Category: Blog
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You are locked in your dwelling because your lock malfunctioned!
So, you are here because there is only one reasonable entrance to your dwelling without considering rappelling out of your back window. Your doorknob or deadbolt won’t disengage, despite every method you can think of to unlock them. Whichever oneit is, your latch is probably at fault. Today I had a latch malfunction, and it…
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What to do when your key doesn’t work very well
So, the years have passed and your key works but only if you jiggle it or if you pull it out a little bit? Chances are that your key and/or the pins in the lock have worn down. You can remedy this situation very easily and inexpensively by having your key copied but shimming the…
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Bluetooth Locks
My experience with bluetooth has been pretty successful over the course of the last few years. I have a mouse that works wirelessly through this tech, my car stereo connects to my phone and plays music using it, etc. I also have an RC helicopter which is supposed to work through bluetooth and let my…
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Poor Kwikset is dragged through the mud again
Today Wired ran an article about Kwikset Smartkey locks and how easily they are compromised. They use nearly the same technique that I use when people are locked out of a Smartkey lock, except that I torque an actual key. They hammer a key blank into the lock so they can’t take it back out.…
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Getting a business onto Google Maps and keeping it there
Everybody knows that successfully running a business is a PITA. You have to constantly be worrying and networking and thinking about your business. Mine is no different. Complicating matters is the recent removal of my business’s listing from Google Maps. You can read about it here. Or, you can read my summary 1. Google removes…
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Hands-Free locksets are here
Months ago I was pondering taking apart a car’s authentication system and using a car ignition as my front door lock due to the added security of transponders and the car’s ECU, which is two-factor authentication, somewhat rare on consumer door hardware. Today I noticed that manufacturers of door hardware have caught up with the…
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Identity Theft and Your Mailbox
There are some crews around the Seattle area pillaging mailboxes and using the information gleaned from their bounty to steal your identity! One thing you can do to prevent this is to get a locking mailbox. Before you go out and buy a locking mailbox though, you have to know what kind of locking mailbox. …
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Worried about lending out your key?
Here is the dilemma: you need to let somebody into your house while you aren’t there for some reason, but you are worried that the key may be used for an ulterior motive. I have the answer for you. 1. The cheapest solution is to have a side or back door keyed differently. Make the…
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If you get the wrong key stuck in your ignition…
Today a charming lady called me because she was locked out of her car. After making quick work of opening the 2003 Saab, I returned to my own car to get back home before my better half. In my haste, I inserted my motorcycle key into the ignition. It felt like the first tooth might…
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Could somebody steal from you without entering your house? Of course!
If you are like most Seattlites, you have a wireless access point transmitting and receiving your data for all the world to listen to. If you are smart, you will encrypt this traffic using WPA2 using a complicated passphrase involving letters, numbers and symbols. If you are really cagey, you won’t transmit information wirelessly at…