master keys and residental locks

[Wreckmaster]

I will appoligize if this has been covered, but my search-fu seams to have failed me. I can not find anything on this subject.

Can a good quality american style (perhaps schlage) be master keyed in a residental application?

I am also very courious about the relibality, durability, pick-ability, and bypass-ability of the push-button, eletronic, programable deadbolts. I know bypass techniques are restricted to the advance forums. Therefore, I do not want to know how to do it, just if it can be done. In other words, can the eletronic bits be manipulated to open the lock.

I am wanting to re-lock my home, and give my roommate a key that will open the front door an his room, but not my office and room, but I still need to have access to his room as landlord.

Thanks

[Shrub]

You fit the locks as normal and use normal locks,

You now give your tennant a key for the locks you want him to gain entry through,

You dont give hima key to the locks that you dont want him to gain entry through,

For such a two lock system masyterkeying is pointless and digital or elctronic way over the top on a residential property in this situation,

Keep a key for his room and give him the keys you want him to have, pointless lessening the security of a lock by masterkeying it if its pointless,

[Wreckmaster]

What I was meaning by eletronic was something like this.



I was was not asking if it would be easy or feasible in my residental application. I was asking if it could be done. More from a hobby since, something along the lines of doing it because I can do it. I was wanting to buy the locks and repin them myself. And I do realize I would be up against a learning curve, but I gotta learn this somewhere. And I would not install them untill I was 100% satisfied with the performance.

Thanks

[Shrub]

I think i did answer your question, just not in a way you expected,

To answer your exact questions in exact specific answers,

Can a good quality american style (perhaps schlage) be master keyed in a residental application?

Yes,

can the eletronic bits be manipulated to open the lock.

Yes,

[Mutzy]

Oh noes! The keyway is upside down!

At least it's electronic, the mechanical (not electronic) keypad locks found here in oz *can* be manipulated. <-Very hard to do.

Shrub's on the money - don't lessen the security by master keying the locks. Also, where are you wanting to put the electronic lock? Your room/office or his room, or the front door?

I'd steer clear of installing the lock on the front door, as it's possible for neighbours to 'shoulder surf' and see the combination. But you don't want a master-keyed lock on the front door, either, because as shrub said, is lessens the security, by adding extra shearlines.

[raimundo]

You can get the effect of masterkeying on such a small system by using a five pin schlage on his door and a six pin schlage on yours, his key will not open yours, but yours will open his. as yours has the same cuts but another pin beyond the tip of his key. get the advise of your local locksmith before doing this, and if the locksmith says it cant be done, find another locksmith.

[Jryanruch]

You can make a 'master system' like this easily. You will need to make sure your MK and Change Key will work together. The bittings need to be at least 2 depths apart or the same depth or you will have some trouble.

It is less secure -- but really, having a roommate is more of a security problem than having your locks masterkeyed.

Good luck! If you have any questions DON"T hesitate to ask.

[desert_gold_hound]

I always felt that the electronic locks had the risk mentioned earlier. With the high power scopes out there today someone could be well over a mile away and see what you’re pushing.

Pinning a lock is easy. I haven't got picking down but I have pinned a few locks in the past. If I was you I would go about this a little different. Make the front door and his door use the same key. Then use a different key for your door. If you are wonting to do a master set up just to learn on buy locks to practice on. You are not going to get proficient with doing it only once.

[freakparade3]

I always felt that the electronic locks had the risk mentioned earlier. With the high power scopes out there today someone could be well over a mile away and see what you’re pushing.

Alot of the push button locks have a shroud around them for privacy. That said. If someone wants you or what you have bad enough to sit a mile away with a scope I'd say them getting your code would be the least of your problems.

[desert_gold_hound]

If someone wants you or what you have bad enough to sit a mile away with a scope I'd say them getting your code would be the least of your problems.

OK OK a half mile...quarter mile...

Yea your probaly right there. As for the shroud the lock he pictured didn't have one.

[Wreckmaster]

The pic was just the first lock I could find of the style I was thinking about. Not a lock I have auctually researched. I had not thought of the idea of somone sitting from a-far with optics. I was considering this idea because I small group of people has extra keys to my place for emegerancy reasons. My parents, and 2 of my neighbors that I trust. I thought that this would eliminate the need for extra keys. But it brings up an entire different issue.

To tell the truth, I live in a very good neighborhood. I have 7 houses on my street, we all know each other and know what we all drive and who comes around often. I feel so secure in my neighborhood, that for the past week, I have not had a back door, as it is out being fitted for new glass (if ya wanna know why, I will only say alchohol was involved ), therefore I have not locked my house for a week.

I have a plan for securing my home, since I have found the vunerabilities I have, by researching this site and others. I plan on installing break resistant laminate on my glass, installing new doors with heavier frames with much better locks, installing a monitored alarm system with the smoke or fire detectors, an possibly one of those digital camera systems hooked into my pc. The idea of the master keying was just to see if it could be done. Mostly a mountain I wanted to climb. I can not think of anything to secure my home better than that.

Right now, I live alone, I am looking for either a roomate or the like to help with the bills. In the future I will be running my buisness from this location, and I am looking for someone to start a family with. I would like the best security I can afford to prepare for the future, especially since I now know the vuneribilities.

Thanks for all the usefull information.

[freakparade3]

As for masterkeying, Raimundo's post is your best bet. If you do the pinning yourself it will be easiest to get 2 new 6 pin locks. Put one on your door, pin the renters door to match yours by putting your key in the lock and adding pins to it to match yours, but leave the last chamber empty. You can then go to a locksmith to code cut a 5 pin key for the renters lock, or just have your key copied, then use a file to cut the last cut on the renters key deeper so it will not open your lock.

[Mutzy]

or just cut/file off the 6th cut alltogether. We have restricted master key systems which have designed like that, as per the customer's request.