LockRite Locksmiths Blog

LockRite Locksmiths Logo

Major Cards Accepted

Major Credit Debit Cards Accepted

National Locksmith Service

24 Hours Mon – Sun

0800 0612 67707801 733788

Expert Locksmiths Near You

Need a Locksmith?

Reliable, trusted locksmiths, local to you

LockRite Locksmiths Blog

Stay up to date with the latest news, views and information from the UK's largest network of professional Locksmiths.

Featured Posts

A customer using their debit card to pay for locksmith services

Why does a locksmith cost so much?

Locksmiths play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and security of our homes and businesses. However, when we need their services, we can find

Recent Posts

Home Security Tips You Should Teach Your Kids

With school back in session, now is the perfect time to teach your children about home security. The world can be dangerous at times, and the advice you give them can prove to be essential.

Here are a few important lessons your children should learn when it comes to home safety:

To Keep the Door Locked at All Times

A door left unlocked is offering thieves an open invitation to breaking and entering.

Keeping the doors locked is the most basic home security measure. Teach your kids how to use the lock and make sure they get in the habit of using them.

Kids can be forgetful, so it might be a good idea to place a reminder on the inside of the front door for them.

Stranger Danger

Even with the door locked, strangers could still come to your door. It may be someone benign like the delivery man. Still, there’s always the chance that the stranger has ill intent.

Teach your children not to open the door to strangers. At most, they should talk through the door.

home security

It’s important that they never say they are home alone. If the stranger asks for an adult, children should say they’ll get you, and then immediately call you.

A would-be thief will say anything to get inside, from faking an injury to saying they are distanced relatives.

Talk to your children openly about this, and make sure they understand that the door should remain closed no matter what.

How to Use the Alarm System

If your home is equipped with an alarm system, it’s paramount that everyone in the house knows how to use it properly. That includes the children.

Go through all the functionalities of the alarm system several times, and talk about how they help your family stay safe.

Let your children practice arming and disarming the system. They should feel comfortable using the system constantly. 

To Memorize Important Phone Numbers

All children should know how and when to call the police.

However, that’s not the only number related to home security that you can teach your children.

home security

There are different numbers for emergency and non-emergency police and medical services.

Your children should also know how to reach you, as well as a few other trustworthy people.

Make sure they know the home address as well. This way, the authorities will know where to come faster.

To Stay Outside if They Suspect a Break-In

If your kids ever come home to see a broken window or door, they shouldn’t go in. They may come face-to-face with the burglar, and that’s dangerous.

Instead, they should seek help from a neighbour or teacher. Tell them to call you or even the police directly. They should immediately go find an adult.

Also, you should find a hiding spot together where your children can go to in case of an emergency.

The Value of Home Security

Home security is a serious matter. Make sure your kids know this. It’s important they acquire all this information so that they can be safe while you’re away.

We recommend that you invest in the best locks and alarms as well. Having the right knowledge and the right equipment will help you keep your home and your family safer.

If you’d like some more safety tips for you or your children, don’t hesitate to ask us. We can be reached on Facebook, Twitter, and right here on our website.

What You Stand to Lose by Not Having a Smart Home

The Internet of things has substantially developed in recent years. It’s easy to see that it will continue to do so considering the growing demand and the increasing number of developers.

Are you unsure whether it’s worth turning your home into a smart home? Here’s what you’re missing out on:

Time on Menial Tasks

You may not realise it, but we lose up to a few hours every day on hundreds of small tasks. Ten years ago, we’d just consider it an unavoidable nuisance, but not anymore.

smart home

While no action takes very long individually, they do build up.

A smart home gives you the chance to automate a large part of these small tasks. You will no longer have to waste time on things like:

  • Making coffee in the morning;
  • Turning the oven on/off;
  • Turning on/off the sprinklers;
  • Locking/unlocking the doors;
  • Turning on/off the lights;
  • Opening/closing the garage door;

The list goes on and on. All of these things can be done automatically. You’ll have more time to pursue your goals, whichever they are, and spend time with your family.

Increased Comfort

With smart gadgets, you don’t just save time, you enjoy life more. It’s not just that you command a device to do something, you program it to do it by itself.

Here’s an example: your slow cooker in the kitchen could fire up as you’re getting ready to leave. When you get home, your food is hot, fresh and ready to be eaten.

The same goes if you fancy a drink after work, a hot bath, or just about anything else of this nature.

1672916

Your smart home doesn’t just take care of your chores; it works to make your life more comfortable.

Money on Bills

We all forget things from time to time. It’s a bit unfortunate, though, when we forget to turn off the thermostat and end up having to pay a monster heat bill.

With a smart home, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. The thermostat can adjust itself. Therefore, you can program it to work exactly how you need it.

That means that your house will be warm only when someone is around. When there’s no one home, it can turn off, saving you money.

20-1239420_640

That’s also the case for lightbulbs. Through sensors, they will turn on only when you need them. Forgetting to turn the light off is no longer a risk.

When you add up all the appliances you’re probably using inefficiently, you’ll see that you’re losing quite a bit of money.

A Complete Home Security System

Lastly, one of the biggest advantages smart homes have is the security they provide.

This type of home can help you use your security system to its full potential so that burglars have no chance of bypassing it.  

That’s because everything is connected. If a lock is tampered with, for example, it will send a signal to the alarm, triggering it.

Smart locks don’t need keys so they can’t be lockpicked. You just send a signal from your phone and it unlocks itself.

