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Naples & Marco Island Locksmith

A subject that doesn’t get talked about too much is safes.  Featured in many a movie crime caper, the safe is synonymous with keeping things, well, safe.

Generally made of toughened steel, and rectangular in shape they can be any size, color, and type.  If you have money, documents, jewelry or any other smaller item you want to protect then a safe is the ideal device.

The first layer of defense is anonymity.  They are hidden in the property somewhere that isn’t too obvious.  This will prevent the opportunist from making off with your valuables if they get into the house.  The second line of defense is the locking mechanism.  This can be digital combination, digital keycard, biometric or the old fashioned key type.  As long as the safe is of a decent quality, the security should not be compromised by any particular type.

Wall safes are just that.  They are designed to fit into a cavity in the wall of a home and be camouflaged somehow.  Often by paintings, murals or a tapestry.  They can also have sliding panels that are so well fitted, that you can’t even see the joins when it’s closed.  They can be expensive though, so buying a decent picture to hang over it would probably make more sense.

Under-floor safes are another favorite.  These can be secreted in the floor of furniture, the home, garage, outbuilding or wherever you can create a recess for it to fit.  The only concern with floor safes is making sure they are properly secured to the floor underneath.  They won’t do you much good if a burglar can just pick them up and take it with them!

Cupboard safes are another favorite in the home.  These are often found in larger kitchens and are installed within the kitchen to blend in.  Opening a cupboard door presents you with your safe, rather than shelves of food.  These are effective as long as the camouflage stays intact.

Other safes include completely camouflaged mini safes that include ones that look like other things.  Normal household items such as food cans, beer cans, tool boxes, books, video cassettes and other innocuous objects.  These are okay as long as they aren’t discovered.  They rely on the fact that a burglar has to hurry and pick the most obvious looking valuables to take with them.

Apart from picking the right type of safe, also think about choosing a fire or water proof one.  These can protect your valuables in other situations that a burglary.  It would be nice to be able to salvage something if you’re unlucky enough to lost your home to fire or flood.  If you want to keep jewelry safe, consider getting a safe with a flock or satin lining.  That will stop anything without its own case being scratched when using them.

If you have an significant amount of property to keep safe at home, consider calling in the experts.  We can advise and fit the most appropriate safe for your needs and ensure that it stands the absolute best chance of surviving whatever befalls it.

Naples Florida Locksmith

The purpose of key making is to allow us to control access to places and property.  The lock is the device that does this, but the key is what makes it work, so they can’t really be taken in isolation, but we are concentrating on keys here.

The word key usually conjures up an image of a house or car key, maybe an old iron one that fit into the palm of a hand.  Keys can now be almost anything from a combination number, plastic card, key fob to a traditional Yale type or tubular key.

Master keys are also an important type of key, and one most people should never have seen.  They are special keys produced by master locksmiths or manufacturers that will unlock most if not all locks in a given range or type.  They are best kept out of the public domain to ensure the ongoing security of the locks they open.

Skeleton keys are something that is synonymous with locksmithing.  Made famous by various movies showing detectives pulling out a bunch of keys from a pocket and using them on a door lock.  They are the lever lock version of a master key.  Constructed in such a way as to be able to trigger the levers in almost any lock of its type or manufacturer.

The traditional key is slowly losing popularity as combination locks become more sophisticated and keys take on some of those other forms.  Proximity keys are something that is being rolled out in Europe in vehicles, where a keycard is carried on a person and the car automatically unlocks as they near the door.  It also deactivates the alarm and immobilizer and allows the driver to drive off without having to actively use a key.

Buildings have been using this technology for years, and the cheaper and more sophisticated it becomes, the more popular it is.  Even some residences have these modern security features.  Most modern alarm systems don’t have keys, but combinations.  These are still technically keys, just not physical ones.  The main problem with them is when the householder forgets the combination, or writes it down somewhere obvious.

Biometrics is another form of key.  Fingerprint, voice, retina or DNA.  Once only seen in James Bond movies, now coming to a doorway near you.  Even some laptops have biometric scanners to allow access into them.  They aren’t without problems though.  To access one all a burglar needs is a piece of the homeowner which can easily be acquired by force.  Retinal scanners have caused problems for users with hangovers or eye infections, and have refused access to more than a few homeowners after a night on the town.

Keys come in all forms, and us as locksmiths have to know all of them.  That’s one of the reasons we’re always studying hard.

