Beyond Door Thousand 10 - Never, Ever, Ever Forget Your Keys

Those traditional door knobs and locks sure look pretty, but in this age of technology, there are plenty of people that have decided that they don’t want people breaking into their house and stealing all of the technology that lies within! There are also plenty of people that have made lock picking an art form - but this is not possible with this new radio frequency identifiable door lock.

This very handy, and somewhat scary door lock, has keys that emit a specific radio frequency (from what we can deduce), which opens the door at close range. Pity if you happen to forget your keys … re-entry to your home is much further away than simply your nearest locksmith and a killer set of tools! It also has a loud alarm function in the event of a break-in, so if you do forget the key when you leave the house, it won’t just be the glass man that you have to call to replace the window you smash to get in. You’ll also need to explain yourself to the police, and survive the stares of Mrs. Pennyfarthing down the road through her lacy curtains, who always knew you were the no-good sort!The second most important feature, according to the advertisement, is that it has a stylish and sleek modern design and feel … and while I apologise to the designers for hurting their feelings (or to the marketing people, who made up that bollocks!), unfortunately that is not the case! It certainly is a very secure way to lock your home, but as a door handle goes, it is further towards the ‘Bill Gates’ side of the continuum than the ‘Elle MacPherson’ end.

To give it credit though, it does seem to have solved some of the problems of earlier RFID door handles and locks. There is an emergency temporary power supply through a 9V battery, and in the event of the power being cut off for an extended period, the door stays closed automatically. It doesn’t lose your PIN during battery change, and you have the power to configure manual or automatic door locking modes.  It also has an external forced lock feature, to prevent unauthorised opening through the mail slot (exactly how that works I am not sure - I am still trying to grasp the technology of a microwave, sorry).

The verdict from Architectural Classics? If you want your home to look good AND be secure, pop a deadbolt on one of our handles