How Locks Work
Keeping things secure
A lock is one of the most common forms of personal and property security in North America. Most locks are mechanical devices that can be used to secure doors, vehicles or other containers. You can also use a portable lock (a cable lock) to protect your possessions. Portable locks are most commonly used for securing bicycles.
The way your lock works will depend on which type you’re using. The most common type of lock is a key lock. Key locks can be:
Padlocks can be used to secure valuables; however, a lock that uses a key will secure doors and vehicles.
A key lock uses a bolt or latch that secures the door or window to its frame. The bolt or latch can only be moved when the proper key is inserted in the mechanism. The key will turn a cylinder or plug, which releases the bolt by pushing a number of small pins in the proper sequence to allow the plug to move.
There are a number of different ways to make use of a keyless lock. The lock itself works in a way similar to key locks – there’s a bolt or latch that secures the door or window unless released. However, the key to unlocking the latch isn’t an actual key. Keyless locks will be released either by a code, an access card or a fingerprint scan.
Push-button Locks are opened when the proper code is entered into the keypad. The buttons may have to be pushed individually in a certain order or they may have to be pushed together. The fact that there are thousands of possible combinations makes push-button codes difficult to crack.
Access cards function similarly to keys, but they’re electronically acknowledged by the mechanism. The microchip in the card is verified by a scanner and the lock is released.
Fingerprint scans are a recent innovation in consumer lock products. While the technology has been developed for government and police use, general consumers can now purchase fingerprint scanners for around $100. The scanner will match your fingerprint to a pre-scanned fingerprint. A fingerprint scanner senses the ridges and valleys of your fingerprint in order to make a comparison. The lock is released when the matching fingerprint is detected.
However, fingerprint scanning is a new technology and it’s still susceptible to fraudulent practices. The scanner can’t always distinguish between a picture or mold and the actual fingerprint. Furthermore, if someone has mimicked your fingerprints, you can’t utilize this type of lock again because there’s no way to change your fingerprints and guarantee the security of the system.