The history of locks and locksmithing

The first locks and keys were made by blacksmiths. As home security became more of an issue, the two trades branched and locksmithing became one of its own. Locksmiths were trained to pick locks, make keys, and crack safes yet few possessed a criminal mind or the desire to use their trade for nefarious means. This mindset is what made the locksmith evolve into the security specialists we see today. The skills, training and desire to ensure the safety and security of their community.

To be able to effectively defend against something, you first need to know how an attack happens. By being able to defeat locks, the locksmith can then devise a way to defend against those attacks.

Although the trade is still called locksmithing, there is so much more to it than just locks. We aren’t just trained to pick locks and open doors any more. We have to be able to relate to the public, offer practical security advice, know electronics and keep up to date with all the innovations in the security industry. Electronic security is becoming more popular and there are some state of the art devices out there. A good locksmith is going to need to know all about them.

When they aren’t manning a store cutting keys, a locksmith could also be designing new locks, learning about new products, consulting on security, doing appraisals of buildings, studying the newest lock picking methods and a whole raft of other things. Security is the single biggest growth industry this century, and that trend doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.

Consultation is becoming an increasingly important activity in many locksmiths lives. Prevention is better than a cure, and many property owners know this. They often contract a locksmith or security specialist to attempt to breach their security to test its effectiveness, or to advise on how best to secure their property. There is a bewildering array of security products on the market, and only an expert is going to be able to advise effectively of which one is most suitable for which situation.

In between all this activity, many also offer a 24-hour call out service to customers!

Being a locksmith is a very rewarding profession but one that keeps you on your toes. Not only do you have to work hard, but study hard too. When new products appear on the market, you have to know them inside and out. Sometimes intricate electronics and complex systems will need to be analyzed and compared to their competitors so a locksmith can gauge their suitability for a given situation. If a client depends on you for advice, you have to make sure that advice is up to the minute and accurate.

The trade has come a long way since its humble beginnings in a blacksmiths shop. There is no telling where we are going to end up, it’s more about computers and electronics now than making locks and keys.

Locksport

As unlikely as it may seem, the art of locksmithing has spawned its own sport, the aptly named Locksport.  This pastime is the sport of learning and defeating locking systems by picking, bumping or defeating in a myriad of ways.

Although locks have been around for the past 2000 odd years, this pastime has only been around for a few.  There are groups of people who indulge in this sport all over the world, some have even formed clubs, and there is now an oversight body called Locksports International.  Although this pastime may seem a little risky considering the end result, the proponents notify lock manufacturers of any vulnerabilities in full disclosure.  This method has helped internet security since before it was even known by the name.  The full disclosure of findings is cited by locksport enthusiasts as a good method of ‘field testing’ new locks and mechanisms. 

With echoes of the movie Fight Club ringing loudly, the main rule of Locksport is;

“You may only pick locks that you own, or those to which you’ve been given expressed permission to pick by the rightful owner.”

This sport is controversial however, with many locksmiths and organizations condemning the sport and the releasing of information of vulnerabilities.  The enthusiasts persist and believe that full disclosure will only improve the industry.  The participants of the sport aren’t criminals, and the organized clubs make great pains to be as transparent and as legitimate as possible.

“‘It’s the Challenge’         

For pickers like Andrew Howard, “lock-sports” are all about an intellectual challenge that is put on par with games like chess and compared to the ’80s puzzle phenomenon Rubik’s Cube.

“For me, it’s about improving yourself,” said Howard. “It’s the challenge of being able to increase the physical dexterity in your fingers and being able to mentally imagine what’s happening inside the lock.”

Howard, a 24-year-old Brisbane, Australia, resident, says that like many of his lock-picking peers, his interest in picking was sparked by a job he did in network security.

“I’m a database programmer for the education department and I dabbled in Internet security for a while last year,” he said.

Howard says it was a “natural progression” for his interests in computer security to expand to physical security.

“I thought it would be cool to pick a lock,” he said cavalierly. “So I did and I’ve been into it ever since.”

For people like Howard, security is like a puzzle. The idea is to make the puzzle so difficult that no man or machine can solve it.

A lock works very much the same way: the better the lock, the more complicated the puzzle, the harder it is to open without a key.

‘Security Through Obscurity’

On the other side of the globe, in Alberta, Canada, another picker who goes by the alias Varjeal, enjoys picking for similar reasons, but he says that for him it’s not just fun, it’s revolution.”   

