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Why I Use Double-Cylinder Deadbolts in My Home
The security professionals I have spoken with recommend double-cylinder deadbolts for the home. This type of lock requires a key on both sides. As I write this, there is a key on a carabiner in the inside lock on my front and back doors. When we leave the house, we take the keys with us. I clip mine on a belt loop. It takes less than ten seconds.
If your deadbolt is within arm's reach of a window, you should be using a double-cylinder deadbolt on that door. What good is a deadbolt if, while you're away, someone can break the window, reach inside, and unlock your door? Useless, except for the false sense of security it gives you. You should have double-cylinder deadbolts on all exterior doors. That's my opinion, anyway.
There are other reasons I have a double-cylinder deadbolt on my exterior doors. First, it is not uncommon for experienced burglars to unlock the exterior doors once they are inside the home. If the homeowner or police arrive, they want multiple escape options. Doors that can't unlock limit those options to the window through which they came or other windows.
Second, if someone enters my home through a window, that's the way I want them to leave. Well, in the back of a police car would be best, but second best is for them to go back through the window. I don't want the burglar to be able to unlock my door, making it easy for them to remove large items like my big-screen TV, and all my Hobby RAdio gear. Whatever they take, they'll have to get it through the window because, if I'm not home, the inside key will be with me.
Of course, double-cylinder deadbolts don't solve all problems. For safety reasons, I keep the keys in the lock when we're at home. We don't want to be locked in the house when a fast escape is necessary. This setup means someone could break a window, if one is near the door, reach inside, and unlock that door while we're at home. They can do that with single-cylinder (knob on the inside) deadbolts, too. I've rehearsed that scenario many times with a solution that I'm comfortable with. You figure out what's best for you.
Ask your security professional if double-cyclinder deadbolts are right for you!
Hobby Radio Pundit