Securing Your Home

There are many ways that home intruders use to break into a home. Although most of them will use sophisticated methods in order to break into a home, there are many ways and step you can take a s a home owner that will help prevent any intrusion to your residential property.

-It is often negligent for people to not take the security of their home seriously and will have cheap lock installed to save some money. If you care about the security of your home, we would recommend to install high quality grade 1 locks on all exterior doors of your residential property the least. Otherwise, it would not take much for a thief to unlock a door equipped with a cheap lock using a Safeway card.

-To enhance the security of the doors surrounding your home, we recommend adding multiple locks for each door. Having number of locks installed on your front door for example will significantly slow any burglar from a successful attempt entering your home. A deadbolt would be a good addition.

-Next step is taking care all windows surrounding the first floor of your home the least by adding special window locks. If you like leaving your windows open at night or when you are gone for fresh air, there are special locks that will lock the moving window i place which will allow you to leave it slightly open and lock it in place.

-A garage door door is also a coveted point of entry for intruders. If you are gone fora long vacation, we recommend adding a garage door lock to secure the garage door in place where it could not be opened automatically.

-In addition to locks in order to secure your home, it is recommended adding some more elements that will make an intruder to think twice before attempting to break into your home at night. Elements such as exterior lighting around your home with the addition of motion sensors. An alarm can also be a nice addition as most alarm system today will automatically notify the police in case of a break-in attempt.

For more information about ways to protect your home, contact NorthWest Locksmith Boise.

Residential Key-less Entry Lock

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Key-less Entry Locks Benefits

The most popular advance lock technology for residential homes in recent days is key-less entry systems. One of the reasons it is very popular mainly due to the fact that it eliminates some of the method used by intruders in order to crack traditional type locks such as picking and bumping. With key-less entry technology, specifically digital locks, there are other things that affect the mechanism in order to unlock a lock.

A good popular example is a push-button key-less entry lock. These types of locks work on a unique code principle which is programmed and can be reprogrammed into the lock using a combination of 4 to 6 digits. This combination of unique code will initially allow unlocking the mechanism and gain entry. One of the advantages of the system is the fact that it is offered in various designs and mechanism types such as a deadbolt or a Mortise lock for example. Another advantage is the fact that most push button locks in the market will allow multiple user access in which each user will have a unique code to use in order to gain access.

Another popular key-less entry option is a bio-metric fingerprint lock. These types of locks will work on a fingerprint principle in order to unlock the locking mechanism of the lock. Once the user fingerprint has been scanned by the lock, it will convert the print to a unique code associated with it and unlock the lock. Similar to a push-button lock, this type of lock accept multiple users in its system as well.

So what is the benefit of having these types of key-less entry locks you ask? The first one would be the elimination of managing your keys. It is very common for people to lose and keep track on their keys which leads to stress and calls to a professional locksmith most of the times. With a key-less entry lock, this will not be the case. The home owner will only have to remember the unique combination he chose versus keeping track on his keys. With a bio-metric lock, it makes the home owner lives even easier where no code need to be remembered.

To learn more about our key-less entry lock options, give us a call or visit NorthWest Locksmith Boise.

Exit Devices Commercial Services

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Lock Change or Re-key?

There could be many reasons when a home or business owner decides to get new locks for his property. Examples such as employees leaving, tenants moving out, suspicious of a stranger that might got a hold of a key, and others. No matter what the reason could be, there are couple of option that can be done in these cases which are either changing the locks or re-key them. both options had their advantages and disadvantages that should be taken in consideration before deciding on the type of service with a professional locksmith.

Going back at least a hundred years, a re-key service came to life when a locksmith came up with the idea of a lock that was built using pins that can be changed inside the lock. Changing the pins inside the lock caused the original key that came with the lock to be useless. Nowadays, most locks in the market can be re-keyed without any issues with the exception of several specialty high security locks built with a mechanism that will not allow such change or tampering.

Normally, re-keying a lock is a much cheaper alternative for having a new lock installed as in addition to the labor, the cost of locks will add significantly to the cost of the job. Most locksmith technicians will be able to come to location and re-pin the lock for you without any issues while others give you the option to bring the lock to their shop and have the service done there. Before re-pinning the lock, a new key will be made to match the new combination inside the lock. Not only its much cheaper, but also takes much less time than changing the locks. These types of advantages become significant when multiple locks would need to be address such as a big house, or an apartment complex property.

