One of the pressing problems of man since ancient times is to ensure the safety of the home. In the modern world for these purposes there are a great many different locks and other locking devices. Today let's look at the electronic Fort locks manufactured in Petrozavodsk (Russia) by Uni Fort.
Types of castles
The Uni Fort company offers the buyer electronic locks of several types. They differ in the installation method - mortise and overhead; according to the closing method - automatic and with manual cocking.
Experts recommend installing Fort overhead locks on light, fragile doors, for example, wooden. On all other types of doors, the best choice is to install a mortise lock.
Electromechanical lock device
These locks include:
- Electromechanical part. The latch of the mechanism is controlled by a small electromagnetic lock, but powerful enough. When the lock is closed, it is almost impossible to open without the use of an electromagnet. From the inside, the device opens manually in the usual way, as required by the fire safety rules.
- Electronic control unit. This is a whole computer of small size. It provides a ton of opportunities. Its main task is to unlock the castle. Also, using the block, key fobs are encoded and transcoded, and backup codes are recorded. Depending on the modification of the Fort lock, the electronic control unit may have additional functionality.
Lock features
In order for the lock to function, you must connect it to the electrical network. It is also possible to operate in standalone mode - using AA batteries in the amount of three pieces. The manufacturer guarantees that these batteries last for 1.5–2 years of use. When the batteries are low, a warning will sound in advance.
Fort locks also provide an emergency opening method in the event of a power outage and a complete discharge. In such a situation, the Krona battery is used, which must be connected to the wires coming from the lock button. After a short time, the charge will be sufficient to unlock the lock.
It is also possible to back up using the bell button. The principle of its use is that it is necessary to dial a special code, which the owner previously enters into the memory of the electronic unit. This system is used in case of loss of the key fob or its breakdown, but it has a number of disadvantages, which will be listed below.
The main feature of the Fort castle is the use of an infrared signal from the key fob. On other locks, manufacturers use encryption using a radio channel. Such code is quite easily intercepted by cybercriminals. But the locks of the Uni Fort company have a number of disadvantages.
disadvantages
The cons include:
- To open it, you need to bring the keychain to the Fort castle at a distance of 10-15 cm. On the one hand, no one can intercept the infrared signal at this distance, but on the other hand, the attacker will know exactly where the castle was installed.
- With a prolonged lack of power, operation of the device is not possible. Before installation, you must first worry about an uninterrupted power supply.
- Most Fort door lock models are suitable for indoor use only. For use at sub-zero ambient temperatures on the doors of cottages, on gates and in garages, only a special model of a garage lock is suitable.
- Reserve system of opening of the lock. The complexity of use lies in the fact that the owner must constantly keep in mind the code and possess the skills of a “radio transmitter”. It is quite difficult to accurately reproduce a four-digit sound code at the right intervals and with a limited time. At the same time, if the sound insulation is good, then the dialed sounds will be inaudible, and with poor sound insulation there is a risk that the sound code will become accessible to attackers. Also, the sound button can be damaged by vandals and there is no guarantee that this fact will be visible externally. It is possible that you will only find out when it becomes necessary to use it.
- Mechanical latch. There is the possibility of spontaneous slamming of the door when the owner does not have a keychain.
- High price. With all of the above disadvantages, this is also quite significant. Especially when you consider that the Fort invisible lock cannot serve as the main locking device, it is put only as an additional means of protecting your home. Putting such a lock as the main one is rather unreasonable for all the same reasons that are listed above.
But with all its drawbacks, these locks have a number of advantages.
Advantages
Among them:
- The main advantage of Uni Fort locks is the absence of external signs of the installation of a locking device, therefore, it will not be possible to open it with a master key.
- The ability to connect a large number of trinkets (up to 600 pcs.), Which allows you to operate Fort Locks in enterprises with a large staff.
How the bell button works
The four-digit code for the backup opening of the lock is recorded by the owner in advance. When it becomes necessary to use it, you should:
- Put the button in sound code reception mode. To do this, press the button once with a short press.
- Without interruption, immediately enter the four-digit decimal combination, which is typed in the same way as the sos command. The number of short presses on the button corresponds to one digit of the backup code. Between the numbers you need to make small pauses in a few seconds.
- In case of incorrect code dialing after the third time, the lock is locked and an audible siren is triggered. The first lock occurs for 7.5 minutes, each subsequent unsuccessful attempt increases this time period.
This method is especially inconvenient for use by elderly people and children, but nevertheless it should be borne in mind that it is used only for emergency opening of the castle.