Type of Building: Commercial

When the 600,000 square foot Highstreet Shopping Centre opened in West Abbotsford a few short years back, our technicians were scurrying to outfit individual retailers with robust and affordable security solutions.

Highstreet management also approached us, seeking a time- and cost-effective way to control and manage keys for the many security guards, maintenance personnel, and subcontractors who needed regular access to the property.

The Solution

We confidently recommended the Mul-T-Lock Traka21 smart key cabinet. This is a simple yet sophisticated standalone key management system that allows each user to open the cabinet using a personal code that is unique to them. Once they have access to the keys inside, they can only take the set that has been approved for their use by management.

The Traka21 audits who takes the keys, and when. Keys are now returned to the cabinet after every shift, never leaving the property.

Automating the key distribution in this way has made Highstreet’s money back many times over, based on the time saved from no longer manually tracking keys, and the money retained in the elimination of rekeying costs.

Other raving fans of this technology include our client Menno Housing, with two units installed, and plans to add more: to accommodate additional buildings on their property.

Type of Building: Condo

The strata council of Canterbury Gate, an adult oriented 62-unit condominium complex in West Abbotsford, approached us with a security frustration that they were encountering.

Each condo owner was provided with automated garage and gate remote controls. If even one of these units was lost or stolen, the entire batch of over 80 remotes had to be collected and reprogrammed by council members. In addition to being very time consuming, this process caused a delay period in which owners were without automatic gate and garage access.

The Solution

We recommended and quickly installed a new state-of-the-art Linear remote system, which allows for individual remotes to be added or deleted from the system in minutes, eliminating the need to touch the other remotes in the group

Type of Building: Condo

Recently, we were approached by a member of Centennial Court’s strata council to provide an optimal security strategy for the property, which consists of three separate buildings holding 138 residential condominium units, constructed 25 years ago in Abbotsford.

Centennial Court was seeking the lowest cost and most effective security solution that would enable the property manager to be able to ‘add and delete’ keys quickly and easily, in response to regular owner turnover.

Older mechanical systems would require that the physical lock itself would need to be changed each time, with every one of those modifications requiring a locksmith intervention.

The Solution

Our higher-tech solution was to install eight Mul-T-Lock Smart Air wall readers on six exterior doors, plus two more for the pool and amenity rooms. Small proximity fobs were then distributed to all property owners, replacing their keys.

The MUL-T-LOCK Smart Air software and handheld programmer unit satisfied the customer’s requirements to be able to quickly delete key fobs, restrict individual access as needed, and obtain audit trails.

As another alternative, hard-wired systems would have incurred an extremely high labour cost for installation in the buildings, which weren’t pre-wired. Linking the three buildings would have represented another financial hurdle.

And in terms of ongoing management, replacing lost cards is cheaper and faster than replacing a lost key. Plus, the system is easily expandable to secure more doors, such as service rooms, storage lockers, and even control elevator access to separate floors in the future.

Having proven reliability in more than 20 such systems installed in residential buildings in Abbotsford and Mission, we are confident that this is the superior option to meet Centennial Court’s needs.

The solution is backed with a two-year Mul-T-Lock parts warranty, plus our own two-year warranty on labour.

The project (from job proposal to installation) spanned a few weeks, whereas the costlier alternative might have taken months

Type of Building: Condo

We are regularly called out by local residents, to perform rekeying work. In one specific case, a customer made this request, their condo suite being situated near a stairwell. Our security professional informed the resident that these suites tend to represent a higher risk for break-ins, due to the opportunity for an easier getaway down the nearby stairwell.

The Solution

Our solution was to replace the cylinders only, with our Mul-T-Lock high security key system. These keys are restricted, and can only be cut by the owner, with signing authority (we retain this information on file at our shop).

The lock cylinders are also designed to prevent picking or ‘bumping’, a relatively new break-in strategy. The locks are also designed with a quick rekey system which the owner can use in case of an emergency, if a key is lost or stolen.

As a result of this quick intervention, the customer was able to retain the look of the original hardware and increase the security of the locks at a fraction of the price of replacing all of the hardware.

Type of Building:   House

At times, we receive calls from proud owners of new homes, who are not satisfied with the simple generic key systems that some contractors install. One such Abbotsford customer was interested in retaining their standard hardware while increasing security, with a relatively low budget.

The Solution

After examining the lock on the door, we found that it was at least 15 years old, worn, and outdated. Advancements in locking bolt technology and high security keying systems can prevent potential break-ins, even by the more sophisticated thief. We recommended an installation of a Mul-T-Lock grade one deadbolt with a patented locking bolt.

The bolt locks into the door frame, preventing the thief from kicking in the door or prying it open. The customer was delighted to have upgraded their home security situation for less than $400, and grateful for the peace of mind in knowing that the new lock hardware would secure their home and belongings, even in the suite’s higher-risk location.