The electronic safe does not respond, how do I open it? (Part 1)

There are many advantages deriving from the use of an electronic safe, which allows you to keep various valuables secure, from family jewels to portable devices. It sometimes happens that these very useful security systems have problems which do not allow you to open and close the safe as usual.

It may be a factory defect, a malfunction which requires the support of a professional or, much more commonly, the batteries have run out and, unfortunately, in the versions which provide for it, the emergency key has also been lost.

We try to give answers below to the two most recurrent problems that are submitted to us:

1. BATTERIES HAVE RUN OUT

Even though all the good quality electronic safe models provide visual and acoustic signals which warn, in time, of the progressive discharge of the batteries (whilst in many cheaper imported models the signals often appear when the batteries are practically flat), it can happen that you don’t remember or you don’t have the opportunity to replace them before the safe can no longer be opened with the code.

The battery compartment can be on the outside (not recommended for security reasons) or, more commonly, inside the door.

In the versions set up for external power supply, the emergency opening is usually carried out with a 9 Volt battery (or with a battery pack which can be connected to the keyboard with a plug) which, resting on the contacts on the keyboard, transmits sufficient charge to the safe enter the code, open it and then replace the internal batteries.

Emergency opening with a 9 Volt battery
Emergency opening with a 9 Volt battery

However, if there are no external contacts on the keyboard, you will need to use the emergency key supplied with the safe, to open the door and replace the batteries. After inserting the new batteries it will again be possible to enter the security code to open it; if, however, there is an electronic failure, we suggest contacting the manufacturer’s support team to resolve any malfunction.

Apertura di emergenza con chiave d'emergenza
Apertura di emergenza con chiave d’emergenza

2. THE BATTERIES HAVE RUN OUT, NO EXTERNAL CONTACTS ARE PRESENT AND THE EMERGENCY KEY HAS BEEN LOST

Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence: if the emergency key is lost, the batteries are flat and the keyboard gives no sign of life, that’s when opening the safe or replacing the batteries is a problem.

In these cases, it is possible to check if in the installation note supplied with the safe (or in the ownership card provided with the emergency keys) there is a code for the duplication of the key to be communicated to the parent company.

Many Viro electronic safes are, for example, in fact equipped with an emergency key with a controlled duplication profile: this means that, thanks to the printed code, depending on the various models, or on the ownership card supplied in a sealed envelope together with the emergency keys, or on the installation note, it will be possible, by contacting the retailer where the safe was purchased and providing your personal details, to ask the company for one or more copies of the lost key.

Card provided with the emergency keys code for duplication
Card provided with the emergency keys code for duplication

Unfortunately, not all models on the market have this code and, therefore, this solution is not always possible. If the model in your possession were to be one of those not provided with this code, the only solution is to get in touch with a professional expert in safes who is able to force and open the safe to recover the material kept inside it (every company which produces good quality safes normally has its own support network in the area to which one can turn in these cases). 

If you have not found the solution to your problem in this blog, we suggest you enter a comment detailing your specific case, or simply wait for the second part of the blog.

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