For security pros, opportunities abound for making upgrades to commercial doors.
Every service call can be viewed as another opportunity to build your business, expand your skills and protect your clients. The more doors you work on and the more experience you gain, the better job you will do for your clients. For me, getting my foot in the door was the beginning of decades of long, meaningful and profitable relationships. One door would lead to another!
When assessing commercial openings, find out the following:
- The functional requirements, such as whether a door is a heavily trafficked exterior storefront.
- The risks (city street, exposure to vandalism and potential break-in, easy access to street parking and mass transit).
- Codes that govern the operation of the door (fire door and part of a means of egress).
Security pros have a number of potential upgrade options at the commercial door.
Hinges
Hinges are extremely important to a door’s operation and are frequently a point of failure. Many types of doors use pivots rather than hinges. Sometimes, hinges can’t be replaced easily because of damage to the door or rust on the frame.
Continuous hinges are an excellent upgrade, and if power is required to be transferred from the frame to the door, numerous solutions are on the market for this purpose. The most secure hinge is the full mortised type, but other varieties can be used with the appropriate fasteners. Replacing faulty hinges is a gratifying job, because the results are immediate and typically dramatic.
A few product selections:
McKinney Hinges with Non-Removable Pin. The Non-Removable Pin (NRP) option for McKinney hinges typically is used on exterior outswing doors. This option prevents the removal of the hinge pin from the barrel, which ensures the hinges can’t be disassembled from the outside and the door removed.
McKinney Electrified Hinges. McKinney ElectroLynx hinges feature concealed plug connectors that can be integrated with other ASSA ABLOY Group brands’ electromechanical hardware.
More info: www.assaabloydooraccessories.us
Lock Trim Upgrades
The most popular quick security upgrade is the addition of a deadbolt. After you reach this point in the conversation with a client, the possibilities are almost endless, limited only by your imagination and the client’s ability to pay. Lock trim upgrades might include levers, handlesets, cylindrical locks and deadbolts.
Forced doors and poor key management foster a major portion of the commercial locksmithing revenue in this country. Patented keyways and UL listed lock cylinders are among several solid solutions.
Here are a few lockset upgrade options.
Arrow E Series Indicator Deadbolt. Arrow’s occupancy indicator deadbolts have visual indicators on the inside and outside of the door for ultimate privacy, provided as part of the standard product offering on all Arrow E50 Series.
More info: www.arrowlock.com
Medeco 4. For the highest level of protection against physical attack and unauthorized key duplication, Medeco 4 (M4) cylinders are UL 437 Listed and has solid brass construction and hardened-steel inserts. They also have a patented key design. In addition to pins that lift and rotate, the M4’s design includes four side pins, three finger pins and one lift pin, which provides a high level of pick resistance. The M4 key design features an in-key movable element, which protects against the emerging threat of 3-D printing, while making unauthorized duplication virtually impossible.
More info: www.medeco.com
Corbin Russwin CLX3300 Series/SARGENT 10X Line. The Corbin Russwin CLX3300 Series and SARGENT 10X Line premium-grade bored locks are designed to secure and protect high-traffic, high-abuse spaces where aesthetics and performance matter.
These locks exceed ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 standards and are available with all industry-standard finishes and a variety of decorative levers.
More info: www.corbinrusswin.com, www.sargentlocks.com
Cylinder and Latch Protectors
A significant percentage of commercial burglaries and acts of vandalism start with opportunistic attacks on the door. Cylinder and latch protectors help to remove that threat. Here are some options:
Capitol Industries CI-Series. Capitol Industries’ CI-Series cylinder and latch protectors protect against cylinder wrenching and tampering with latches and strikes.
CI-Series products are made of anodized aluminum and are easy to install.
The CI-30 has clearance for electric strikes; the CIA-30 provides additional clearance, and both are available handed, for use on outswing doors only. The CI-10 can be used for inswing doors. XT versions (CI-10XT, for example) are designed for use with seven-pin interchangeable-core cylinders.
All mounting hardware is included. All CI-Series product are offered with FREE engraving on orders of 20 units or more for locksmiths to promote themselves on each installation.
More info: www.capitolindustries.com
Rockwood Vandal-Resistant Pull. Vandal-resistant pulls are designed to help prevent tampering with door pulls. For interior or exterior applications, the Rockwood VRP 30 is constructed of high-strength steel for durability. The uniquely sloped design of the pull makes it less vulnerable to binding two door handles to block egress.
