Master key systems offer numerous advantages for business owners:
Master Key System can eliminate the need for excessive keys.
- Convenience: Manage multiple locks with a single key, simplifying access for authorized personnel.
- Security Control: Customize access levels for different employees, ensuring sensitive areas remain secure.
- Cost-Effective: Rather than replacing multiple locks, a master key system can streamline your locking mechanisms.
What is a Master Key System?
A Master Key System is when you have multiple locks, that you want to give different levels of access to, and have one or just a few keys, at the top level of that access. This isn't often incorporated for homes, but in rare cases it can make sense. Master Keying is common on apartments, office buildings, large buildings, businesses with multiple locations, retirement homes, hospitals, and many others.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The advantage of masterkeying is that you don't have to carry around 100 different keys to open up all the doors. The disadvantage is that, security is always at least slightly less, than within non-masterkeyed locks.
Types of Masterkeying
The most common version, is to add thin pins, called master-wafers. This creates another operational sheerline within the lock.. In this method, the idea is to use as few pins as possible to accomplish the objective, and also use a keyway that can accommodate your needs and maintain maximum security.
Another way, is to use different keyways in a hierarchy. This allowing keys from a section master to go into all the locks, while each user key within that section is limited to the intended locks.
A third way involves the combination of standard master-keying and sectional master-keying.