Keypad locks are based around a user entering a numeric sequence on a keypad to gain entry to an area. Often used for doors, keypads may be mechanical or rely on electronic circuitry to protect an area.
For the workplace keypad locks provide a strong advantage in that every employee can be informed of the code without having to supply a key for each worker. This helps company’s save money and helps to prevent employee lockouts from forgotten keys, a frequent cause of workplace disruptions. Keypad locks also are less susceptible to the crime of lock picking, and avoid the problem of changing the locks because of lost keys or terminated employees. Should the key code be improperly distributed to an outside individual, the key code can be changed in order to prevent a security breach.
Some keypad locks are mechanical and use numbers in order to operate. Such locks use spring bolts or deadbolts much like traditional keypad locks. While simple and reliable, drawbacks to mechanical keypad locks are primarily the limited code lengths and the lack of timed lockout features in the event of a successive failed entry attempt.
Electronic based keypad locks come in motorized (combining the security of a deadbolt with the auto-lock safety of a spring lock) and unmotorized (which an electromagnet locks and unlocks the bolt and a nob or lever is manually turned to move the bolt). Most electronic keypad locks run on batteries, which make them immune to power failures. As for code lengths compared to mechanical, electronic locks can utilize longer passwords for enhanced protection, and the keypad may include features such as lighting in the dark to aid entry.