Best Prices Today: Brinks Electronic Fingerprint/Keypad Deadbolt with Pro-Guard

Brinks is probably the biggest name in the world of armored cars, so it stands to reason that the company should be trustworthy enough to protect the door to your house, right? Well, don’t get too excited just yet: The Brinks Electronic Fingerprint/Keypad Deadbolt with Pro-Guard Door Lock (phew!) proudly bears the Brinks logo, but Hampton Products is the real manufacturer.

Hampton produces a range of locks and door hardware which it markets under various brand names. No shade on Hampton, of course, but consumers should know who’s behind the gear they’re buying.

Specifications and details

This lock is a simple product, but it straddles the line between commercial and residential applications. It’s not officially certified, but Hampton says the lock meets ANSI Grade 3 Commercial Grade standards – the lowest ANSI commercial certification available for entry locks – and that “they are tested to the same standards exact and using the same exact methods.” The lock does not carry a BHMA certification (which is more typical for residential use). If you would like to know more about ANSI and BHMA certificationyou can read everything on the previous link.

Hampton Products

Regardless, the Pro-Guard label in the product name is Hampton’s nickname for the advanced security features of its Brinks hardware, including a steel deadbolt, pick- and drill-resistant pins and an “anti-leverage shield”. But it’s essential to note that while the device has a keypad and fingerprint reader, it’s not a smart lock and doesn’t have wireless capabilities. This means that all programming and management of the locks must be done locally, via the keypad, which I’ll cover in detail in a moment.

First of all, the hardware. Here, the lock also straddles commercial and residential applications without really landing in either world. The relatively compact exterior escutcheon is available in three finishes (matte black, satin nickel, and Tuscan bronze) and features a curved design with scalloped edges that would look great on most front doors.

Christopher Null/Foundry

The numeric keypad’s large physical buttons (and even larger lock button) detract from the otherwise premium appearance, however. The white plastic chicks seem better suited to an airport than a cul-de-sac. A fingerprint reader is located on top of the badge, positioned at a mostly horizontal angle, making it much more convenient to access than vertically positioned readers. Finally, the lock can be opened with a physical. There is no port for backup power in case the lock’s batteries fail (four AA batteries, not included). Hampton says new batteries should last up to two years under normal use. This shouldn’t be difficult to achieve, given that there are no power-hungry radios on board.

On the other hand, the interior badge is uninspired, a plastic black brick with nothing else to distinguish it apart from a thin button. A small LED under the button turns green for a few seconds when the lock is opened and red when closed.

Setup and installation

Installation is simple, with only a small deviation from the usual smart lock format. Although the exterior escutcheon is connected to a thin plate inside the door, it does so with three bolts instead of the usual two, with the bolts arranged in a triangle. The extra support seems to help hold the lock in place better than most; In my testing, at least, it was never listed as days in use.

A single power cable runs from the outer escutcheon to the inner escutcheon, which is connected to the frame with three small screws. Note that one of these screws is recessed into a deep, narrow channel. I had to get out a small, thin Philips screwdriver to put it in place due to its difficult placement.

Christopher Null/Foundry

Once installed, it’s time to start configuring access. Again, this lock doesn’t have traditional smart features, so all settings must be made by entering a series of codes on the keypad. This includes everything from setting up PINs, enrolling fingerprints, and changing operational settings like auto-lock. The lock can store 50 fingerprints, 50 PIN codes and 50 additional one-time codes.

Since the lock has no clock or connection to an external clock, all PINs are an all-or-nothing affair. However, one-time codes are automatically deleted either after a single use or 72 hours after creation. Additional settings configurable via the keypad include auto-lock (0 to 99 seconds), vacation mode (which disables all PINs except the master code), and the ability to mute system sounds. A false entry protection feature disables the system for 1 minute after 5 incorrect PIN codes or fingerprint scans. This function cannot be changed or deactivated.

Christopher Null/Foundry

To give you an idea of ​​what working with the keypad is like, registering a PIN code looks like this: Hold the lock button for 3 seconds, enter the master code, press the lock button, press 3, press 1, enter the new PIN. , press the lock button, enter the new PIN again, and then press the lock button again. It’s not necessarily complicated, but it is time-consuming and requires careful attention to detail while following the large-format user manual (which is also available onlinealthough it is not the easiest document to read in PDF format).

Fingerprint registration takes a similar approach, with one major problem: each fingerprint must be assigned to a fingerprint slot (1 to 50), and it’s up to you to remember which fingerprint is assigned to each location. I suggest creating a log, because if you need to delete a fingerprint later, you can only do so by providing the corresponding location number. Alternatively, you will need to remove all fingerprints in bulk and start from scratch.

Should you buy a Brinks Electronic Fingerprint/Keypad Deadbolt with Pro-Guard?

The good news is that, in use, the lock works exceptionally well. The buttons may be ugly, but they’re large enough and far enough apart to press without making a mistake, and the lighting is bright enough to be easily visible at night. The fingerprint reader works flawlessly and never missed a single scan in my testing. Since there are no logging or remote access features, there isn’t much else to test. But what the lock does, it does well.

Bottom line: If you don’t need real smart features, the Brinks Electronic Fingerprint/Keypad Deadbolt with Pro-Guard is a decently priced, capable lock that can free you from the tyranny of keys, provided you understand what you are doing. I receive.