Bedroom door lock

lock

We hire people to care for my mom 24/7 in her home and we want one of the bedrooms to be off-limits to them. We lock the door from inside and then use a little screwdriver to unlock it. It was simple, just feel a groove and turn counter-clockwise.

However, the last time my sister visited she had a hard time opening it and damaged the mechanism, and I had a very hard time opening it the last time I went. I thought I wouldn't be able to open it and have to spend the night on the sofa and then call someone in the morning to open it, but after trying for a few minutes I was eventually was able to open it.

So now since I could not reliably unlock it I left the door unlocked. I am more and more uneasy about it and am considering asking someone to lock it.

How would I unlock it next time I go? Would a locksmith be able to do that, and how much would that cost?

Thank you!

Best Answer

You should just replace the lock with a keyed lock for the time being.

Since all that's required to open a passage lock is "a little screwdriver" it does not offer much "security" at all. (Damage may have come from using a tool that "worked" but was not the intended tool - i.e. the lock may intend a hex key but a flat-blade screwdriver of the right size might have fit "close enough" - may also have come from the fact that the outside mechanisms are intended for rare occasional use, not daily use.)

You might also want to add some video surveillance inside the room, it being 2020, if you suspect that people who should not are entering it.

If (common case with older relatives and help) the concern is that you are storing valuables in there, it's highly advisable to just move them to a safe deposit box before there's a problem.

Related Solutions

Without Access to the Garage Interior, How to Replace the Handle/Lock

If the lock is separate from the handle and turns freely, my guess is the handle is the issue, not the lock. Overhead garage doors almost always latch by extending pins through the tracks on either side of the door. It is likely that one of these just got bound due to expansion, contraction, ice lifting, or whatnot. I'd try a couple things before doing anything with the lock itself. First, grab the handle and alternate between jerking the door up and down while you try to turn it. If this doesn't work, you may be able to carefully remove the trim on either side of the door. Usually there will be enough of a gap to slide in a flatbar or something similar to tap on the latching pins. If they're stuck, knocking them up and down a couple times will usually free them.

enter image description here

Door lock and unlock based on authorized user proximity

I never implemented something like this but I did implement something similar with other uses. I also asked a question here for automating parts of the home based on user that entered. It can be implemented using OpenHab with the NetworkHealth binding : https://github.com/openhab/openhab/wiki/Network-Health-Binding.

There is no need to issue different hardware tokens for each users but rather have them always keep their mobile phone's WiFi on. You must know the IP their phone has in the network so as to store them in OpenHab like this:

Switch Phone_WIFI   "Phone 1"   (Status, Network)   { nh="192.168.1.101" }
Switch Phone2_WIFI   "Phone 2"   (Status, Network)   { nh="192.168.1.102" }

More details for OpenHAB: the binding will check the connection status of a given device with it's IP Address, then you can use a rule such as :

rule "Allowed user home - Unlock Door"
when
    Item Phone_WIFI received update ON
then
    // turn on all lights
    postUpdate(Door_lock, OFF)

end

and a similar code for when they leave the proximity range for

Item Phone_WIFI received update OFF

I have not tested the received update OFF code as of yet and not 100% sure it works. Also be aware as proximity and range is an issue because with several different methods (bluetooth or WiFi) the range might be longer or shorter than what you desire so router placement or bluetooth device must be very correctly placed so as the door does not unlock while you are still entering the driveway (unless that is not a problem for you).

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Without Access to the Garage Interior, How to Replace the Handle/Lock

Door lock and unlock based on authorized user proximity

Related Topic