The only significant disadvantage in having a lock re-keyed would be if the lock is suspected to be damaged. Re-keying the lock, normally won't repair any damage or wear that the lock had suffer during time. However, most locksmith technicians do offer lock repair services. Depending on the damage, in these cases, it might be cheaper to just change the locks.

Changing locks on the other hand should be considered if your home or business equipped with standard cheap locks and you are looking to add some security. In such case, re-keying the locks will be useless and getting a high security lock would be recommended. Installing new locks also bring you the peace of mind insuring you the lock will be free of defects and malfunctions. In addition, locks from the leading brands in the industry normally come with a warranty as well.

Aside from the price involving changing the locks, one of the disadvantages can be a compatibility with a specific type of door that is being used in your home or business. In these types of situations, some parts would need to be added or modification to the door would be in place in order to accommodate the new locks and especially if they are high security. These elements might get the price of installing a new lock even higher than expected in the first place.

Automotive Re-key Services

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Panic Device Lockout

There is a reason why commercial grade locks are normally considered to be more security than standard or residential type locks. Commercial grade locks are high security locks that usually are much harder to break into than the traditional residential lock. Most locksmith technician are trained and have the experience unlocking these types of commercial grade locks in case of a lockout situation. However, those who don't, usually will come up with a different creative way to unlock the lock. Sometimes, locksmith technicians will drill the lock which will not make the customer happy since he will most likely need to invest in a new lock.

I remember a while back I got a call from an employee of one of the local stores in the area that have been locked out. Apparently, the employee went out of the store through the emergency exit door out the back in order to throw the garbage outside and got locked out. I knew that I would probably have to deal with an exit device mechanism which is not easy, but since I had good experience with these types lock system, I decided to take the job.

Once I got to the store, I wanted to check the lock and see what I was dealing with in order to figure out the best way to unlock it. I then decided to try and pick the lock since that seemed to be my only option. However, no matter how I tried picking the lock, I just couldn't unlock it. Since picking didn't work, my only option seem to be drilling. Before going with the option of damaging the lock, I decided to get a Boise locksmith co worker of mine to the store to see if he could pick it open or at least think of something else.

When my co worker finally arrived, he tried picking the lock without success as well. He then noticed there was a fairly large gap between the doors which gave him the idea of using an automotive lockout tool key. Using the gap between the doors, he was able to slide the across-the-window automotive tool that had a loop at the end and pull on the panic device bar in order to open the door. The employee was relived that we didn't have to damage the lock, but we did told him to inform the manager he should take care of the gap between the doors as it was a security hazard.

Double Cylinder Deadbolt

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VATS System Fix

During the years, each vehicle manufacturer has developed their own anti-theft functionality to prevent stealing. As many vehicle company learned, some models became very popular among thieves which encouraged the companies to think of different ways to avoid having their models being labeled as an easy target. Some manufacturers started using the common transponder key system in the mod 90's which made it a little difficult on locksmith technician servicing vehicles equipped with that system. GM had a different version which called VATS system which had a similar function, but caused many issues as the vehicle got older leaving locksmith technicians scratching their head looking for a solution.

A while back I remember getting a call from a customer who was experiencing some issues with the ignition of his 1998 Camaro. According to the customer, the issue just started happening intermittently where the vehicle would normally start and other times it won't. I didn't got to service many of these types of GM models, but I assume the problem would be with the ignition switch that would probably need to be replaced. After discussing the solution with the customer, I started heading his way.

Once I got to the customer's address and had a chance to look inside the vehicle attempting to start the vehicle myself, I noticed that the security light was on. I then pulled my diagnostic equipment from the van and hooked it up to the vehicle and the information I got pointed to an issue with the VATS system of the vehicle. According to my diagnostics equipment the wiring between the ignition and the OBD connector seem to be broken which the only solution for that was to replace the wiring.

At that point I had to call a Boise locksmith co worker of mine for some help regarding the procedure since I never had to go through VATS system wiring repair before. He mentioned I would have to disassemble part of the steering column in order to "fish" the old wiring out and the new one in. After carefully following my co worker instruction, I was able successfully install the new wiring and start the vehicle without any further issues.

Office Type Mortise Lock

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Daewoo Key Make

Originating a key for a vehicle can be done in several ways by a locksmith technician. In addition, most locksmith technicians should have guides and literature the normally would help identify the best way to make a key for a certain model and give additional info regrading the correct blank to be used. Unfortunately, there were many times where I followed the guides only to end up scratching my had to try and figure out why a key I made did not work.

