Lockster Tells it Again

When you are hoping to maximize your travel security, one of the most obvious places to start is with buying a lock. But how secure are luggage locks? The disturbing truth is that luggage locks are terribly insecure.

What does the insecurity of these locks mean for your luggage security? How does that affect the protection of your property? In order to investigate these issues, we will have to venture deep into the terrifying truth about luggage locks.

What security do TSA locks offer your luggage?
TSA locks are not secure. The shackles can be cut by most low-quality diagonal cutting pliers, the lock cylinders can be picked open with very little skill, and the schematics for the master keys have been revealed to the public. If you are using a TSA lock, you are getting the illusion of security.

The biggest benefit to using TSA locks is that the TSA can open your bag without having house lockout. This still might not keep your lock from being cut off, as many travelers report having TSA cut locks off regardless of having been TSA approved. But at least there is a chance that your insecure lock will not be broken open.

A TSA approved padlock is the next step up from a zip tie. It provides the same amount of initial security if you are worried about criminal tampering. However, a TSA lock can potentially be taken off and relocked on the bag, where a zip tie cannot be reattached once removed. With a TSA approved lock, after a lawful search, there is a chance that your luggage can maintain its same level of “security”.

1. The TSA Can Remove Any Luggage Lock Without Cause
If you are checking luggage, the TSA reserves the right to open your baggage by the means required to properly carry out the search. In case you have not received a “Notice Of Baggage Inspection” letter in your checked luggage, it reads as follows:

To Protect you and your fellow passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required by law to inspect all checked baggage. As part of this process, some bags are opened and physically inspected. Your bag was among those selected for physical inspection.

During the inspection, your bag and its contents may have been searched for prohibited items. At the completion of the inspection, the contents were returned to your bag.

If the TSA security officer was unable to open our bag for inspection because it was locked, the officer may have been forced to break the locks on your bag. TSA sincerely regrets having to do this, however TSA is not liable for the damage to your locks resulting from this necessary security precaution.

The note goes on to suggest that the recipient of the inspection notice refer to www.tsa.gov to find “packing tips and suggestions on how to secure your baggage during your next trip…” Is it ironic for a note telling you what you just read to recommend that you use better security next time you fly? It may seem that way, but the spirit in which it is intended is that locks are not security, knowing what is going to get your bag flagged is the security you need for avoiding TSA attention.

2. Every Luggage Lock Can Be Opened
It is true that every lock can be picked, even locks that have not been picked yet can still be opened. Opening methods that travel security professionals use are almost always destructive. There is no lock that exists that can withstand every type destructive entry method given an unlimited amount of time with the lock.

Not even the best padlocks in existence can hold up to the highest level of pressure that can be applied to them. Do not expect that your security can keep out any law enforcement. Even though you may be hoping to avoid criminally minded baggage checkers, they are within their right to open your luggage at all costs.

Though there are documented cases where strong enough security has been enough to have TSA give up on trying to open it. I don’t fully understand the implications of security that has law enforcement give up, but I would not expect to be the exception to the rule that if the opening of your bag a legally sanctioned it will be carried out.

In terms of criminal threats without the full force of the law behind them, your locks can still be opened. However, when it comes to standard criminals you have to consider every aspect of luggage security and not just the security of your luggage locks.

3. No Luggage Lock Can Protect a Zipper
Any luggage lock that is placed to secure a zipper is completely useless. Anyone with a ballpoint pen can puncture the zipper track (aka teeth). This gives anyone access to the contents of your bag in seconds. Once a person has rooted around in your belongings, they can then move the zipper’s pull tab over the open teeth and reseal the bag without any sign of entry.

If you have an anti-puncture zipper, then your zipper is safe, but a lock can never protect the zipper. When you want a lock to matter at all, you have to use luggage that has hasps, not a zipper. Hasps are common on hard shell cases, which are intended to protect the contents of the luggage.

It is also unlikely that you will end up with a bag that has an anti-puncture zipper if you do not go out of your way to purchase one. This feature is not common, in spite of the fact that the method of entry is extremely popular for criminals all over the world.

4. Your Bag Undermines the Security of a Luggage Lock
Security is not the main concern for standard baggage manufactures. Unless the luggage has been designed with security in mind, the lock you place on it is not going to matter much at all. Besides zipper protection, you have to be concerned about more brash criminals that will not care about surreptitiously or even covertly open your bag.

A very common method of entry that criminals will use is to cut your bag. You made need something like a Pelican case. With a light slice from a sharp knife, a thief now has access to everything in your luggage. Unless your bag can resist cutting, having a lock on your bag is not going to truly protect the property inside.

Most likely your bag is always going to be easier to break than an incredibly strong lock. It does not make sense to have an extremely powerful lock if the case it is securing is itself insecure. Be aware of the level of protection provided by the bag before you make any investment in a lock.

5. Built-in Luggage Locks Are Not Secure
Built In Luggage Lock

This is a guiding principle more than a hard and fast rule, but it is important to think about the fact that almost any piece of luggage you buy is not going to have high-security locks. This might be something that the case claims, but you need to know better than to believe the advertising.

Even if the brand of security being used is not notorious for manufacturing subpar locks, it might still be something cheap and ineffective. A lot of times locks on cases and luggage will claim to be high-security, but they are just using a novel lock type. Such lock types that are used as built-in luggage locks include tubular locks, cruciform locks, and disk detainer locks.

