Codelocks Ltd - Experts & Thought Leaders

Codelocks has extended its CL5000 electronic lock range with a new Do Not Disturb (DND) range. The new CL5000 DND range prevents interruptions and unwanted access to locations where controlled privacy is important for user comfort and confidence. The new CL5000 DND range is particularly suitable for private spaces such as nursing mother’s rooms – a legal requirement for employers in the U.S. – spaces for prayer and therapy, washrooms, and changing rooms. Ideal access control solution  The do not disturb feature is activated by pressing a red button on the CL5000 DND’s backplate The do not disturb feature is activated by pressing a red button on the CL5000 DND’s backplate. When activated, only the Master and Sub-Master codes can unlock the door, ensuring no interruptions or unwanted access. If a standard User Code is entered, the lock’s LEDs will flash, an alert will beep, and the door will remain locked Matt Welty, Vice President, Codelocks Inc., said, “At a time when privacy and access control are more important than ever for private spaces, the addition of the Do Not Disturb capability boosts users’ confidence and comfort. It is the ideal access control solution for areas where users could feel vulnerable to any intrusion, such as doctor’s surgeries, physical therapy rooms, prayer spaces and lactation rooms for nursing moms." CL5000 DND features  Welty added: "It creates a seamless and stress-free experience, allowing users to focus on their comfort and wellbeing without worrying about unexpected interruptions or awkward encounters.” The CL5000 DND features Codelocks NetCodeÒ Technology which allows the facility owner or manager to set a date and time-sensitive code remotely via the Codelocks Connect Portal. The user’s experience of accessing the space is as effortless as receiving a text message or email with a code. CL5000 DND electronic lock The two models within the range are the CL5010 DND Mortise Latch and the CL5020 DND Mortise Lock. Both are suitable for high-traffic areas and are available in brushed steel or solid black finish. The CL5000 DND range is also certified to the 3-hour UL 10C Fire Test standard, for even greater peace of mind. Easy to install and program, Codelocks’ CL5000 DND electronic lock generates up to 200,000 openings from 4 x AA batteries, with a low battery warning when batteries need replacing. If batteries fail before they can be replaced boasts a battery override function.

2025 marks the half-way point of the decade and over ten years since they introduced the flagship Codelocks NetCode® Technology. The innovative, award-winning technology has driven a lot of the growth and change at Codelocks since its introduction. This got them to thinking; what will be the direction of travel for access control over the next 10 years? NetCode® didn’t emerge out of nowhere 10 years ago. It was intentionally developed to meet the demand for greater control and the convenience to grant access remotely. New generation of consumers Codelocks’ product technicians have been adapting and refining the technology ever since then to support more products and applications developed to meet evolving global customer needs.  As product innovators, it's important to expand the view and look outside of the world of access control and architectural ironmongery. This helps them understand the prevailing trends and what is driving change to people’s behaviours when it comes to access control. It also helps them to think about what the access control landscape might look like in the coming decade, when there will be a new generation of consumers with a different set of demands. Preparing for a sustainable future As they progress along the Net Zero pathway, the 2030 and 2050 horizons are getting closer and closer One of the major trends of the past few years is sustainability. As they progress along the Net Zero pathway, the 2030 and 2050 horizons are getting closer and closer. People, especially younger generations, are rightly concerned about the environmental footprint of the products and services they use.  Their concerns are driving moves towards greater shared ownership and rental, rather than outright purchase. This means that less material and energy is used to build items like bicycles and even electric vehicles that can be easily shared, there’s also less to dispose of at the end of the item’s life. This will call for ways to control access to the shared facilities with remotely enabled locks and timing mechanisms to ensure their fair and equal use. Electronic access control systems Several Codelocks products are already being used in integrated projects like shared-spaces and click and collect lockers. One of the customers offers shared bike storage spaces that can be accessed via their app, for example. Continuing the sustainability theme, they are actively looking to extend battery life to last the lifespan of the product to reduce waste. Looking further ahead, there will be greater innovation in terms of powering electronic access control systems from energy sources like personal devices to operate battery-free locks more sustainably. The impatience economy The growing rise of control and comfort plays into the trend that has become known as the impatience economy The growing rise of control and convenience plays into the trend that has become known as the ‘impatience economy’. This is where people (understandably) prefer quick solutions to traditional methods. Increasing digitalisation means that users expect self-service applications and automated access control without having to think about them – especially as AI will anticipate their usage, but more on that later. Now, this isn’t exactly new. Being sent an access code to unlock a gym locker or tennis court, for example, is much faster than having to collect and return a physical key. It’s something they have become accustomed to. Multi-factor authentication The convenience/impatience factor inevitably extends into other mechanisms, like connecting access control to payment technologies to streamline the entire process. Multi-factor authentication is something they are all familiar with when making online purchases, and this will likely be used more and more to prevent fraudulent access to facilities.  The impatience economy also fuels a behavioural change to a 24-7 expectation. Particularly in the creative industries when they never know when inspiration will hit, round-the-clock access to facilities like recording studios is expected. Getting personal The data paints a picture of the user that can be used to create a profile and anticipate their access needs Greater digitalisation and self-service applications involve data. These apps will collect data about who is accessing locked facilities, when they use them, what they use them for and for how long, etc. The data paints a picture of the user that can be used to create a profile and anticipate their access needs.  This is essentially how AI will be used to improve the customer’s overall experience. They can apply this to future innovations like an upcoming ‘do-not-disturb’ feature that they are excited about. More on this in 2025.  Looking towards the future By looking forward and exploring the implications of some of these mega-trends, they get a sense of how the business adds value to their customers’ lives. They are not just reacting to changes; they are actively anticipating them. As the decade enters its second half, they will see lifestyles and behaviours become increasingly bespoke, integrated and personalised. It's up to access control innovators to remain agile and responsive to these behavioural shifts and welcome the lightbulb moments that will spark new innovations.