Something that normally doesn't happen, but did happen few times in the past was me getting a call from a dealership to make a key for a 2000 Daewoo. I knew this type of model was Korean made. And although there were not very popular, you could still find those around the U.S. Since the dealership was not familiar with that model, but needed a key to sell it since one of their attendants lost it, they decided to call a locksmith (me). Before heading to the dealership, I reviewed the guides making sure I had the correct blanks in stock which surprisingly I had since they could have been used for other models as well.

Once I got to the dealership, the first thing I needed to do was review the guide again to find the best way to get a code in order to originate the key. According to the guide, taking out the trunk cylinder would have been the easiest way. As always, the guide did not disappoint, and I had the trunk cylinder out in no time. There wafers in the cylinder were all numbered which made it very easy originating the key.

After the key was ready finally, I went to test it and failed to work. for some reason I could burly insert the key. I went ahead and made another one, but it seemed to fail operating any of the vehicle's locks as well. As a last resort, I gave a call to a Boise locksmith co-worker of mine to see if he was familiar with that type of model vehicle I was servicing. Luckily, he did service few of similar Daewoo models in the past and told me that in this case, the guide was wrong, and the blanks that should be used for that particular vehicle were Suzuki blanks. After quick check in my inventory, I found couple of Suzuki blanks. After about several minuted I had a new key made and successfully tested.

Ignition Switch Service

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Aspire Key Make

Originating an automotive key is one of the common services a locksmith technician will do during his or her years in the business. There are many ways to originate a new key for the vehicle such as progressioning, getting the a unique code that is usually stamped on the the door lock or ignition cylinder and last but not least, getting a code from the locksmith database software which cost money. The most common way to originate a key for a vehicle which most locksmith technicians do is getting the code off of one of the vehicle's cylinders unless it is not possible which then paying for the code from the database will be most likely.

During the winter time I remember getting a call from a customer who owned a 96  Ford Aspire which I suspected was not a U.S. model vehicle and probably a Korean made. I never made a key for such vehicle, but I figured it won't be much different than other similar vehicles I did. Apparently, the reason the customer needed a new key was because she accidentally broke it while trying to unlock it. As she was telling me on the phone, strangely enough when she sensed the key started breaking, she immediately removed it from the lock which then the key broke completely and the broken piece fell into the snow.

Once I got to the customer's location, I knew I would have much easier time if I would be able to find the other broken piece to originate a new key since it meant I didn't have to progress, take apart the door lock or even buy a code from the database which would have increase the cost of the service for the customer. Unfortunately, we could not find the other piece of the key in the snow which meant I had to go with the other alternatives.

It was fairly cold that way and I figured it might be best to leave the door alone and not taking it apart to get to the lock. Instead, I called a Boise locksmith co-worker of mine to check for the cost of the code and if they had that particular vehicle in the database. After getting him on the phone, he gave me the info I needed, but he also mentioned to check the head of the key for the code as he was positive that most of these Korean models had the code stamped under the rubber cover. After working on the head of the key for couple of minutes peeling the rubber cover, I revealed the 4 digit code. After doing a quick check, it was confirmed it was indeed the code I needed in order to originate a new working key.  

Residential Re-key Service

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NorthWest Locksmith Boise (208) 946-4162

Mazda Key Origination

Working as a locksmith technician you'll never know what type of job you will going to run into. Key origination is one of the many services most locksmith companies and technicians do. For most make and models it doesn't take much for the average locksmith technician to make a key. There are several methods and equipment that are used to make keys such as buying a code from a large automotive database, getting the code from one of the vehicle's lock, or others. However, the service does not usually end by originating the key. What happen if the key that was made will not work?

I got a call recently from an old couple who wanted a key made for their 1992 Mazda 929. I wasn't aware of it until I actually got to their home, but apparently the vehicle was seating in the garage for about 12 years. Even though they didn't have the for it, the vehicle was unlocked inside the garage, so I was able to  to look inside the vehicle which looked like it was brand new. Needless to say, I did not want to tamper with anything and decided to pays the extra few dollars to get the special code off of the automotive database instead from one of the vehicle's locks that needed to be removed for that purpose.

Another incident that happened that day was the fact that my main service van kept over heating which forced me going to the job with my truck which had an old "punch" machine which used to manually cut keys. Once I got the vehicle's code from the database, I had all I needed to make the key including 4 blanks I had to my disposal. Finishing cutting the key, I quickly went to test it, but for some reason it failed to operate both the door lock and ignition switch. I figured that there was a chance I didn't cut the key properly, so I went ahead and cut another key which didn't work as well.

