There are several ways to unlock a deadbolt or any other lock. One of the rarest methods to pop a lock is using a magnet. Can someone really unlock a door lock using a magnet?
No, the magnet cannot unlock 99.9% of deadbolts, mainly because most of the house locks are made of zinc alloys which consist of a combination of zinc aluminum, copper, or magnesium. Alloy can be attracted by magnets if there is at least an iron, cobalt, or nickel in that combination. Even if you had a powerful magnet brick it won’t move the deadbolt latch even a single inch.
However, if you already got a magnet and need to use it somehow, we got good news for you. The magnet can be used to unlock some types of safes.
What if the house door lock is made of magnet-friendly material?
Let’s assume the door lock and the latch are made of iron. Even in that case there 3 main obstacles. Here is the list of points why a magnet can’t unlock a door:
Locked latch
Regular house door locks have a bar that prevents the catch from opening unless the authorized key i is turned.
A primitive bolt might be drawn open by a magnet due to simplicity of structure. So very few locks could be opened by a strong magnet.
Wooden door
If door is made of wood and deadbolt latch can be retracted then there is still low chance of unlocking it using magnet because of thickness of wood. Magnet must be so much powerfull like in fiction movies in order to pull it through.
Metal door
Metal door itself would be an obstacle since metal door won’t let magnet easily move along the surface.
Can a magnet unlock a car door?
The answer is no, it cannot. Car door locks are way more complex mechanism.