Codelocks has added the KitLock by Codelocks KL1200 NetCode® electronic locker lock to its KitLock range, to provide flexible, temporary access for heavy-duty, high-use environments where additional robustness is required. It is particularly suitable for self-service locations, storage facilities, and lockers, for granting temporary access to event and school lockers, and storage areas in holiday rental homes as the addition of Codelocks NetCode® Technology allows the owner or manager to set a date and time-sensitive code remotely via the Codelocks Connect Portal. Keyless access codes Steve Newman, Regional Director at Codelocks EU said, “Adding Codelocks NetCode® Technology to our KL1200 locker lock means that facilities managers and rental owners have more control over access and can grant temporary keyless access codes to storage areas, cabinets, and lockers." "This saves them from having to physically attend the location to reset a code, reducing admin time spent managing access. The addition of NetCode® technology to locks on lockers that are used by multiple people also offers improved usability of the storage.” Dual authorisation feature This feature helps to safeguard, adding another layer of control and making it suitable for medical cart applications As well as Codelocks’ NetCode® Technology, the KL1200 NetCode® electronic locker lock comes with a host of new features. A new dual authorisation feature adds a level of access control by requiring two valid User Codes or two valid NetCodes to be entered to grant access. This feature helps to safeguard, adding another layer of control and making it suitable for medical cart applications and valet parking key storage solutions. KL1200 NetCode® locker The KL1200 NetCode® locker lock can be programmed to unlock automatically at a specified time, in sports centres and school environments this feature is useful for service staff who need to clean for next-day use. It is also possible to control access between set hours, for example, to make lockers and storage available outside of opening hours or prevent access during unauthorised hours. ISO-certified photocatalytic coating The KL1200 NetCode® is available in a silver grey or black finish and can come with the optional Clean The KL1200 NetCode® is available in a silver grey or black finish and can come with the optional Clean by Codelocks finish. This ISO-certified photocatalytic coating offers enhanced protection against viruses, germs, and other environmental toxins. Making it suitable for education facilities and healthcare environments. Red LED light feature Easy to install and programme, Codelocks’ KL1200 NetCode® electronic locks generate up to 50,000 openings per 2 x AAA batteries. The low battery warning ‘red LED light’ feature highlights when batteries need replacing. If batteries fail before they can be replaced, the KL1200 NetCode® boasts a battery override function – a 9-volt PP3 battery can be placed against external contacts to gain access.

