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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1 half of the key is for the front door, all keys will have it in common. The other half is for individual use.
You could have the first three pins the same on every key, and the front lock only has those three pins and the rest of the lock is just empty, turning freely once the three pins are aligned correctly (from inserting any of the keys).
Then the individual apartments have seven or more pins, with the last four+ pins uniquely aligned at each apartment.
So only one key can turn the last four+ pins per apartment, but all the keys can turn the front 3 pins at the front gate.
(This is just one of many ways to accomplish the same thing, and the numbers I used here are totally made up guesses.)
You could have the first three pins the same on every key, and the front lock only has those three pins and the rest of the lock is just empty, turning freely once the three pins are aligned correctly (from inserting any of the keys).
Then the individual apartments have seven or more pins, with the last four+ pins uniquely aligned at each apartment.
So only one key can turn the last four+ pins per apartment, but all the keys can turn the front 3 pins at the front gate.
(This is just one of many ways to accomplish the same thing, and the numbers I used here are totally made up guesses.)
You could have the first three pins the same on every key, and the front lock only has those three pins and the rest of the lock is just empty, turning freely once the three pins are aligned correctly (from inserting any of the keys).
Then the individual apartments have seven or more pins, with the last four+ pins uniquely aligned at each apartment.
So only one key can turn the last four+ pins per apartment, but all the keys can turn the front 3 pins at the front gate.
(This is just one of many ways to accomplish the same thing, and the numbers I used here are totally made up guesses.)
Each key is a code.
The number to the front door is 123xxx. The x numbers don’t get read.
The code to your apartment is 123957.
Your neighbor’s code is 123744.
The other neighbor is 123676.
With this example you could just tell everyone to put in their apartment code at the main door and they would never know the difference. Once they have pressed 123, the lobby door opens and the other three digits are ignored.
Each key is a code.
The number to the front door is 123xxx. The x numbers don’t get read.
The code to your apartment is 123957.
Your neighbor’s code is 123744.
The other neighbor is 123676.
With this example you could just tell everyone to put in their apartment code at the main door and they would never know the difference. Once they have pressed 123, the lobby door opens and the other three digits are ignored.
Each key is a code.
The number to the front door is 123xxx. The x numbers don’t get read.
The code to your apartment is 123957.
Your neighbor’s code is 123744.
The other neighbor is 123676.
With this example you could just tell everyone to put in their apartment code at the main door and they would never know the difference. Once they have pressed 123, the lobby door opens and the other three digits are ignored.
Some keys/locks have TWO rows of teeth. In your example, every key is individual to its unit, but they are all master keyed to the front entry.
Some keys/locks have TWO rows of teeth. In your example, every key is individual to its unit, but they are all master keyed to the front entry.
Every key has a few sections of the cut similar. The front door key core in the lock is only looking for those to line up.
My work has the opposite scenario. The core on each lock is stamped with a code, lets say C3AB. If you had a key stamped C3AB you can open it. But if you had a key stamped C3BB you could not. But lets step back a level, a key stamped C3A could open it, as well as a lock stamped with C3AA, C3A1, etc. It goes all the way back to our “Master Key” which is just labeled C. That key will open any door, padlock, etc that begins with a C.
That is the key I have. We actually use key cards for all the doors but some people have normal keys for emergency purposes. My position is responsible for the entire building (Data center) and if the key card server ever goes down, I am the guy who needs to be able to get in to fix it.
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