Soldato
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May as well give them a set of keys then ain't ya ?
External Key Safe
- Thread starter mysticsniper
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Man of Honour
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Used these on my Mums and In-laws houses with no problem.
I now have one on my house.
For the concerned make sure you don't use a code that has 4 numbers on the trot - ours is eg 2507
I know someone who has one. Seems OK but I'm not convinced it's any better than a key hidden somewhere not-obvious (i.e. not under the plant pot next to the door). In other words having something that is easy to find but hard to use may not be much better than something hard to find but easy to use. I guess it depends on the setup at each property, if you have a big garden there's numerous options to hide it, I appreciate in a flat or whatever there won't be.
Edit: I suppose one advantage is someone might observe where a person retrieves a key from a distance if it isn't that sheltered or if they are a 'friend' who has been invited into the garden, but they wouldn't be able to observe a PIN from that distance.
One thing I'm a bit confused about is all these comments about not having it in full view at the front of the house - surely you would put this round the back so it's not visible from the street? I appreciate this might make it easier for someone to surreptitiously work on it, but conversely they'll have no idea if you have one or where it is, and if they are going to just walk round the back of your house anyway they are probably looking to break in some other way anyway.
Edit: I suppose one advantage is someone might observe where a person retrieves a key from a distance if it isn't that sheltered or if they are a 'friend' who has been invited into the garden, but they wouldn't be able to observe a PIN from that distance.
One thing I'm a bit confused about is all these comments about not having it in full view at the front of the house - surely you would put this round the back so it's not visible from the street? I appreciate this might make it easier for someone to surreptitiously work on it, but conversely they'll have no idea if you have one or where it is, and if they are going to just walk round the back of your house anyway they are probably looking to break in some other way anyway.
Man of Honour
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We did this for 41 years but when I took my Mum's safe off the wall I put it on mine about a month ago.
She's never been broke into in the 15 years it was on the wall and it was in full view of the street.
Thread Bump!
I've been asked to sort a key safe out for an elderly relative who needs to let carers have access (a carer told them to get one for £9.99 from ALDI but it looks rubbish to me!). Looking at customer reviews on Amazon and some safe cracking videos on YouTube I get the same impression that many of them are probably junk. Are there any examples that are actually worth having and aren't crazy expensive?
I've been asked to sort a key safe out for an elderly relative who needs to let carers have access (a carer told them to get one for £9.99 from ALDI but it looks rubbish to me!). Looking at customer reviews on Amazon and some safe cracking videos on YouTube I get the same impression that many of them are probably junk. Are there any examples that are actually worth having and aren't crazy expensive?
Most smack heads want easy quick access they are not going to study how to crack open the safe. Also only put the key in when need, don't leave it in 24/7 unless access is required 24/7 obviously.
I don't think it's literally 24/7 access, but as far as I'm aware the carers do come in a couple of times every day so in practise it may as well be.
Basically, theyre all crap (yet to see LPL recommend one) So buy whatever for a tenner.
The one that took him the longest to get into: https://www.screwfix.com/p/squire-weatherproof-combination-stronghold-key-safe/4967p
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DllwnPgQzQ
Soldato
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I work for a care company.
Our staff use them at every client. Never had any issues with anybody breaking into them.
They are all the same really. Some better than others. Argos do some resonable ones. Best to keep them out of sight and onto something really sturdy.
Our staff use them at every client. Never had any issues with anybody breaking into them.
They are all the same really. Some better than others. Argos do some resonable ones. Best to keep them out of sight and onto something really sturdy.
Check your house insurance if you don’t purchase a police recommended one, they only recommend two…
Man of Honour
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Andrew McP already linked to one and I also have one of these - https://keysafe.co.uk/c500-keysafe.html
Supra P500 Keysafe is LPS115 Certified and its Secured by Design - It is what I fitted on my Mum & Dads house so the EOL Carers could get in. They are £95 but are the best on the market (IMHO) the other reason I fitted it, is that they were approved by their Household Insurers.
Used this safe for my mum (gor bless 'er) in the later years of her life. Nailed round the back of the house so you wouldn't stumble on it.
https://keysafe.co.uk/c500-keysafe.html
It was used by carers and the emergency services.
When we sold the house, we couldn't get it off so just left it there and told them the code.
https://keysafe.co.uk/c500-keysafe.html
It was used by carers and the emergency services.
When we sold the house, we couldn't get it off so just left it there and told them the code.
I was going to reference him - glad someone did!
Yes and no. More like 'Some are less worse than others"
I'm surprised police recommend any!
THIS is the key (see what I did there) thing to consider. If you put a key safe and someone gets the key from that to open your house it may be an excuse for your insurance company NOT to pay you. Nobody wants that.
At work we long ago ditched push button combination locks - they are just completely unreliable as a security device.
(My dad has one on his shed and I'm trying to convince him to get something else).
Consumer & many commercial grade 'padlock' style combo locks are just as bad and can usually be picked with a low grade unskilled attack.
Cheap electronic locks are usually just as bad (sometimes worse) due to the way they are wired up (or designed) leaving them vulnerable or the pathetically easily picked key bypass. I've seen gun safes with really inadequate electronic locks where even a half decent key lock would have been infinitely more secure. I refuse to have an electronic gun safe.
Their ONLY selling point is convenience but since many people are lazy it seems to do the trick.
The Police recommend the C500 and P500 because they are tested to standards which exceed the PAS24 standards of doors and windows. Hence your front door is weaker than the keysafe that the spare key is kept in. (or the crappy smart locks that people are fitting).
Oh and as for the LPL - LMAO are you really going to be standing in front of a house with your lockpicks and not be noticed, please get real. Real world burglars put patio slabs through bifolds or lift sliding patio doors off runners with a big screwdriver or just kick the door in. Lockpicking takes time, experience and practice to be able to do it effectively. Lockpicking guns - ever tried to use one? He makes them look easy. Maybe with 200 hours of practice yes. I tried for 30 minutes with one on a normal yale lock - nothing. Ever seen a commercial locksmith pick a lock??? Nope they bring their drill and they drill out the cylinder. Why? Because its not as easy as Youtube makes it look. Ever seen a commercial locksmith snap or bump a Eurocylinder - Nope, because its not that easy. Ever see the Police picking locks? Nope they use the big red key. You guys spend way too much time watching Youtube and not enough time in the real world. If keysafes are approved by insurance companies, they cant be that vulnerable, otherwise they wouldn't approve their use, nor would the Police.
Oh and as for the LPL - LMAO are you really going to be standing in front of a house with your lockpicks and not be noticed, please get real. Real world burglars put patio slabs through bifolds or lift sliding patio doors off runners with a big screwdriver or just kick the door in. Lockpicking takes time, experience and practice to be able to do it effectively. Lockpicking guns - ever tried to use one? He makes them look easy. Maybe with 200 hours of practice yes. I tried for 30 minutes with one on a normal yale lock - nothing. Ever seen a commercial locksmith pick a lock??? Nope they bring their drill and they drill out the cylinder. Why? Because its not as easy as Youtube makes it look. Ever seen a commercial locksmith snap or bump a Eurocylinder - Nope, because its not that easy. Ever see the Police picking locks? Nope they use the big red key. You guys spend way too much time watching Youtube and not enough time in the real world. If keysafes are approved by insurance companies, they cant be that vulnerable, otherwise they wouldn't approve their use, nor would the Police.
Wind your neck in.
If you actually bothered to watch any of his videos you will see a lot of locks, and especially keysafes can be bypassed within seconds. Some its quicker to bypass the lock than even enter the code.
Sounds like a you problem.
Yes