I moved into an apartment complex where the key is both unique to each apartment door, but every key can open the front door, how are both possible?
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Imagine the key has eight teeth.
The first four are different for each key, and unlock your individual doors.
The last four are the same for each key, and open the main door.
Your exact arrangement will vary, but the concept will be the same.
The front door has fewer pins in the lock compared your apartment door, so all the keys have those bumps the same and then differences in the remaining pins.
Many common residential keys have 5 or more different positions that move pins various distances when inserted into a lock.
Common area lock cylinders can be configured to only check one of those positions, and as long as every tenant has a key with that position cut to the same depth, every key will open that lock.
The front door has fewer pins in the lock compared your apartment door, so all the keys have those bumps the same and then differences in the remaining pins.
Imagine the key has eight teeth.
The first four are different for each key, and unlock your individual doors.
The last four are the same for each key, and open the main door.
Your exact arrangement will vary, but the concept will be the same.
The front door has fewer pins in the lock compared your apartment door, so all the keys have those bumps the same and then differences in the remaining pins.
Many common residential keys have 5 or more different positions that move pins various distances when inserted into a lock.
Common area lock cylinders can be configured to only check one of those positions, and as long as every tenant has a key with that position cut to the same depth, every key will open that lock.
Imagine the key has eight teeth.
The first four are different for each key, and unlock your individual doors.
The last four are the same for each key, and open the main door.
Your exact arrangement will vary, but the concept will be the same.
Your key is a series of numbers (called cuts). When you try to use that key, you test if the lock has the same numbers. You can keep some of those numbers the same for all doors in your building and only test for those on the front door and use the rest for individual apartments.
Many common residential keys have 5 or more different positions that move pins various distances when inserted into a lock.
Common area lock cylinders can be configured to only check one of those positions, and as long as every tenant has a key with that position cut to the same depth, every key will open that lock.
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