Access Control Mag door locks

[lpcalcaterra]

Can anyone provide some feedback or experience on a Mag lock system for residential use. I have never lived in an apartment (at least one with any security) so I do not have any experience with these systems. An installer friend put together a parts list & their costs, so I am aware of the financial impact or such a project.
I am think of installing on my rear entrance to my house. This is the entrance that is used 80% of the time. We (family of four) rarely lock the door during the day because of all the traffic it handles. Even when my wife is heading to the store & the house is going to be vacant she neglects to lock up. I thought that the MagLock might be a good solution.

This is one project my wife is actually looking forward to!

[Steve Q]

Larry, I considered adding a Homeseer controlled mag lock to my back door, but after my bad experience with trying to automate my garage door, I decided against it. I am worried that I will lock myself or wife out of the house. And, in our situation, we have a storm door so the door is usually left open therefore an automatic lock will not help. I decided the garage door opener is still the best way to get into the house.

I think a keypad lock is a better option.

Steve Q

[jasv]

Can anyone provide some feedback or experience on a Mag lock system for residential use. I have never lived in an apartment (at least one with any security) so I do not have any experience with these systems. An installer friend put together a parts list & their costs, so I am aware of the financial impact or such a project.
I am think of installing on my rear entrance to my house. This is the entrance that is used 80% of the time. We (family of four) rarely lock the door during the day because of all the traffic it handles. Even when my wife is heading to the store & the house is going to be vacant she neglects to lock up. I thought that the MagLock might be a good solution.

This is one project my wife is actually looking forward to!

I actually bought the mag locks to install but gave up because they are ugly and cumbersome. I end up using an electric strike and a keypad. I can also control it (open the door) via HS. It has been one of the automation projects that my family actually loves. One of my kids commented about how a friend couldn't go home because she didn't brig her house key and that the thought of needing a key seemed wierd.

[anogee]

I have electronic deadbolts and they are great. I use the the ones that open without power for fire safety reasons, but I have a battery backup on them that is good for at least 8 hours.

Personally I wouldn't use a PC system like HomeSeer to control these, and I don't. A keypad lock which also contains an RFID receiver will open the lock, and my HAI panel can also control it. I have a big red push button inside to let me out, and either waving my RFID tag or entering my password lets me in. The HAI also has some logic, whereby when I exit, the lock remains unlocked for a few minutes. When going in, it only unlocks for a few seconds.

The really nice part is tou can't see it from inside or from outside. It takes a bit of work to get it into the door frame, but now its at least as secure as a regular deadbolt.

[lpcalcaterra]

I actually bought the mag locks to install but gave up because they are ugly and cumbersome. I end up using an electric strike and a keypad. I can also control it (open the door) via HS.

Mag Lock Ugly - I must agree the surface mount lock does not look to smooth. I do have a hydraulic closer on the door already & it is not so nice either, but I love it. I have electronic keypad locks on garage over head door, garage side door, basement pantry (kids like sneaking soda) and my tool room and love them. The kids not so much. My problem is that the rear door is an Anderson Glass panel door. It has a "proprietary" locking mechanism the locks the door at three points (Top, mid, Bottom). This same or similar locking system is employed by most manufactures of glass panel entry door and doors that are taller that usual. Even though it is glass it really is very secure when locked. If I cut in an electronic deadbolt I would loose the part of the locking mechanism. Which is way I started looking at the mag lock to begin with.

[jasv]

I see now why the MagLock is a good solution for you. I think if you have a clear approach to the wiring and installation it would work for you. Of course, having your circuit breakers locked or inside would be necessary to stop someone from easily defeating it.

[lpcalcaterra]

I see now why the MagLock is a good solution for you. I think if you have a clear approach to the wiring and installation it would work for you. Of course, having your circuit breakers locked or inside would be necessary to stop someone from easily defeating it.

Great point. Circuit breakers are inside. Only AC fuse boxe/disconnect & the power meters accessible outside. This is going to be a costly project & I just spent part of the funds on HSTouch. Putting it on hold for now.

Thanks all for the info and guidance.

[fran_joel]

All the magnet locks I've seen have a strike plate designed to fit a thick door (with a heavy bolt crossing through the door to affix the strike plate). Not sure how you can make this fit on a glass door .

Also, the biggest drawback of any magnet lock for residential applications is
that they're only secure while electrical power is available. In the case of an outage, your house is an open-house...

Backing them up with batteries is an option but the power you would need is considerable given that each magnet typically draws 6 to 10 watts (or more) of continuous electrical power at 12 or 24 Vdc while locked.

[sdanks]

I used to have a mag lock on my front door. Then we moved. I am planning on installing another one on our new house.

Here are some things to think about:

Residential doors swing in. Commercial door swing out. The locks are made for out swing doors. So you have to use a "Z" bracket. That makes it look ugly. BUT they make "sheer" locks that are hidden in the frame, so you might look into those.

we really liked the lock. I used a commercial grade keypad on the outside and it worked wonderfully. I had several safeties such as the exit button would remove power from the lock and send a signal to Homeseer, the keypad sent a signal to homeseer too, but also removed power from the lock. Also, when the exit button was pushed, it started a timer that removed power for 5 seconds from the lock. This was accomplished as a "remote exit" input to the keypad outside, and it would do the 5 second timing thing for me. I used a double pole switch on the red exit button inside by the door. The best thing about the door was that when you closed it, it was locked. Punch in the code and push the door open. My expensive thumb latch door knob broke so to keep the door closed I had to lock the deadbolt. So I went to the Maglock. Then we could lock the deadbolt for extra security. Be sure to have a battery backup for the system. I did not have the battery backup so there was a couple of times we came home and found the front door open. We moved about the time I was going to build one. I will put one on the back door I am sure. We never got locked out again, and when doing yard work, you didnt need to keep your keys on you and get them sweaty and dirty when mowing. I intend on using either prox readers or iButtons to grant access to the house next time. This also allows you to issue these cards or ibuttons and limit times and days of access or turn them off without getting them back. I love mag locks.