If a lock is poorly made, it does not matter what kind of internal components it has. Poorly made locks are not secure. They break easier because of the lower quality metal, and that means they can be broken open easier. Mass production required to place them on luggage also car lock service very simple to the point where most of these locks can be opened with bypasses or improvised keys.

What is the best way to protect luggage?
As you may have learned from the article about protecting your beach bag, the best possible way to protect any luggage is to keep your eyes on it. This is not going to be possible at every point of your trip, especially if you have to check your bags. The important thing is to take advantage of the instances where you can watch over your property.

Your locks need to take as long to open without permission as the average time you will leave them unmonitored. As has already been established, flying in the United States will be the exception to this rule. Law enforcement will have too much time with your luggage, and they will have the authority to open the lock. But for deterring criminals, this type of security assessment is a must.

Final Thoughts
It doesn’t matter if you are in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, or you are sleeping over at a friends house in the next town over, when you have luggage, you will attract the attention of criminals. Luggage locks are not going to do much to protect your bag. You need to consider a lot more than just luggage locks.

Review: Discover the Mighty Mule FM500 Automatic Gate Opener

Why Choose The Mighty Mule FM500?

The Mighty Mule 500 is a single gate opener which is ideal for heavy gates, such as commercial gates. It will open gates which are up to eight hundred and fifty pounds in weight and up to eighteen feet long.

When you choose this design, you’ll access a device with 12 volts of power and you’ll also be choosing a very durable and sturdy automatic gate opener.
What Will You Receive?

When you open the box, you’ll get everything that you need in order to automate the opening of your gate, as long as it fits weight, height and type specifications. Whether your gate is decorative or utilitarian, you’ll find that this swing gate opener offers high performance for a competitive price.

In addition, you’ll find that you should be able to install it (and get it working!) without any problems. This unit is known for being easy to install and simple to use. When you unbox this product, you’ll find that it comes with a kit which won’t require welding skills or the services of an electrician.
Features of This Unit

Power and strength are key features of this unit. It’s versatile enough to work with an array of gate types, up to certain length and weight restrictions. In addition, you should know that this gate opener earned a “best in class” award for heavy-duty gate opener designs. Ease of installation is another key feature of this unit.
Dimensions and Specific Features

This product has the dimensions, 43.2 x 116.8 x 17.8 cm and it weighs in at 13.8 kilograms. Currently, the product retails for about 666 dollars at larger online retailers and it earns good reviews from most users.
Reviews from Customers

Real-life customers applaud this unit’s easy installation, which allows them to get it working without outside help. Clear instructions and an intuitive installation process make it simple to hook things up and then enjoy automatic gate opening. While a few consumers have reported issues with this unit’s performance, post-warranty (the warranty lasts eighteen months), most were happy with its performance, and many were able to fix their units on their own when problems eventually occurred.
Closing Thoughts on Features – Pros/Cons

This unit is fairly affordable and it’s manufactured by a respected company with a good overall reputation. While it isn’t the most highly-rated automatic gate opener around, it does offer a lot of benefits, including easy installation, plenty of power and strength and durable construction.

Designed to function well in all weather conditions, this battery-powered unit is tough enough to open heavy and long gates.

The Pros and Cons of Franchising Your Business

The definition of a franchise (taken from the federal definition of a franchise -- 16 Code of Federal Regulation 436 et seq.) and paraphrased here is: (a) “franchisor’s” (owner of the trademark) grant to franchisee (person or entity granted the right to use the trademark) of the right to use franchisor’s trademark; (b) for a fee; (c) and franchisor exerts a “significant degree of control over the franchisee’s method of operation,” or “provides significant assistance in the franchisee’s method of operation.”

This model applies to owner/entities that want to start a whole new business and grow a larger equity building business asset. A franchisor can expand and collect fees from others that want to purchase, own and operate a franchised business system that’s offered by the owner/entity and operate under their trademark(s), business systems, training and ongoing support.

7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Began as an Entrepreneur

There’s risk in everything, but don’t listen to the rumors. Entrepreneurship shouldn’t be a trip to the casino. You don’t have to quit your job to get started. You don’t have to drop out of college to get in the game. You don’t have to invest your entire life savings into a new venture. Success or failure as an entrepreneur shouldn’t be treated like a gamble.

Entrepreneurship should be the opposite. It should involve testing and validating ideas. It should involve trusting, but verifying, assumptions. It should be about maximizing upside and minimizing downside. It might not make for a sizzling news story, but why bet it all if you don’t have to? Sure, it’s great knowing you beat the odds, but how will you feel if you don’t?

What follows are several other bits of wisdom I’ve acquired over my six-year career as an ecommerce entrepreneur. I share dozens of other tips in my newest guide, but wanted to share these seven with you, as they’re some of the most important.

6 Tips for Navigating Online Lending Options

Small-business owners can have a particularly difficult time getting capital from a bank if they’ve been in business fewer than two years, if their credit score is less than 640 or if they need less than $250,000. Fortunately, there are alternatives to the traditional bank-installment loan. Online lending has been a source of innovation and promise for small businesses that are looking to invest and grow. According to statistics from Harvard Business School, although the total volume of small-business bank loans decreased by 3.1 percent in 2014, small-business online lending increased twofold.

But how can small-business owners save time and get the most value out of the online lending process? Following are six key tips and insights for applying for a small-business loan online:
1. Ensure your finances are in order.