[New aesthetics of anti-theft and weak electricity] Can explosion-proof doors in Taiwanese apartments be equipped with "smart electronic locks"? Lock body specification modification, wired weak current power supply modification and business leasing convenience

Theft-proof flaws of old apartment doors: Can heavy-duty explosion-proof doors be equipped with modern electronic locks?

In the greater Taipei area, whether it is old apartments in Banqiao and Zhongyonghe, or medieval mansions in Daan District or Xinyi District, the most common security door installed by homeowners is the heavy and thick "sulfide copper door" or fire and explosion-proof door. Although this kind of door is strong and anti-theft, it often makes the locksmith shake his head when replacing it with a modern smart electronic lock. Many people are interested in the face recognition, cat-eye monitoring screen and remote unlocking functions of electronic locks, and happily buy high-end smart locks to go home, only to find that the door project at home cannot be installed because it is a "double door (double door)", the door is not thick enough, or the lock body slot in the door is not of the correct size. In addition, high-end electronic locks consume a lot of power because of their built-in screens and lenses. If they are powered only by dry batteries, they may need to be replaced or recharged every two to three months, causing great inconvenience in life. Therefore, in the early stage of decoration, the door leaf modification and wired weak current power supply modification of the door are compulsory courses for upgrading smart electronic locks.

Key science: Understand the lock body specifications and explosion-proof door cutting processing

To install an electronic lock on a traditional explosion-proof door in Taiwan, you must first understand the physical specifications of the door lock:
1. Lock body and edge specifications (such as 6068 lock body): High-end electronic locks in Taiwan and at home and abroad mostly use the standard "6068 lock body (referring to the distance between the center of the lock body and the lock core and the door edge) 60mm, the center distance between the lock core and the handle is 68mm). The slots inside Taiwan's traditional vulcanized copper doors or old explosion-proof doors are mostly non-standard small lock bodies. Therefore, during installation, the locksmith usually needs to use a portable grinder to "cut holes (dig large slots)" on the edge of the metal door and re-drill the screws to secure it. If the interior of the explosion-proof door is filled with fire-retardant asbestos or high-strength cement (such as explosion-proof grout door), it will be extremely difficult to cut and drill holes, requiring professional special metal processing tools.
2. Avoid the overlapping edge of the heaven and earth locks and the double and double doors: Many explosion-proof doors are equipped with "heaven and earth bolts (upper and lower metal pins)" that stand upright inside. Most electronic locks do not support driving heavy top and bottom bolts, so you must ask a master to remove or lock the top and bottom bolts during installation, otherwise the electronic lock motor will burn out due to overload. In addition, if it is a double door, it must be confirmed that the overlapping anti-theft edge strips of the main door leaf will not get caught in the handle and panel of the electronic lock.

Weak current power supply transformation: Introduce 12V wired power from indoors to avoid frequent charging

The electronic locks currently on the market (such as Philips, Xiaomi, Pointer and other brands) are equipped with active cat-eye monitors, face unlocking and Wi-Fi networking functions, and their instantaneous peak currents are very high. Although most products come with lithium batteries, it is still annoying to frequently remove the battery for charging under high-frequency use, and there is a risk of battery aging and leakage damaging the lock circuit. The most perfect upgrade method is to carry out "weak current power supply transformation (wired power supply)":
1. Indoor wiring and voltage transformation: During the decoration water and electricity wiring stage, pull a wire (usually two strands of Cat6 network cable or 0.75mm² double-core red and black weak wire) from the entrance weak current box (information box) or indoor doorbell intercom panel to the gate. And install an "AC 110V to DC 12V / 24V MEAN WELL Dachang transformer (stabilized power supply)" in the weak current box.
2. Door leaf over-line protection (snake skin tube or over-line hinge):The wires need to be connected from the door frame to the door leaf that can open and close at any time. If you pull the wires directly, they will break due to frequent pulling within a few months. The plumber will install a "door leaf over-wire protector (cable snake skin tube/external spring wire pass-through device)" at the junction between the door frame and the door leaf (near the hinge) or use a hidden "over-wire hinge hinge" to protect the line from pinching and pulling, and seamlessly input stable DC power to the external power supply terminal of the door electronic lock to achieve permanent charging-free.

