gain entry to a property. In fact it is not a new problem and it doesn’t just apply to uPVC doors only.

Any style of door that has a Euro Profile cylinder fitted to it could be at risk. The information contained in the video is accurate to a degree and having a BS Kitemarked cylinder will offer more resistance to this type of attack, but as with any product, they are manufactured to different price points and vary in levels of quality.

When choosing a Euro cylinder please bear in mind that having the Kitemark is the MINIMUM standard you should have but there are other higher security alternatives such as the TS007 3 star rating accreditation.

When having a new Euro cylinder or any other type of lock replaced we always recommend that you contact a locksmith who can carry out a full home security and insurance compliance check as part of the service and recommend a quality product that conforms to all of the relevant standards for your insurance and your peace of mind.

Craig 
(Technical Manager at Keytek™)