I then decided to call a Boise locksmith co-worker friend of mine for advice on the situation. After giving him all the story, he said that the issue may have been the fact that vehicle sat for so long, the wafers and springs inside the lock probably began to bind in time which affected the operation with the key. The solution? WD-40 and let it seat for  few minutes.

After following my co-worker advice, I sprayed a little WD-40 on both the lock and the ignition switch and waited few minutes. Before making an attempt to test both keys, I went over the cuts one more time just in case. I then went ahead and tested both keys which was successful on the door lock, but not on the ignition switch. At that point, I knew it wasn't the key and that the problem just may have been in the ignition switch. However, as I went to call the customer and show him the key did work, surprisingly the ignition switch decided to turn which was a relief.

Commercial Lockout Service in Boise

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Broken Key Extraction

Broken key inside a lock can happen to anyone. Normally many locksmith companies will provide broken key extraction, bot not all of them as it can be a tricky task to do sometimes if the locksmith technician does not have the right tools or much experience to do it. As a locksmith technician with many years of experience in the field, I came across many type of broken-key-inside-lock type situations. Most of the time it would be due to the fact the customer had to force the key to operate the lock for one reason or another.

I remember getting a call recently from a customer who claimed to have the key break inside the lock of the front door of his home as he was trying to unlock it. It was pretty cold that night, so I figured the key was probably worn out and broke due to the cold temperature out.I took the customer's information and quickly went on my way before it began to snow again.

Once I got to the customer's home, I saw that the lock he had on the front door was just a standard Schlage lock. At that point I didn't thought about taking a look at the other piece of the broken key and grabbed my extractor tool from the van and started working on the lock. Normally I never experienced any issues working with the extractor tool I had, but for some reason I didn't have much luck at that time. I then asked the customer to look at the other piece of the broken key and I saw it was a Kwikset key. I then asked the customer how he was able to get the key inside and he answered that he though the lock was frozen, so he decided to force the key using a hammer borrowed from the neighbor.

Shaking my head after hearing what caused the situation, I decided to give a call to a fellow Boise locksmith technician friend of mine for advice before I go into the last resort of drilling the entire lock. After getting him on the phone, he told me he had a similar situation before and what he did was drilling a small enough hole through the widest part of the broken key piece. Then, with a spiral type extractor inserted inside the hole, s vise grip type pliers needed to be used in order to pull the broken piece. After doing all the necessary preparations explained to pull the broken piece out, I was ready to "wrestle" the broken key piece with my pliers which after about couple minutes of work was successfully out.  

Ignition Broken Key Extraction

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Nissan Key Origination

In order to make a new key for a vehicle there are few things that most of the average locksmith technician knows. Most of the information for generating an automotive key most of the time can be found in various automotive locksmith guides and book. However, every now and then, I would run into a new piece of information that was not found in those books that would help me get the job done much quickly in an easier fashion.

I remember a few years back, I got called by a customer who broke the key of his 92 Nissan inside the ignition while trying to start it. Initially he called to get the broken key out of the ignition switch, but I assumed he may need a new key made as well. I took the job, but before heading to the customer location, I stopped at the locksmith shop to get a couple of blanks just in case.

Once I got to the customer's location, I did a quick review of the situation figuring my strategy of extracting the broken piece of the key since that was the first time working on this type of Nissan model. It didn't seem like something special, so I just used my extractor tool to get the broken piece out which didn't take too long. Once I got the piece out, the customer did asked me if I would be able to make him a new key and I confirmed.

According to the guides I had there was suppose to be a sticker with the code inside the glove compartment that would be needed in order to make the key. There was another option mentioned which was taking the ignition apart to get the code stamped on it. Obviously, I took the easier route and checked the glove compartment for the sticker with the code.

Unfortunately, as I opened the glove compartment, I noticed that the sticker was missing. At that point it looked like I would need to take the ignition apart to get the code. Since I didn't have any experience at that time messing with the ignitions of these types of vehicles, I decided to call a fellow Boise locksmith technician I knew for some guidance on the process.

As I got my friend on the phone and told him the whole story, I mentioned that taking the ignition apart may not be necessary. He said that if the customer still had the original key, I should be able to peel the rubber coating from the head of the key and the code should be stamped on the head. Following the new discovery, I took the broken key form the customer (which luckily was the original) and I did saw it had the rubber coating and as I started peeling it, the code was right there! I then was able to make a new key for the customer in no time!