key safes

Biggles

cavework wrote: »

C500 is one of the best
In 10 years I have never known anyone crack the code.

It was only introduced last year.

Biggles

mjmal51 wrote: »

The supplier does not have it wrong.
The first link is for the GE Keysafe at 1024 combinations.

The Police Approved model at 4096 combinations is the C500 model

Yes, but there's a lot of sneaky flannel in those figures. They are the total number of combinations for all possible numbers of digits added together (ie, in the case of the C500, if you use three digits there are 220 combinations, if you use four there are 495 etc etc, and they all add up to 4096).

You first have to decide how many digits you plan to use. This key decision determines how many combinations a burglar needs to get through.

If you settle for four digits (a bad choice), there are 210 possible combinations with the original Keysafe and 495 with the new C500. Still crackable.

If you settle for five digits, the most likely outcome is that the burglar will waste his time trying to crack a PIN-type 4-digit number, then give up as he won't know whether you have gone for maybe 3, 5, 6 or 7 digits instead.

If he does then try 5 digits, there are 252 combinations with the old or 792 with the new Keysafe. That is still doable but hopefully he'll be running out of time after running through 4 digits first.

With the new C500, having 12 digits, the best option would be a 6-digit code, as that has 924 possible combinations.

Biggles

minimo wrote: »

hi i used to work as a comunity support worker and all of the elderly people i visited had key safes, in the 5 years i worked not one person had the same number on there safe and i visited alot of houses. they are very safe my own dads got one.

Just out of curiosity, Minimo, how many people used 4-digit codes and how many used a different number of digits? I know Keysafe currently recommend using 5 to 7 digits but that hasn't always been the case.

cavework

Biggles wrote: »

It was only introduced last year.

Sorry I must be mistaken then ,but I know this type of key safe perhaps not the C500 but its predecessors have been around since 2000 because I have used them on many properties.:)

mjmal51

Biggles wrote: »

Yes, but there's a lot of sneaky flannel in those figures. They are the total number of combinations for all possible numbers of digits added together (ie, in the case of the C500, if you use three digits there are 220 combinations, if you use four there are 495 etc etc, and they all add up to 4096).

You first have to decide how many digits you plan to use. This key decision determines how many combinations a burglar needs to get through.

If you settle for four digits (a bad choice), there are 210 possible combinations with the original Keysafe and 495 with the new C500. Still crackable.

If you settle for five digits, the most likely outcome is that the burglar will waste his time trying to crack a PIN-type 4-digit number, then give up as he won't know whether you have gone for maybe 3, 5, 6 or 7 digits instead.

If he does then try 5 digits, there are 252 combinations with the old or 792 with the new Keysafe. That is still doable but hopefully he'll be running out of time after running through 4 digits first.

With the new C500, having 12 digits, the best option would be a 6-digit code, as that has 924 possible combinations.

The C500 recommends using up to a 7 digit code which gives even greater security. Also you can only use each digit only once when setting the code but would the burglar know that when trying to crack it?

Biggles

mjmal51 wrote: »

The C500 recommends using up to a 7 digit code which gives even greater security. Also you can only use each digit only once when setting the code but would the burglar know that when trying to crack it?

They recommend 5 to 7 but, in fact, 7 digits would only give you 792 combinations (same as 5), 6 gives you most. Though any number other than 4 is good.

It's best to assume your theoretical burglar knows how the Keysafe works but he would soon find out when he tried to crack it, as it is accessed by the keys being pressed and staying in.

mjmal51

Biggles wrote: »

They recommend 5 to 7 but, in fact, 7 digits would only give you 792 combinations (same as 5), 6 gives you most. Though any number other than 4 is good.

It's best to assume your theoretical burglar knows how the Keysafe works but he would soon find out when he tried to crack it, as it is accessed by the keys being pressed and staying in.

Bought one a few weeks ago but have not got around to setting/installing it yet as having some work done on the house and prefer to fit it unseen by others.
Will use a 6 figure combination then.

Biggles

mjmal51 wrote: »

Bought one a few weeks ago but have not got around to setting/installing it yet as having some work done on the house and prefer to fit it unseen by others.

Good decision, as the first line of defence is to fit it where casual passers-by won't even know it's there. My Mum had an (unlocked) porch and I fitted hers in there; it wasn't obvious to passers-by or even to most visitors, with the added bonus that the carers were out of the weather while they operated it.

marmalize

as a care worker i have been using these safes for years ...most people use a 4 digit code(and to be honest most codes are their or family members birthdates) at one time i had 3 clients all with the same code of 1920!!!...need i say don't use a birthdate..or 4 corners...or first 2 last 2 !...

but i have to say that in all the years of using these , and i work in some extremely dodgy areas(needing us to travel in pairs for safety) i have never had a keysafe either opened by guessing the number or by force(had a couple beat off the wall with metal bars and obvious attempts at getting in it but the keysafe stayed intact)

just make sure you don't site it over a drain...can't tell you how many near misses i have had when the key falls out as you open the safe!!