Metrolocks Blog

Problem: As is common in care homes, this particular one had a problem with some of their mainly bedbound residents suddenly walking out of the main door. A front door in a care home needs to allow for easy egress in case of an emergency, but residents...

Problem: Home carers need easy access to their clients' homes, simply because the clients can't always open the door to let their carer in. There are many solutions, at times the client's doors are simply open, neighbours act as keyholders, keys are put...

Copying a gate fob – or gate remote – doesn't have to be as difficult as many people think. In fact, the vast majority of gate remotes can be copied relatively easily. There are two steps, normally, to getting a new gate remote, which we will guide you...

Problem: A manufacturer of consumer goods wanted to entice consumers to visit their stand at a large fair. The plan was to mail a key to a large list of consumers, with a promotional message about a treasure chest this key might open at the fair. Among the...

Problem: This property manager ran a huge multi-storied former warehouse, let to numerous and ever changing tenants. The problem was the access via the intercom system. The current traditional multi-button intercom panel kept on breaking down through the...

Problem: This estate agency was close to a large number of new high rise apartment blocks. More and more previously owner-occupied flats turned into rentals. As a result, the estate agency found itself becoming increasingly involved in rental property...

Problem: For this client of Metrolocks, the hand-over of the keys on a beautiful flat was a mere 2 hours away. Suddenly, the agent noticed, that the keys weren't where they were supposed to be. A lengthy - and fruitless - search ensued. Solution: In the...

Problem: An accountants’ office manager noticed an inexplicably quick depletion of some of their office supplies. These were kept in a separate room, which was never locked. Solution: Metrolocks installed a medium duty digital mechanical latchlock. Only a...

Problem: A gym found that the moisture in the air near the changing rooms repeatedly wreaked havoc onto their existing heavy duty mechanical digital latchlock: it had to be replaced nearly every year. Solution: Metrolocks installed a moisture resistant...

Problem: The management of a large block of flats felt that over the years their key-security was compromised by numerous tenants not returning their keys when they moved out. The cost of changing all main entrance and back door locks every few years was...

Problem: A busy pub kitchen had a simple fob-reader installed, to avoid guests erring into the kitchen. Having to hold a fob up against the reader proved impractical for staff carrying dirty dishes back into the kitchen. Solution: Metrolocks installed a...

Keys can be a messy business, especially if they're for things we don't use so often. I've never lost my house key, but I've certainly misplaced the key to that filing cabinet I never need to lock. "Doesn't matter," I tell myself, "I won't ever need to...

We’re proud to announce the launch of a new website, welovekeys.co.uk. We Love Keys is the best and fastest way to get replacement ABUS keys, with low prices and short lead times. Why should I care? ABUS replacement keys have for years been notoriously difficult to...

Problem: A hospital needed a vital area secured by means of a keypad. Even though power-cuts are an infrequent occurrence, the management was very keen to avoid any problems resulting from electricity supply issues. Solution: Metrolocks installed a...

The idea behind a lock and key party is simple: it's a silly icebreaker for singles looking to meet new people. A bunch of people meet, where all the men have a padlock and all the women have a key. They each wander round the room having a quick chat with...

Problem: A swanky model agency lost their bouncer and was left with a rimless armour-plate glass door and no easy way to add locks to it. In addition, the area leading from the door to the receptionist could not be cluttered up by a cable-run for any...

A locksmith does all kinds of exciting work, and his repertoire is not limited to bog-standard slam-shuts. We're regularly called out by London Borough councils who need assistance on what are known as mental health assessments. Social workers at the council sometimes...

If you're here, you've probably been asked to supply a letter of authorisation for a security key. Security keys tend to be restricted in a number of different ways, and therefore usually require some sort of end-user authorisation to get made. In most cases, a simple...

Our nationwide fob copying service is fast, efficient and affordable. If you need a fob copied, you’re in the right place! To read more about the service, including how it works and how much it costs, click here. Below you can find a list of all the fobs we know we...

At Metrolocks, we offer a mail-order fob copying service and an online key cutting service. Both of these things occasionally require customers to post us their keys or fobs, but problems occasionally arise... This article is designed as a guide to posting us your...

I once met a locksmith who, when he applied for an apprenticeship in the early 80s, was told, “Don’t bother, mate; everything’s going to be electronic by the mid-90s.” Well, that didn’t really happen, did it? But smart locks – locks that you can control from your...

Locksmiths are all thieves who charge unholy amounts purely because they know they can, right? Wrong. Being a locksmith these days isn't easy. Life in the 1990s was much simpler, in pre-internet days: an ad in a local parish newsletter provided many locksmiths with...

The London Underground is famous for all kinds of reasons. It was the world's first underground railway network; its tunnels extend staggering distances; the distinctive topographical Tube map... Read all about these things in The Guardian here. One thing that is...

Way back when, Metrolocks was one of the first locksmith companies to embrace the internet. We had one of the first email addresses, locksmith@axford.com, and one of the first locksmith websites. While the world was still experiencing the inconveniences of dial-up,...