(ABCNews, 05/02/2005)

Things to Learn as a Locksmith

It should be obvious that you will need the basic locksmithing skills to become a locksmith.  They must learn the tools, the machines, the locks and different type of systems around today.  Skills like key identification, panic button hardware, electronic security systems both commercial and domestic to name a few.  But that isn’t all you will need.  If you are running your own business, you will also need the necessary skills to manage that.  Tax, accounting and marketing are probably the most important ones to mention.

This is a career that is changing fast.  Technology is constantly improving and evolving, and security is more important and high profile today than it has ever been.  The security systems are becoming steadily more sophisticated and the prevailing laws more complex.  A locksmith must balance his skills, and his business with keeping up to date with the latest innovations in their field.

Then there is specialization to consider once enough experience has been gained.  These can include auto locks, commercial security, domestic or electronic systems.  All the disciplines need different skills, training, equipment and approaches.  There is also business enough in most places to remain a generalist and cover the widest needs of your particular location.  These kinds of decisions are dependent on personal preference and of course the needs of the area you operate in. There’s no point specializing in commercial locksmithing if you don’t live near any commercial districts or there are lots of businesses already doing it!

Playing Safe

Being a locksmith can be a profitable, enjoyable way of earning a living with many rewards as long as the proper precautions are taken, as can hiring the locksmith.

Being a locksmith in today’s market can be difficult for the locksmith as well as the person who needs their services. People should be more suspicious of who they allow to work on locks on their property.  The veracity of criminals, the availability technology and supplies that fall into the wrong hands. The locksmith has to protect themselves from false accusations, being blamed for damage he or she did not do and from being sued.

As with any other career, there will be locksmiths who are trustworthy and reliable and those who are less so.  The problem being is the level of trust needed between a locksmith and his client is a lot higher than most other professions.  People are often forced to call a locksmith with no time to check into the different backgrounds of the locksmiths in an area. 

Locksmith education is offered to anyone who is willing to pay for the course. This can put the public in danger because the student does not have to prove a criminal background before he or she is approved for the course.  If anyone can learn the skills it stands to reason not all of them are doing it for honorable purposes.

The locksmith must also take precautions to arm themselves with the proper licenses, insurance, and certification as well as take steps to protect themselves physically.

Call 24/7 - (239)572-1462

Below we are going to list some of the services that A Beach Locksmith provides to our customers. Please keep in mind that the real strength of A Beach Locksmith is our ability to provide lockout and rekeying services throughout Lee and Collier, usually in less 30minutes.

A Beach Locksmith guarantees same day rekey and lock installations with the rare exception on special orders in which case next day service/installation  in guaranteed.

Services We Offer:

• Full Rekeying
• New Lock Installations [residential / commercial]
• Sliding Glass Door Locks [service / installation
• Mailbox Locks [service / installation]
• Patio Door Locks [ service / installation]
• Secondary Lock Installation for Patio Doors
• High Security Lock Installation and Service
• Cabinet and File Cabinet Locks
• Door Closers
• Push Button Locks
• Keyless Entries
• Access Control
• Closed Circuit Video
• Alarm Exit Devices
• Hinge Pins
• Peep Holes

If  the service you need isn’t on the list, simply call us anytime and ask. If we can’t help you, we will send you to someone who can!

Need a Locksmith in the Naples area?

Ever been locked out of your car in the middle of the night? Perhaps you just bought a new home and you would like all the locks changed in the doors, we can do that too. Even commercial jobs like businesses and government buildings, we can service them as well. We use the highest grade locks available.

A Beach Locksmith is a full service locksmith company serving the Naples and Bonita area. If you need more information or have any questions please don’t hesitate to call. We are on call 24/7.

Call Today: 239-572-1462

Welcome to Naples Locksmith net

This is a brand new blog created for A Beach Locksmith. Currently his main website is under construction by RT Design. Soon as his main site is done we will use that to send his offline traffic from business cards, TV ads, and other forms of advertisments. All web traffic will be directed to his three blogs. He has this one, bonitalocksmith.com and fortmyerslocksmith.net

A Beach Locksmith can take care of any lock problem you may have. From new lock installation to helping you get back into your car that you are locked out of, he can do it.

In a few days I’ll get a new design up here and all of his contact information.