We all know that a door that’s adequately installed with high-quality locks is the primary ingredient for exceptional security. What if there was more you can do to increase that protection at a low cost, would you? Adding door hardware accessories while replacing your locks may spice up your door’s security.
There are many door lock accessories, which exist in the market, that provide that extra layer of added protection. Let us discuss some of these products in detail, what they are and what do each accomplish.
High-Security Cylinder
Standard cylinders constructed of five pins can be manipulated with pick tools. High-security lock cylinders such as Medeco® and Mul-T-Locks® get manufactured in ways which prevent lock picking techniques from achieving their goals.
Cylinder Guard Plate
A cylinder guard plate adequately mounted on top of the cylinder prevents the drilling of the set-screws that secure the lock cylinder. As opposed to most surface mount locks which screw onto the door, the guard plate is bolted-thru.
Latch Guard
Preventing the break-in technique of latch shimming with a latch guard may be essential to your door security efforts. Consider getting a latch guard to protect that easily accessible and vulnerable latch-bolt.
Jimmy Bar
The Jimmy Bar, one of my personal favorites acts as double protection for both the bottom and top locks. It does mostly what the Latch Guard does, but protects both the latch and bolt apart from each other.
Door Chain/Guard
You've seen them in hotels, and I'm sure you use them when locking your door at night. A door chain or door guard allows you to open the door slightly and see who's on the other side before allowing full access to someone you may or may not know.
Peephole
You might not want to have a door chain installed on your door as you may feel the surface is getting cluttered with hardware. The solution would be a peephole mounted in the center of the door which allows you to see who's on the other side before opening. I recommend having both peephole and a door chain or guard as you can see who's there first, and then open the door slightly to communicate verbally.
Wrap Around
The wrap-around is an excellent add-on for hollow wood doors. This accessory adds extra stability for the door locks mounted onto the door.
Reinforced Strike Plate
Standard strike plates out of the box come are very basic and come with one-inch mounting screws. A Reinforced Strike Plate is longer, thicker, and mounted on with screws that penetrate the jamb to the interior framing.
Spring Hinges
Trusting humans to shut the door behind them consistently isn't that efficient For interior door applications which require the door to remain closed after use, the spring hinge would be a great solution.
Door Closer
The same concept as spring hinges applies to door closer but rather for exterior doors, and doors with heavy traffic. Door closers construction is hydraulic which gives it more oomph and is more reliable in doing the job consistently. While there are many products on the market, consult with your Commercial Locksmith to which closer your door requires.