How many times a day do you use the front door to your house? Probably a lot more than you think. And, since fumbling with keys is a pain, you probably don’t lock the door unless you absolutely have to.
Do you have teenage kids? Do they sometimes lose the house key? So you either have lots of spare keys around, or you have to go out and make a new one. Do you give a key to your maid or some other person who comes to your house regularly? What happens when the maid quits, or you have to fire her? Do you have a new lock installed or do you trust that she’ll not use the key you gave her for an improper purpose?
These are the kinds of things I used to think about. But not anymore. Recently, I installed the elegant looking lock you see pictured here on the left. It has a 5 button keypad that you can use to program your own 4 digit code. And the center button is used to trigger the lock when you leave the house.
Since I got my new lock (cost: $150) I haven’t used my key at all. My older daughter has a key, but has never used it, and my younger daughter doesn’t have a key because she was always losing them. The housekeeper doesn’t have a key either. But everyone is able to get into the house. And when I take the dog for a short walk around the block I can lock the house and I don’t have to remember to bring a key. In fact, since I know I don’t need a key to get in I’m super diligent about locking the front door.
When I walked into a local locksmith shop and asked about keyless locks everyone behind the counter exclaimed that they all loved them. The guy who came to install my lock was almost more excited than I was, and told me he had one on every outer door in his house. He showed me how the lock worked and explained that if someone tried to enter the code wrong too many times it would shut the lock down. And then you’d definitely need a key to get in (which is why I’ve hidden one just in case). He said that most criminals think the lock is really an alarm system, which would be an extra benefit if it is true.
If you live in New Orleans and are interested in getting one of these locks I recommend H Rault on Magazine St. (504) 895-5346. They did a great job installing the lock, and they obviously believe in their product.
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we sell it and have been for years. If you order online and mention this site we will deduct the shipping.
I got the same locks from Rault because I have to go out of my house to get to my laundry room and office and I’m constantly locking and forgetting to come downstairs with my key – it’s a great idea and I highly recommend it. Actually Ernie – what trigged this idea is when I was at your house for Thoth!
It works off of two AA batteries, which supposedly only need to be changed once a year. My other ‘backup’ in case the lock’s electronics shuts down is to have a spare key hidden around the house.
Before I got the lock I kept a spare key hidden, but I had to tell my kids where it was and my youngest daughter invariably would lose it. Now, she never has to carry a key and never has to use the hidden spare key.
Seems like a great idea. One question: are these connected to your electricity, or do they have an internal battery, i.e. will it work if the power goes out?
Can’t be too safe!
It’s a Weiser Lock and I got it at H Rault on Magazine St. (504) 895-5346.
What exactly was the model you bought and where did you buy it?
I’ve been thinking about getting an electronic lock ever since the HUGE wave of burglaries that hit the Marigny.
You could buy the lock and save the old one and swap them out when you leave. I watched the guy install the lock and it’s pretty easy to install, especially if you watch the process.
If we weren’t renting I’d definitely spring for that lock. For now, we NEVER leave the house without locking the door and usually setting the alarm. I can’t say enough good things about Brinks – suffice to sum up, none of the movies where they cut the power would work with a Brinks system.
You mean there are places people live where you have to lock the door when you leave? I haven’t tried living in one of those places yet. 😉
I definitely want to get one of these. I’ve seen them at Lowe’s, and I think they’re great.
However, one of the display models at Lowe’s had some of the buttons pulled off. It didn’t look very durable, because of that. Hopefully you got a different model.
Thanks for this. I’ll call them soon…this is great.