Rockwood Vertical Rod Latch Guard Cover. The Rockwood BFLG1050 Vertical Rod Latch Guard Cover combines the popular Rockwood K1050 Kick Plate and Rockwood BFLG10 Latch Guard to provide customers with a single protective solution.
Rockwood Vertical Rod Covers. The vertical rod cover (BFRC) is a sturdy channel made of stainless steel (other finishes available) and designed to fit over the vertical rod, which protects the rod from damage caused by carts, gurneys, etc. It’s available in 12-inch and 24-inch lengths.
Pemko Security Astragals. Security astragals cover the gap between the door and jamb for the full door height, which prevents prying and manipulation. The Pemko 3572 astragal is designed for use on single outswing wood or metal doors, including classroom doors that open onto exterior walkways.
Pemko Security Door Bottom. The Pemko STC510 includes end plates that provide a clean, finished look and also prevent debris from entering operating mechanisms.
More info: www.assaabloydooraccessories.us
Electronic Access Control
Adding electronics to a door increases security as well as allows for the monitoring of who goes through a door when. It’s a next-level upgrade to a commercial door.
Several types of locking options are available, including strikes, maglocks and key pads. Here are some options.
Securitron DEM680E Delayed Egress Magnalock. The DEM680E is highly configurable, strong and easy to mount. The DEM680E is designed for applications that require a lock that delays the opening of a door. It has 1,200 pounds of holding force, for use on interior and perimeter exit, single, outswinging doors. The DEM680E includes built-in auto-calibration to ensure proper, consistent activation and integrated door-position-switch monitoring. It’s available in eight architectural finishes to match your specific opening and includes internal and external alarm selections during installation and an adjustable nuisance delay to reduce false alarms.
More info: www.securitron.com
Securitech Auto-Bolt MAX. Securitech has created a series of retrofit multipoint locks designed to protect against forced entry. The Auto-Bolt MAX series (or ABM) provides multipoint deadbolt protection with single-motion egress. The surface-mounted models are designed to retrofit to existing solid steel or wood doors. The stainless steel locking bolts project into the frame or strikes each and every time the door closes. ABM will integrate with all access control systems and is available with either an interior lever or exit device.
More info: www.securitech.com
HES ES100 Series Wireless Electric Strikes. HES ES100 Series Wireless Electric Strikes are available in convenient (nonmonitored) and secure (monitored) model options and are compatible with most models of cylindrical and mortise latchbolt locksets, including 1-inch deadbolts. The strike supports HID multiCLASS SE card technologies, as well as NFC and BLE mobile credentials.
The battery-powered ES100 has fail-secure operation (standard), interchangeable faceplates and accessories, integrated locked state and tamper monitoring and a field-adjustable integrated shim for changing door conditions.
More info: www.hesinnovations.com
Adams Rite DL100 Wireless Deadlatch. The Adams Rite DL100 wireless deadlatch extends real-time online access control to more aluminum openings by using Aperio wireless technology.
The DL100 combines electrified locking hardware with an access control system in standard aluminum-stile doors and is ready for retrofit, renovation or any commercial project that has an existing MS door prep. The DL100 uses low-energy motorized EcoLatch technology for silent operation and supports HID multiclass SE and NFC or BLE mobile access card technologies, easily interfacing with existing access control systems to extend real-time, cost-effective security to more openings.
Available standard in a fail-secure configuration, the DL100 always is operable from the inside handle or paddle, with entry via a mortise cylinder or integrated card reader. The deadlatch provides real-time monitoring for DPS, tamper, REX, locked state and latch status, and battery health, and the product is powered by two AA lithium batteries.
More Info: www.adamsrite.com
Hager 2916P Heavy Duty Keypad. This heavy-duty keypad, which includes a proximity reader, is suitable for indoor or outdoor use.
It’s designed to control access of a single entry point for facilities that have up to 500 users. PIN and prox credentials are available, including HID ProxCard II fobs.
Other features include a keypad-tamper lockout, which has an adjustable number of attempts (2-7), before lockout occurs and a lockout time of 60 seconds. It also has a request-to-exit or -enter input, an egress keypad input and a choice of door sense or relay inhibit input functions (forced entry, door ajar, auto relock).
More info: www.hagerco.com
Tim O’Leary is an experienced security consultant and a regular contributor to Locksmith Ledger.
Tim O'Leary
Tim O'Leary is a security consultant, trainer and technician who has also been writing articles on all areas of locksmithing & physical security for many years.