As the vaccine roll-out proceeds, people across the UK are counting the days until we can get back to some kind of ‘new normal’. Just as we’ve seen in education and healthcare, the return to the workplace and other public spaces will be accompanied by enhanced sanitisation and social distancing measures. To make the return as swift and safe as possible, those of us involved with managing, building and constructing buildings should consider how we can help facilitate and support those measures. Regardless of how rigorously we impose social distancing measures, there will always be some areas where we can’t help coming into contact with each other. Sanitising door handles Doors, for example – and door locks and handles in particular – are shared by nearly everyone in a building. Even in large, open spaces, we all need to pass through a single entrance. We all use the same door handles and locks – and they provide ideal surfaces for bacteria to breed and transfer. Another solution is for staff to regularly sanitise door handles and locks One solution to this problem is to provide hand-sanitiser dispensers at each door and insist on their use. But this can be difficult to manage in larger buildings where there may be multiple doors and entrances used by both staff and visitors. People could ignore the sanitisation rules too. Another solution is for staff to regularly sanitise door handles and locks – but this is a resource intensive option and, again, is dependent on everyone maintaining good practice. Potentially harmful chemicals A longer-lasting way to deal with the risk of locks and door handles spreading disease is to treat them with an anti-viral coating. These coatings come in various forms. Some, for example, slowly release anti-bacterial chemicals, while others have antiviral properties actually built into the material or the coating. Those coatings with built-in antiviral properties tend to be longer-lasting and more effective, and also avoid the issue of releasing potentially harmful chemicals into the environment. A number of different solutions with built-in protection are currently in development, and some already available. Northumbria University, for example (as reported in last Month’s PSB Magazine), is working on a ‘super-hydrophobic’ coating for use on high-contact areas such as handrails and trolleys. Optional antiviral coating Codelocks is working on a coating that attaches biocides to nanoparticles Another British company, Smart Separations, is working on a coating that attaches biocides to nanoparticles, and can be applied to a wide variety of surfaces. While these anti-viral coatings are either still in development or only available to large corporate clients, others are already readily available. Access control solutions provider Codelocks, for example is currently offering an optional antiviral coating with all of its products. Clean by Codelocks is clear coating that uses nanotechnology that can kill bacteria in a matter of minutes. Clean by Codelocks utilises a process called photocatalytic oxidation. The surface of the coating reacts with light and converts harmful bacteria and germs into a non-toxic compound, resulting in a clean and hygienic surface. Chemical cleaning products The coating has been proven to eliminate the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus (COVID-19) from surfaces within minutes and is resistant to chemical cleaning products, humidity, and UV exposure – all issues that can cause problems for traditional slow-release type coatings. It’s been said that COVID-19 has been a great technology accelerator. This has been proven true, not only in the areas of vaccine research and development, or in cloud and digital technology but even in everyday objects that we take for granted such as locks and door handles. By building anti-bacterial protection into access control solutions, we can make schools, surgeries, workplaces, leisure centres and other public spaces safer for all.

A defibrillator can save the life of a person suffering from cardiac arrest – but it is most effective when used in the first few minutes of the patient collapsing. Studies have shown that a shock given within the first three minutes provides the best chance of survival and even one minute of further delay can substantially lower the chances of recovering. Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) were created to allow untrained members of the public to deliver life-saving treatment in those precious minutes before an ambulance arrives. There are currently over 10,000 in the UK, located in parks, offices, high streets and sporting venues, and they are especially popular in rural communities, where ambulance response times are longer. Every second counts Over the years there has been a long-running debate as to whether PADs should be kept openly accessible or locked. Leaving them open could lead to theft, vandalism or misuse. Leaving them locked could mean that precious moments are lost waiting for a local guardian to arrive – and could even cost a life. To save as many lives as possible, it’s clear that PADs need to be available 24/7, fully operational and easily accessible to users and local guardians. But there is a solution that can meet all these conditions – a lock that can protect against vandalism while providing convenient instant access when required. Life-saving solutions Over the years there has been a long-running debate as to whether PADs should be kept openly accessible or lockedDigital locks are ideal for securing PADs because they don’t require a key, and anyone can be given access over the phone. In the case of a cardiac arrest, the user calls 999 and the ambulance controller provides them with a simple, easy-to-remember code. The ambulance controller can then advise them, step by step, what to do. Local guardians, who have responsibility for the PAD, can be provided with an override key to enable them to monitor and maintain the defibrillator. The PAD cabinets built by Duchy Defibrillators show exactly how this works in practice. Based in rural Cornwall, Duchy Defibrillators manufactures, supplies and installs monitored PAD cabinets. To provide public access to the defibrillators, it needed a lock that could keep its cabinets secure, make them easily accessible and withstand the stormy Cornish weather. Codelocks recommended a digital electronic lock that could operate on a standalone battery, making it especially suitable for remote areas. As well as offering flexible access, digital locks come with a range of varying options and functions to suit different applications. As Duchy Defibrillator cabinets are installed in a wide variety of locations and sometimes need to withstand outdoor exposure, it opted for a robust electronic digital lock that is both affordable and easy to set up. A digital-access revolution Using smart locks in combination with a dedicated app or portal allows operators to send time-sensitive codes to end-users The example of Duchy Defibrillators shows how digital locks can be used to keep defibrillator cabinets secure while affording instant access to users when they are needed. But the flexibility of digital locks also makes them suitable for securing property and equipment in a wide variety of situations, especially for shared and public facilities. This is why you’ll increasingly see digital locks used to secure restricted areas in hospitals, schools and offices, as well as shared facilities like hotel and gym lockers, public restrooms and more. Digital locks are available for a number of specific applications, including doors, lockers and cabinets. They can range from simple mechanical locks through to more sophisticated electronic locks and state-of-the-art smart locks. Using smart locks in combination with a dedicated app or portal allows operators to send time-sensitive codes to end users – making them very popular for contactless entry and with facilities managers that need to manage access to buildings and campuses. One thing is certain – whatever your access control requirements are, there’s a keyless lock solution to suit. The digital access revolution is here.