A Friend asks how can he match all the locks to his exterior doors to one key. He has a situation where he needs to replace the lockset on his back door and wants to do the upgrade now while he is working on the door.
The easiest way to have all of your locks and deadbolts match a single key is when you are purchasing them. Manufactures understand that home owners want a single key to reduce the problem of searching for keys in the dark or keeping more than one key. This is why they have designed model sets that match.
When you are picking out the style of door knob you must also pick from the same style deadbolt. Then a marking on the package will allow you to select packages that have keys that match.
Rekeying Locks To Match Keys
If all of your locks are in good condition and you don’t expect to be replacing all of the locks at the same time there is still the possibility that a locksmith can change the pins in your locks to match a single key. Again your locks must match. They must be the same brand and model and use the same number of pins.
The service can be performed at your home or you can swap out one lock at a time and bring it to the store.
Smart Locks
Smart Locks are a recently introduced lock where a key is matched with the door lockset and you can change the keys or settings on the locks as often as necessary by resetting the lock and inserting a new key.
This is a great option for people that rent out their homes or have apartments because although you do need to disassemble the door lock it does not mean costly replacements or an expensive visit from a locksmith.
Normally how they work is you open the door and insert the new key and then insert a setting pin to reset the lock and the combination pins will use the new setting.
WiFi Locks or Keypad Locks
This is a high tech solution for your home to allow you to use a keypad at the lock or use your alarm system or wifi to open and close the lock. These devices have their good and bad points and they are always improving the technology so I would suggest if you are thinking about this type of lockset that you research the most current information on them. There have been known security problems with them and you should understand this before you use one.
Final Note
Whatever your situation you should always understand the quality of product you are purchasing. Basic locks will deter people that want to get into your home but they should not be the only line of security you have.
This technology changes pretty quickly so it is important that you review what manufacturers are introducing and instead of having your old locks rekeyed you might really want to consider an upgrade depending on what is available.
Locksmiths are highly trained in working with home locksets and can often rekey a home in a matter of a couple hours. You should ask them if they charge by the lock, if they cut new keys at your home and what the general cost is.