You may hear the term “hidden door locking mechanism” from your friends, colleagues, or someone else. Hidden door locks are an excellent way to secure a house door. You may want an advanced lock that can ensure your house’s safety and prevent intrusion.
Doors have worked for our safety since ancient times. However, thieves have evolved with time, and nowadays, simple doors and regular locking systems cannot provide enough security to you or your house, making a more modern security system necessary.
Not having a modern security system invites thieves to break into your home. Therefore, it has become necessary for home owners to learn about the hidden door locks, their mechanism of function, and how to prepare and operate them.
Here is a complete guide for hidden door locks and why they are necessary for today’s time.
Why Is a Hidden Door Lock Necessary?
Breaking a traditional lock is much easier for thieves to do than you might think. If you are looking for an effective way to protect your house and your other valuable belongings, hidden door locks are a fantastic option for you. Hidden locks can improve the security system for many applications, including:
Offices
You can put hidden locks on your office cabin’s entry or main door of the house to prevent entry without access and allow you to check the person before you allow them to access your home or office.
Safes/Lockbox
You can also secure your safe box or lock-up using a hidden lock, and you can put your confidential and personal information and items in it to protect it from outsiders.
Crib Locks
If you have toddlers at home, using maglocks or invisible ones on their room’s door helps ensure to their safety. You can also use these locking systems if you have pets at home; it will protect your pet while you are out.
Cabinet Locks
You can use hidden locks in your cabinet or shelves to better protect your belongings. Remote locks prevent outsiders from opening your cabinet even if they have the keys.
The main function of using a hidden lock is to prevent outsiders or thieves from opening a vault or door as they can duplicate the door’s key. Even if you use a passcode or pass card security system, anyone can hack your system or guess the password you have set and enter your house with nefarious intentions.
With more digitized systems, more modern hacking methods are rising. Anyone with hacking skills can predict your password or manufacturer a card to open the door. Therefore, hidden door locks are essential for enhancing your home security.
Mechanism of Hidden Door Locks
The workings of a hidden lock is a relatively lesser-known idea. Therefore, we will help you understand the basic principles here. Most hidden locks involve a magnetic system as those are difficult to find and break. People also call them electromagnetic doors due to the magnetic system.
The mechanism of these magnets in the hidden locks work in collaboration, each part contributing its own function:
- Hidden locks contain a magnetic system with two primary parts, including an electromagnet and armature plate. The electromagnet gets attached to the armature plate when you supply it with power. The armature plates are made of metal because magnets only work with metallic surfaces.
- Some hidden locks use advanced sensors with them; the sensors help in the detection of unusual people and alert you when someone is at the door. You can install sensors according to your requirement; you can find them on the internet or in hardware stores. Using the sensors, you can enhance your home security system, and it allows you to recognize the person at your door. The electromagnetic door automatically locks the gate after you let a person in.
- The electromagnet works on electricity; hence, hidden locks require a power supply. You will have to supply power to the lock when you install it. During power outages or when you unlock the door, the power system of the lock remains disconnected.
- You should not get anxious when an electricity breakage happens as maglocks also include a battery backup. Your hidden locks still work using the stored power in their backup battery during power outages.
- You can also use locks that don’t run on electricity. Some hidden locks use magnets and metals. The function of the electromagnets is to get attracted to the sturdy metal and slowly bend the lock to attach to the metal plate.
You should install hidden locks at your home or office entrance and in your bedroom or where you keep your personal items and valuable belongings. You should also maintain the lock well to ensure your belongings and house’s safety.
What Things Will You Need to Make a Hidden Door Lock?
Traditional door locks are less secure than hidden door locks; the necessary equipment for remote locks also slightly differs from regular ones.
The conventional door lock requires the following equipment including:
- A cylinder or the primary lock body
- A bolt or latch
- A box with a strike plate
You will not need any of these when you make a hidden lock. You will need these components instead:
- An electromagnet that has both a battery backup and a way to get a power supply
- Sensors according to your need
- The invisible latch or bolt
- Two or more metal plates and a box
- Key fobs
- Biometric cards
- Magnetic key
You will also need some hardware tools and fabrication machines, including soldering iron and hot glue gun in making of hidden locks. If you are using a sensor, you will need a software program, app, and online services, including SEGGER J-Link and Arduino IDE.
How to Make a Hidden Door Lock
Follow these instructions to make a hidden door lock or install it in a door:
- Start with gathering some magnet locks, switches, power supply, a miter saw, some screws, and dowels to put the safety in your wooden door. After collecting them, you can start making your secret door lock.
- Using two bottle caps, you can make a magnet key and glue them together with a strong magnet inside.
- You can use wheels or rotary knobs in the lower portion of the door to hide the lock. You need to add screws in the wheel and hinges in the proper measure to make space for the door to move.
- You can mold the door to check whether it is appropriately moving or not.
- You have to attach the magnetic invisible door lock to the door’s nearby wall. Use the appropriate size of the invisible lock and attach it firmly.
- Join the buttons that will work as an exit switch.
- In the last step, attach a power supply of 6V to 12V battery to the magnetic lock system.
After completing the last step, your hidden lock mechanism is ready to work. You can test your secret lock and install it in an entrance, a cabinet, and a bookcase to secure it.
You can also try making a wooden box safe with a hidden lock.
You will need more components for a wooden box safe, including metal wire, woods,
Drill the metal wire through the wood. However, you should drill the wood near the gate’s lower portion for its functioning.
In case you want to secure an RV door, you should install a well-hidden lock to the RV door.
When you need to open your vault or door, you will have to remove the wire or metal screw with a magnet key. Even if the outsider has duplicate keys to your door or vault, they cannot open it thanks to the hidden lock.
What Are Some Trusted and Renowned Hidden Door Locks?
Select one of these popular and well-reviewed hidden door locks for your home security by well-known manufacturers:
- EZ Lock ELC01-V.2 Lever Door Electric Lock
- Door Reinforcement 3″ Security Lock
- Ives Commercial Invisible Latch
- Master Lock Hasp (Hidden Hasp)
- Homello Electronic Cabinet Lock with USB Cable
- CZU Door Lock for Home Security Upgraded Version
- NewGen DeadBolt Lock
- RFID Cabinet Lock (Hidden Cabinet Lock)
- Invisible Electronic Cabinet Lock NFC Supported
- WOOCH Electronic Cabinet Lock
Final Thoughts
After learning the necessary information about hidden locks, you can strengthen your home security on a relative budget. You can create an entry door lock according to your personal budget and requirements using the tips above.