Welcome to the 21st century where the rise of smart technology and smart homes are making life manageable, keeping our homes safer, and more enjoyable.
Locks are keeping pace with the changing times and providing more options than ever for safety and convenience. This technology and home safety now go hand in hand.
So, what is a smart lock, and how does it work? Read up, let me explain further, and together we’ll find out if this smart technology best fits your home.
Definition of a Smart Lock
A smart lock is a device that may be opened wirelessly without the need for a physical key. All you need is connect it to the Bluetooth or Internet Wi-Fi connection.
You have the option to automatically unlock it using a key-fob, click a button, tap on your smartphone, or a user code on the dial pad.
Smart locks are considered a part of automation into home security. One good example of a device where a smart lock is incorporated is door locks.
Recommended Article: How to Secure a Door from Being Kicked InHow Does a Smart Lock Work?
A smart lock is connected to your home’s Wi-Fi network or your phone’s Bluetooth technology, where you can remotely control it using your smartphone via an app.
Smart locks are integrated into smart homes, and you can connect it with other smart devices via a separate home hub. It can be connected with the smart speaker and security hub of your home.
Smart lock on doors is a device designed to make homes smarter, safer and make your life easier.
5 Reasons Why You Need a Smart Lock
In case you’re not aware of how a smart lock could benefit your home, I outlined the top five reasons why you should get one. Since you may connect it to your smartphone and control its services anywhere, you can save time from your daily activities.
1. Security
The primary and most important reason why a smart lock is a great addition to your home is because of its certain extra security features. Traditional locks have been around for so long, and burglars already master the art of picking traditional locks.
Can they do this on smart locks? I don’t think so. With a smart lock, passwords are more secure, any activity on the door will automatically send a real-time notification on your smartphone connected, and it has settings that allow you to set the alarm for extra home security.
Related Articles:2. Remote Entry: Access to Other People
If you have a babysitter or cleaner to come over your home, you can create users and give them personalized access to your home if you have a smart lock. This is also helpful as remote access for vacation rental rooms too.
Even when you’re not on the site, you can give access to the guests who will stay at one of your properties. You can also set one-time entry access to smart locks to allow other people to enter your home.
What’s even cooler is that smart locks send a notification to your phone when one of the access codes is used, regardless if you’re on the site or not.
Other models of smart locks are used to monitor who comes in and out of your home using these access codes. This includes an accessible history log of the date and time of their entry into your home.
3. A Stylish First Impression
Not all your friends and family have ever heard of a smart lock. If you’re the first home to use a smart lock in your block, wouldn’t it make a great impression upon entering your home?
Aside from the sleek design and automatic features of smart locks, it adds a great impression on your home labeled as a “smart home.”
4. Convenience and Functionality
I’m sure you keep a bunch of keys in your bag, and you’re tired of fumbling around looking for it. Each key is labeled “front door” or “porch”, and it takes time to look for the right key to open the door.
Every day you struggle before you go inside your home, you keep on reading the labels for a minute or two before actually opening the lock. Sounds familiar? Almost everyone has this common experience.
The primary use of smart locks is to add convenience to your everyday life. Other smart locks can even be paired with voice command assistants via Bluetooth.
Most smart lock models will save you the effort to reproduce physical keys to all family members just to hide under a pot. This is the 21st century; after all, the use of smart locks are a great addition to a smart home.
Burglars are already familiar with the universal hiding places where most households leave the physical keys – you keep under the pot or the mat. Burglars do not have advanced technical skills to hack or control smart locks.
5. Forgetfulness
I know some of you went through the same experience at least once in your life:
- You fell asleep because you’re too tired from work
- You had a hand full of grocery when you came in
- You already left and on your way to the office
Then you suddenly remember – you forgot to lock the door again.
If you have a smart lock, you don’t have to worry about this anymore. With a smart lock, you can use your phone to control it anywhere, and you can lock and unlock your door anytime.
Other smart locks even have auto-lock systems available. This means you can set 30 seconds lock-time on the smart lock when it detects that door closed.
What Is a Smart Door Lock?
As you know, the most used home locking mechanism is still the standard lock and key or the deadbolt. The primary use is that a key slides into a lock and, if the key is cut to the correct shape, and tumblers will turn the lock.
Barring the occasional frozen lock, and this digital set-up is still effective most of the time.
- Easy to Install: A smart door lock can fit over an existing locking mechanism (simple types of locks, including deadbolts), or a new lock can be installed.
- Connectivity: The smart lock itself is an electronic mechanical lock designed to lock and unlock your door after receiving a command from a Bluetooth enabled device.
- Monitoring Log System: An additional detail is that a smart lock enables and uses Internet Wi-Fi connection and Bluetooth to act as a monitoring log system. It keeps track and control of who enters and leaves and sending alerts to a smartphone or computer.
- Smartphone Compatibility and Connectivity: The smart lock works when a code is sent from anywhere (either a smartphone app, keypad, or a key fob), just like the connectivity locks that come with a smart car. [1]
- Access Code: Whether from the control of a phone, use of the keypad, or fob, the door will lock or unlock even when you’re not in the house. A nice feature of the smart door lock is the ability to send the unlock code to others to gain entry if you’re not at home. You can also set a limitation for every access code given to others.
To see these things up close and personal, read and take a look at my guide on finding the cheapest smart door lock to help you choose the right product for your house.
It includes the top products with its services you can buy today for the lowest prices as well as how to look for the perfect lock for your needs.
Differences Between Smart Door Lock Brands
There are many brands of smart door locks on the market, and choosing the right smart door lock can be tricky.
A smart lock offers essential services, and knowing where they differ can steer you to the right choice for your every need.
Here is a rundown of the differences between the main door lock brands on the market.
Standard Deadbolt
If you’re in the market for a lock that resembles a standard deadbolt, the Kevo Kwikset is an excellent choice. This smart lock opens with either a regular key in case of power outages, or with the use of apps installed on your phone.
Another feature of this set is you can unlock the door with the touch of your finger against the Bluetooth enabled deadbolt as long as the app is open when the smartphone is within range.
Sleek Look
For a more sleek look, August makes smart locks with a smooth face, but it can only be opened via the smartphone app. August devices have voice activation and are compatible with Siri, Google Nest, and Alexa; thus, you can tell the door to unlock via an app on a smartphone.
As this brand is a retrofit, the hardware can be installed on the existing lock, turning it into a smart door lock without a lot of hardware hassle.
Touchpad
Touchpad based smart locks are also an option, and the Next x Yale keyless deadbolt looks sleek and is functional. With Yale, you need a code to unlock the door, but you can lock it back with just a simple tap on your phone.
If you’re not sure that you locked the door, the Yale automatically locks after 30 seconds of the door being unlocked. Another feature is this lock senses when the app is inside the home versus outside the home, making it almost impossible to lock yourself out of the home.
Find the Right Smart Lock for You…
I touched on just a few of the top smart locks in the previous section; however, there are many more to choose from.
As I explained earlier in this guide, I have another post on the cheapest smart door lock. Check it out if you want to find the right lock for your needs. And don’t forget the guide on the best wireless video doorbell if you’re looking for a product to do a full upgrade to your front door.
Now you know exactly what is a smart door lock and how to find the best one for your home.
