Tap To Open: How Technology Is Changing The Way Commercial Locksmiths Do Business

At one time, commercial locksmiths just installed traditional lock and key door locks for businesses. They were on a single set of doors, and not two sets of doors. As technology advanced, so did door locks. Now, commercial locksmiths have to change the way that they do business almost annually because newer technology changes locks and locking systems. Here are some newer ways in which locks have changed, and locksmiths have adapted.

Tap to Open

You have heard of "tap to pay," right? That very same technology is tweaked just a little and built into door locks. Homeowners use their smartphones to tap to open the locks. It is really easy, and much safer than keys of any kind. So, what happens when a homeowner cannot tap-to-open?

There are a couple of different situations here. In the first, the homeowner has lost his/her phone, and cannot tap the lock to open it. If anyone else in the house has a smartphone and can tap to open the door, that helps, but not if the homeowner is in a hurry and cannot drive to a school or a spouse's office to get the phone. The locksmith has to be able to override the tap lock system to open the door, which also means that the locksmith needs a smartphone or a special override tap "key."

The other situation is more likely to occur. The homeowner has locked him/herself out of the house and left the phone inside. Again, the commercial locksmith would have to find a way or use a technologically-advanced tool to open the door. Since many commercial doors already use a similar system, minus the smartphone and use a code tag, the commercial locksmith creates an override ID tag, and then props the door open to fix it.

Say, "Cheese!"

Another type of Wifi-controlled lock takes security up a notch. Both residential and commercial consumers can use this deadbolt to lock and unlock their doors with a "tap in the app" or a thumbprint on the lock. The lock also takes "selfies" of those attempting to unlock the door, a useful feature for anyone who is NOT permitted to enter the home. The owner can scroll through the pics of everyone who has come and gone from the house during the day.

The photo snapshots by this lock will also provide you with proof that you had to have a locksmith fix the lock. It is virtually tamper-proof, given its round shape, but that does not mean someone will not try to break in. If and when the lock looks damaged and/or behaves erratically, the locksmith may need to replace the whole thing, as this lock wholly replaces any other locking system you have for your business and/or your home.

Now Bluetooth This!

Yes, Bluetooth has even entered the lock market. On the upshot, their demand has commercial locksmiths installing a lot of them, and learning a lot about them, too. Unfortunately for some locksmiths that do not have an Apple phone, they are going to have a lot of difficulty trying to help you unlock your door and retrieve your phone from the table by the front door.

The app for these locks is limited to Apple users only, so while the commercial locksmiths can install and repair these locks, they will have trouble springing the locks unless the locksmiths also invest in a specific brand of phone. Do not worry; the locksmiths are catching on quickly. That means that they will either switch phone brands to keep up with business, or they will have more than one phone in order to handle service calls for Bluetooth locks. For more information, contact companies like DuPage Security Solutions, Inc.