How to keep it safe

Beat the grinder

I’ve become mistrustful of locks lately, largely due to a compelling YouTube channel called Lock Picking Lawyer, featuring an anonymous American gentleman holding up commercially available locks, explaining their deficiencies and then defeating them, often in a matter of seconds. Bike locks, however, face a far less sophisticated threat in the form of battery-operated angle grinders, which just slice through them, no picking required.

In 2021, Hiplok launched the D1000, a D-lock made of a material called Ferosafe, which, in co-founder Ben Smith’s words, “does to an angle grinder disc what it’s trying to do to the lock. It just disintegrates.” They’ve now launched the DX1000, a further improved (and larger) version suitable for most bikes, e-bikes and motorbikes, which can be paired with a similarly tough anchor (the AX1000, £349.99) that bolts into brick or concrete so you can secure your wheels outside your home too.

“It costs a lot more to make a lock of this calibre, and we weren’t sure people would understand the value,” says Smith. “But I think [the D1000] spearheaded a change in people’s sense of how much protection they need and how much they’re willing to pay for it.” The DX1000 is one of a handful of locks to have a top rating (“Powered Cycle Diamond”) by security experts Sold Secure, and as you might expect and hope, it’s a beast: 29cm by 18cm externally, 2.6kg. But it’s still smaller and more effective than the huge chain locks it’s trying to supersede – and a forthcoming bracket system (BR1000) lets you carry the lock easily on your pannier rack, handlebars or seat post.

The anchor comes with eight security bolts, which initially seems like overkill, but overkill is, after all, the whole point. The arm swivels and rotates to the position you need it, and its D-lock cousin takes care of securing the bike. It’s a formidable duo, and you sense that Lock Picking Lawyer would be impressed. “We did send him one,” laughs Smith, “and he never got back to us, which is a good sign.” 

Open Sesame

Generally speaking, it’s only geeks like myself who’d choose to replace a front-door lock with a smart one. This, however, might have wider appeal: augmenting an existing lock with a retrofitted smart system. Outside, nothing changes – keep using your key if you wish. Inside, the U200 fits over your internal key or thumb turn barrel and automates the turning thereof. You can trigger it using a passcode or fingerprint on a keypad mounted outside the house, an NFC tag to “bip” the door open, the Aqara app or various systems including Google Home and Apple HomeKit. You’ll need a door with a Euro/Scandi cylinder for best compatibility, but Aqara UK can give advice regarding your particular locking mechanism.

Cut a dash

There are scores of budget dash cams out there, but if the point of installing one is to secure the best possible proof of a traffic incident involving your vehicle, there’s every reason to opt for one with bells and whistles: in this case, 4K Ultra HD on the front cam, full HD on the rear, with wide angles (146º and 131º respectively). A bundled SIM gives an always-on, remote LTE link from your phone to the dash cam, whether it’s metres or miles away: an impact brings up a notification, along with a recording of the full incident (including a 10-second run-up.) The LTE also provides a rather neat WiFi hotspot for up to five devices while you’re in the vehicle.

Net gain

WiFi7 routers have been around for a year or so, promising lower latency and better stability but at a price a little out of whack with their functionality. Netgear’s Orbi RBE773 has a slightly lower spec than its flagship big sister (the RBE973S, retailing at £2,199.99), but its mesh router and two satellite units cover 625sq m and have many of the RBE973S’s features, most notably its router protection system, Armor. Automated attacks are on the rise (Netgear estimates a typical home network sees 10 of them per day) with televisions and Internet-of-Things devices (eg, smart lighting) being the most vulnerable. Armor provides protection without having to update the router’s firmware and sends real time alerts about what’s happening on your network.

Safe as houses

Home-security camera systems can be prone to annoying dropouts when cameras at the perimeter of a property lose their wireless connection to the hub inside the home. Swann’s newest 4K cameras (“forever” solar-powered) boast a vastly extended range across a rarely used 900MHz frequency band that copes better with obstacles. Setup is easy – the cameras instantly talk to the hub when powered up – and, once the hub’s been added to the Swann app on your smartphone, you get an instant view of all your cameras, day and night. Movement and heat-triggered clips are saved to an microSD card inside the hub, or to the cloud if you prefer. All very reassuring.

@rhodri