If you’ve got CCTV cameras installed, you can see what’s going on at home, even if you’re away. You just take out your smartphone, fire an app, and look through the cameras.

With all these security devices working together, a burglar can’t even come close without being noticed.

Should You Invest in a Smart Home?

If any of these benefits you’re currently missing out on sound appealing to you, maybe you should.

You don’t have to break the bank on features you won’t use, just pick the applications that sound useful.

Smart devices are becoming cheaper as well, so why not give them a try?

If you have any other questions about smart homes or their security, don’t hesitate to ask. Reach out to us on Facebook, Twitter or by using our contact page.

Where to Put Home Security Sensors and Cameras in Your Smart Home

Home security sensors are a great way of making sure no one breaks into your home, but where you place them around your home makes a significant difference. Same goes for surveillance cameras.

If you want to make sure that your home security is in top condition, you have to find the perfect spots for them. Here are some helpful tips that will aid you with placement.

Install Home Security Sensors At the Front Entrance

If you have a patio or something similar, install a sensor there. If a burglar decides to go in through the main entrance, they will be detected before they even get the chance to enter.

home security

This option may save you some damage to the door or windows, and increase the overall safety of your home.

Cameras can cover a lot of ground when placed outside. Just remember that most break-ins happen at night, so it’s best to invest in a camera with night vision.

To avoid any malfunction, make sure the devices are protected from the elements.

Install Home Security Sensors In the Basement

Most thieves don’t target the front door or ground floor windows as a way to let themselves in. Many will try to go in through the basement since there’s a smaller chance of getting caught.

Make sure all your entrances are covered by placing home security sensors in there as well. Since basements are usually used for storage, make sure nothing is obstructing the sensor.

Cover all possible entrances to the basement, including the staircase. If someone manages to enter through the window undetected, they’ll be caught when going up.

Install Sensors At the End of Hallways

Placing a home security sensor in every room of the house may be too much. However, to ensure the best home security means to cover as much ground as possible.

The solution to this is to install a sensor in the hallway connecting more rooms.

It doesn’t matter from which room the burglar enters, the alarm will go off when they exit the room. The hallway is also a perfect place for a camera.

home security sensors in the home

We recommend keeping two things in mind when placing security devices in hallways:

  • The reach. Most modern home security sensors have a good reach, but you still need to check. It may be positioned slightly in a direction, leaving some rooms unprotected. Make sure it also covers the whole length of the hallway.
  • How noticeable it is. If a burglar is coming towards the hallway, they may see the sensor or camera. A good idea is to install it on the ceiling where it’s less likely to be seen.

If you plan ahead, your hallways can become certified thief traps.

Install Sensors Behind Valuable Items

The reason burglars break into houses is to steal expensive items. They’ll go for things like jewellery, TVs, laptops and phones.

To make sure none of these gets stolen from your home, you can set a sensor specifically for them. This is a good tactic for keeping the most valuable items safe.

For example, you could place one behind the TV. This way, if it’s picked up or moved, the sensor will trigger an alarm.

The only mention here is that you shouldn’t move your valuable too often from one place to another, and notify close family members and trusted friends about the sensors.

The Finishing Home Security Touch

We mentioned the risk of a thief seeing the sensor. That doesn’t apply only to hallways but to all locations. If burglars can see them, they can plan around them.

There’s an easy and efficient way to avoid this. Camouflage all of your home security sensors. You just need to be careful not to block the sensor’s view as well.

If you’d like some more helpful tips about home security, get in touch with us. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter as well.

Locksmith Services

Lock Outs Service

If you’re locked out, we can get you back in! We’re experts at picking locks and gaining entry.

Lock Changes and Repair Service

We change, repair and fit a wide variety of locks, including : Mortice Locks & Euro Cylinders.

Smart Locks Services

Our expert locksmiths can supply and fit the latest digital smart locks. Including the Yale Linus.

CCTV Installation Service

Our trained locksmiths can supply and fit the latest High definition CCTV to your home or business premises.

Alarm Installation Service

Our locksmiths can professionally install the full range of Yale smart alarms.

Window Boarding Service

Our locksmiths can provide boarding services to secure your home or commercial premises.

Security Surveys Service

We offer a full security survey service. Do you really know how secure your home or property is?

Key Cutting Services

We can cut extra keys for your home or office. Our locksmiths carry a range of key blanks.

Smart Security Installed

Our experts can install a range of smart security products, including smart locks, CCTV and alarms.
Yale Linus Smart Lock

Yale Linus
Smart Lock

The Yale Linus door lock. A keyless lock, designed to secure and simplify your life. Lock and unlock your door, no matter where you are.

yale Conexis L1 Lock Installed

Yale Conexis
Smart Lock

The smart door lock that puts you fully in control. The Yale Conexis gives you the freedom to secure your home without the need for a key.

Yale Keyless Connected Smart Lock Installed

Yale Keyless
Connected Smart Lock

The Keyless Lock allows you complete control over how you lock your home. Unlock with a PIN, key card, key tag, remote fob or your phone.

Yale Sync Smart Alarm Siren

Yale Sync Alarm

The Yale Linus door lock. A keyless lock, designed to secure and simplify your life. Lock and unlock your door, no matter where you are.

Yale Smart CCTV Installed

Yale CCTV

The smart door lock that puts you fully in control. The Yale Conexis gives you the freedom to secure your home without the need for a key.