Shuangbei explosion-proof door smart lock modification budget and water and electricity salary market

In the Shuangbei area for explosion-proof door cutting and electronic lock wired power supply modification, the reasonable labor and material cost distribution is as follows:
* If the door leaf is a heavy steel door or filled with grouting, the cutting salary of the locksmith master is about NT$ 2,000 to NT$ 4,500 / Door(This is pure salary and does not include the electronic lock body and standard installation fees).
* To pull the wire from the weak current box to the door, install the MEAN WELL transformer and wiring, the salary and material costs are about NT$ 3,000 to NT$ 5,000.
* The salary for threading snakeskin pipe and installation is about NT$ 1,500 to NT$ 2,500; if imported high-end hidden cable hinges are used, the equipment and installation are about NT$ 5,000 to NT$ 8,000.
The budget for the complete set of wired power supply and door leaf processing and modification, water, electricity and lock engineering is about NT$ 6,500 to NT$ 12,000. Although it increases the initial cost of weak electricity, it completely solves the fatal pain point of electronic locks "cannot open the door due to low battery".

Commercial acquisitions and businessmen’s long-term asset thinking: Smart lock power supply systems are essential protection for unmanned short-term rentals

For commercial investors who specialize in acquiring old and medium-sized apartments in Shuangbei hunting land and transform them into Airbnb B&Bs, shared apartments or chartered accommodation, Second landlords or leasing operators are most afraid of encountering tenants who check in and the electronic lock gets stuck outside the door due to "depleted battery". This will not only incur expensive emergency locksmith travel expenses late at night, but will also cause tenants to leave extremely negative reviews and even ask for a refund after check-out, which directly erodes operating profits. When a businessman acquires an old house for renovation of water and electricity pipelines, he only needs to budget a few thousand yuan to provide a 12V weak current power supply. This can eliminate the labor cost (OpEx) of regularly assigning dedicated personnel to replace the battery and achieve a 100% stable unmanned password unlocking experience. This kind of smart door system with high availability rate and no power outage crisis is a hidden weapon to improve the brand value of long-term and short-term rental apartments and the efficiency of tenant transfer.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs' latest "Regulations on Consumer Electrical Equipment Installation" and the key points of electricity safety in old houses

Due to the popularity of high-power household appliances (such as air fryers, microwave ovens, dishwashers, instantaneous electric water heaters, and IH furnaces) in recent years, the Energy Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs has revised the "Regulations on Consumer Electrical Equipment Installation" many times to strictly require the diversion and protection mechanisms of residential electricity circuits. Statistics show that more than 30% of building fires in Taiwan are caused by electrical factors, among which "old wire insulation deteriorates and short circuits", "socket contacts are oxidized and loose, poor contact" and "non-fuse switch (NFB) overloaded and failed to trip" are the three main fatal causes.

Old apartments in Shuangbei that are more than 30 years old have a total original designed power capacity of only 30A to 40A, and several rooms often share the same 1.6mm or 2.0mm circuit. In the modern standard safety configuration, kitchen electrical cabinets, bathroom equipment, and air-conditioning and heating machines must all be equipped with 5.5mm² dedicated circuits (single circuit and single socket). It is recommended that the main switch box be upgraded to a busbar (Busbar) integrated distribution board, and the total amperage is increased to 75A or 100A (a qualified electrical appliance contractor needs to be entrusted to Taipower to review the additional power capacity).

Residential electricity self-test and regular inspection checklist

• Appearance and temperature of the socket: Touch the outer cover of the commonly used socket lightly with the back of your hand. If it feels lukewarm or if you find that the plastic socket is yellowed and charred, or the plug is loose and shaking after being plugged in, it means that the internal copper plate clamping force is exhausted or the contact resistance is too high, and you should immediately cut off the power and replace it.
• Regular testing of leakage circuit breakers (ELCB): For leakage circuit breakers in humid places such as balconies, bathrooms, and kitchen sinks, regulations require that the "TEST button" on the switch be pressed once every 1 to 3 months to confirm that it can automatically trip and cut off the power supply instantly.
• Serial connection and overloading of extension cords are strictly prohibited: Extension cords should be purchased with 2.0mm thick wire diameter products that have CNS certification and automatic overload power-off protection. Do not share the same extension cord with high energy-consuming appliances to ensure zero hidden danger to life and property at home.