Question about Tools used to open closed but unlocked doors

[sakuradeiku]

As far as I am aware speaking to the police about the recent break-ins they have all occurred using the under the door technique, nothing is stolen, just information on computers is tampered with. The reason that the under-the-door method of breaking in is known as the most common is because it was seen by someone inside the room. The locking system is under electronic lock and there is a metal plate preventing the credit card method.
Sarah

[MrB]

I think at this point I think you have all the information you need. You mentioned this came up in an engineering class, so you are perhaps training to be an engineer? If so, this is a good exercise in visualisation and design skills.

What you need to do now is design an under-the-door tool for yourself, even if only as a thought experiment; but making one for real is better. Once you have your tool, you can figure out and test ways to foil its use.

The most likely avenue is to put some kind of wards around the door handle that still allow it to be operated easily by hand, but which prevent the tool coming up under the door from getting close enough to hook a loop over it.

[toomush2drink]

Ok so if the door handle is the problem get a handle that bends around at the end to just about touch the door and make a small track for it to fit into. Now you have a safe door handle but one where a cord cannot be passed over or around it because of the track it sits in at its end. If you made the track and end of handle a dovetail shape you could increase the security even more.
As engineers im sure you could make this item and modify the handle.

[sidpick]

people in your area will probably have loads of electrical bits and bobs lying around you could fit a tilt switch onto the handle (putting all the wires etc in the handle furniture on the door) connected up to a simple audio alarm that could be deactivated by a key switch on the inside of the room. The mercury switches are small or even a beam across the door. There not that expensive anymore and if someone sets it off it might scare them into not doing it again.
Good luck!

[Buggs41]

I like the mercury switch idea. Only problem I see, is that the first person in the room each day will set it off.

Only other option is to mount a keyed switch on the outside of the room. But, we all know lockpicking.

[MrB]

I like toomush's idea. Many handles I've seen already curve round at the end so they are close to the door. The track it fits into would have to be curved though, so making it might be tricky.

[MrB]

The downside of the curved handle approach is that the under-the-door tool could bypass it by using a hook instead of a loop. In fact the track on the door whould make it easier for a hook to work since it would prevent it from slipping off the end of the handle.

[alias]

The downside of the curved handle approach is that the under-the-door tool could bypass it by using a hook instead of a loop.

Bingo.

Personally I'd look at putting a sort of skirt pointing downwards so that as the tool approached the handle, it'd be blocked by the skirt;

You can get the basic idea from my drunken effort in Gimp



It wouldn't be hard to fit, I don't think you'd be in trouble with the ADA becuase you're really not doing anything to the handle mechanism (simply blocking the tool from getting to the door) and you could even stick some kind of material on the underside of the 'skirt' which would give clear evidence of an attempt to enter. Just don't forget to install a stopper so you don't send the skirt through the inside wall if someone or the wind slams it open

[quasar]

with so many bypass tools avail, I sometimes wonder why I even try to lock my house!!

[toomush2drink]

Ok pick jedi you have defeated my anti loop device so i give you this (strokes long kill bill beard) How about we just fit a big magnet under the handle so any metal hook gets stuck to it thus preventing it from to being teased into position ?
(jumps up on to tree branch and folds arms and smiles)

[D_Shane]

I have and aluminum one. Not magnetic.

[toomush2drink]

DOH !

[toomush2drink]

Ok then how about making it so that the handle operates by lifting up thus the hook method is now useless and also it would be hards to push up on a handle with a piece of wire that has to be bent around the bottom of the door. A shield could also befitted underneath the handle as it wouldnt get in the way if the handle operated upwards.

[D_Shane]

I thought of that too, but possible fire hazard? People panic in emergency and continually push down instead of trying up. I don't think it would be disqualified by ADA, sure would annoy alot of folks until they got used to it.

[sakuradeiku]

We were thinking of changing the rotation of the door handle, but then that goes against fire codes, since people are supposed to be able to open the door without prior knowledge of how to open the door as well as opening the door at night in a fire hazard. Also, if the torque of the door handle is too much, then it goes against ADA codes as well, since there is a limit of force being able to be applied to the door.

sakuradeiku