As we saw in the first post in this series devoted to electronic alarm systems, a meticulous and knowledgeable selection of all the system components is essential for it to be effective.
After presenting the features to be always kept under consideration when choosing a siren, let’s now look at another essential element: the sensors.
Alarm systems for the home complete with control unit, sensors, dialler and siren can be found in supermarkets or on the Internet for just a few dozen euros. Rather than invest in mechanical safety systems, is it not easier to rely on one of these electronic alarms?
Protecting one’s home or material goods is not the only concern in our daily life nowadays. It is always worth remembering how important it is to safeguard one’s own privacy, that is, to limit and/or control potential access to personal, private and confidential information. Not worrying about privacy means running the risk of leaving private documents or folders containing confidential information unattended. The best way to ensure confidentiality is to control access to the information.
Electric locks can be used for locking drive-through and pedestrian doors and gates, both indoors and outdoors. They are ideal for automated doors and gates, as they can be closed remotely, but they can also be fitted on manually-controlled accesses. So there are lots of possibilities on offer.
As we have seen, a gun security cabinet is the safest way to store hunting rifles. However, as is the case with padlocks and locks, there are many models of gun cabinets, with very different prices and features. In most cases, they are generic models, which are more or less suitable for all uses. However, the Viro “Diario di caccia” gun cabinet is specifically designed to meet the needs of hunters.
Autumn is traditionally the hunting season and many hunters are already their preparing rifles and shotguns. However, in order to avoid unnecessary risks it is always necessary to handle weapons with maximum safety. One particularly sensitive issue is that of storing the guns when they are not being used. It is therefore necessary to prevent them from falling into the hands of criminals or even simply individuals who are unable to handle them safely, such as children.
The security increases exponentially when protection systems which work with different technologies are combined together, such as mechanical and electronic ones. This is because thieves, just like other (and most respectable) professionals, tend to specialise in different fields and the number of individuals who are able to neutralise both a mechanical and an electronic system is much less than those who are able to overcome just one of the two. For this reason, if protecting your motorcycle with a good quality mechanical anti-theft device makes good sense, adding an electronic alarm is even better. Continue reading
As we saw in the previous blog, electronic security cabinets are the ideal solution, both from the point of view of security and ease of use, especially when the cabinet has to be used by more than one person, as they eliminate the problem of having to manage various keys, with the risk that they fall into the wrong hands. Moreover, biometric solutions also free from one from the problem of having to remember the access codes.
However, as there are so many advantages, some people worry that such a technologically advanced system, such as the electronic one, may be less reliable than a simple mechanical solution.
In fact, manufacturing electronic security cabinets which are just as reliable as mechanical ones, but which are easier to use and more secure, is absolutely possible. However, it is true that not everyone is able to do so. In order to be reliable, the electronics of a security cabinet must in fact be designed and produced specifically for the task that it must perform, because it must satisfy several requirements, in the same way as for safes However, low cost security cabinets, especially if they are produced in the Far East, often use generic commercial electronic boards which have been adapted, and they are unable to fully satisfy all these requirements. One can therefore buy an electronic security cabinet with confidence provided a manufacturer specialising in this field is selected.
One of the most common fears concerning electronic safes and security cabinets is that it is not possible to open them if the batteries run flat. Also in this case, the difference depends on the quality of the product. A good quality security cabinet warns well in advance when the batteries are running out, so that they can be replaced well before they are completely flat.
One of the features of well designed and manufactured electronic security cabinets is also that the battery consumption is constant and gradual, thereby avoiding the unpleasant situation in which until the day before the warning the batteries seemed to be charged and then just a few days later the cabinet will no longer open.
Lastly, a good quality security cabinet has a low power consumption, so the batteries need to be replaced only very rarely. Viro security cabinets, for example, are able to perform up to 10,000 operations with the same batteries before they run flat.
Nevertheless, especially if the security cabinet is rarely used, the batteries can run out without the user having had time to replace them. For this reason, electronic security cabinets are provided with a emergency key which allows them to be opened even when the batteries are flat. Since it is only to be used in true emergency situations, this key does not pose major security problems, as it can be easily kept in a place different from that in which the cabinet is located (it is important not to keep it in the cabinet itself!) However, some cabinets, such as the Viro Ram-Touch, even offer the possibility of connecting an external emergency battery pack, so that the cabinet can be opened and the internal batteries replaced.
The external battery pack connected to a Viro Ram-Touch cabinet.
An electronic security cabinet may be purchased without any concerns, provided that a good quality one is chosen. Viro, for example, has been manufacturing electronic safes and cabinets for 30 years, since it launched Ram7 in 1985; the first electronic safe made in Europe.
You can see the range of Viro security cabinets here.
Watch the advanced features of the Viro Ram-Rouch biometric opening system.
From a construction point of view, security cabinets for holding documents and rifles are similar to free standing safes, but with some important differences due to their size and their specific purpose. How does one choose a security cabinet which best suits one’s needs? Let’s consider some important aspects. Continue reading
This is the last in our series of articles on the characteristics which distinguish a high security European profile cylinder from any other type of cylinder. After seeing how a cylinder can protect against brute force attacks and lock picking/key bumping, we’ll now see what solutions there are to prevent the making of illegal copies of keys. This is an aspect which is often overlooked but, in truth, it is crucially important; it is obvious that if a burglar can easily obtain a copy of the key the cylinder can be opened regardless of all the protections which it may have. Continue reading