The Ultimate Buying Guide for Smart Door Locks

The security of our home or office is the most vital worry for anyone. From the invention of locks and keys, we have trusted key door locks for the security of our family and work premises. The only issue arises when we end up losing the key, then the only option is to either break the lock or get a Keysmith to make a new key. Many of us have to make spare keys. The adults come home in the evening from work while the kids come in the afternoon.

Do you often forget your keys and end up standing in front of the door? Do you want a lock without keys? If you have answered yes to either of the above questions, then the New Security guard is ideal for you. Gone are the days of having to remember where the keys are or having to make spare ones because the smart electronic door lock has arrived, making life much easy and secure.  While buying a door lock, there are many things one has to consider.

Unlike the key door locks in which you use to look for style and strength, with the keyless door lock, it’s different. Here is the ideal guide that is going to help you in buying the lock that fits your requirement, style, and other features to look.

Touch Screen or Sensor or Keypad

Keyless door locks come in two types: keypad and touchscreen. With the keyboard one, you get a push-button keypad with numeric digits 0-9 along with a lock and unlock button. The keypad comes in a variation of locks in which each key can have its push button, or a group of digits might share a push button.

Kwikset Kevo (2nd Gen) Touch-to-Open Bluetooth Smart Lock from Amazon

The touchscreen opens with the identification of your fingerprint as a Bio-metric fingerprint reader. This type is useful to blinds too, which gives people with impaired vision a feeling of self-ability.  In the case of the fingerprint malfunctions, we can use the backup codes to open it, which might happen sometimes.

Master Code & Passage Code

Keyless door locks open by entering codes that you have saved. There are two codes that the lock accepts 1) master code 2) passage codes. The master code allows you to set up all passage codes, and the passage code is for users, giving you full protection against any unwanted intrusion.

Customizable User Codes For Guests

In case you have installed the lock in your home, then each family member will have the master code, but let’s say everyone has their own entry time, and they can set a custom code for them. This helps for precise control for offices to time limit different levels of staff entry. If a relative is visiting for a while, you can give them a customized code as well that works for a certain time and become invalid after certain days.

Schlage BE365VCAM619 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt from Amazon

The keypad is ideal for night entries as it has an electronic lit panel that allows you to quickly enter your code without having to use any torch lights.

Auto-Lock for Door Locks

With a traditional key lock, an intruder can easily open the door without keys, but the keyless door lock is different in terms of security. Traditional locks, you have to be careful to lock your door when you go outside. Smart locks, you don’t need to worry about locking your door, the door will automatically lock within three seconds once you come out.

Battery&Lifespan

Being an electronic device, the Smartlock needs a power supply to work, and they use standard 4 AA or 4 AAA batteries to work. The battery can last more than one year with moderate use with 15-20 entries per day.

Samsung Ezon SHS-3321 Keyless Smart Universal Deadbolt Digital Door Lock from Amazon

As the keyless door lock runs on batteries, the lifespan varies by the number of times the lock wakes up per day. Most of these Number Locks are offering 12 to 20 months of battery life with moderate use like ten entries per day. The Smart Lock can warn you with a beeper installed, lets you know when the battery is low and provides ample time for you to change the batteries.

Fits Both Left/Right Side

For new homes, it does not matter. You can purchase door locks according to your needs. But, in case you are planning to replace your old doors key locks with new keyless door locks, better you purchase door locks that fit both left/right sides. Then you don’t have to change the side of your doors opening.

Remote Connection to Wi-Fi

If you have a Wi-Fi connection, then you can also connect your door lock with your Wi-Fi connection, and with a Wi-Fi remote, you can access your door lock remotely anywhere from the world. I would say a Smart Lock and an IP Camera both synced with your Smart Phone can convert your home into a Smart Home.

Smartphone Connectivity

Nowadays, Smartphones are in everyone’s hands, and if your door lock is connected to your Smartphone, what better can one ask for. You can check the battery status, the number of times the lock use per day, door lock / unlock status, etc. For Smartphone connectivity, you require using built-in Bluetooth in your door lock to pair with your Smartphone. To operate the lock with your Smartphone, you will have to be in the range of Bluetooth connection.

Easy Fix (DIY) Smart Lock

The keyless door locks come with very easy DIYs or do-it-yourself guides. Hence, you do not have to spend extra money or call any special person to install the locks, and you can install them yourself. There should have easy understanding instructions to make your task easy and quick.

Color Choice

The keyless lock comes in a variety of colors like Brass, Chrome, Black, or Gold, and it might be hard to make a choice so, better you have a particular color that matches your home appearance and door color to make the selection can be easy.

A Protecting Sliding Cover

Make sure you remember to purchase a sliding cover to protect the lock from the weather if there is a chance to expose your smart lock to raindrops or snow.

Smart Lock Grade Specification

With the overgrowing popularity of these locks, various standard locks are available. To make it easy in knowing which standard lock you are purchasing. Search for American National Standard Institute (ANSI) specification: Grade1: Best, Grade 2: Better and Grade3: Good.

Grade one offers you ten hammer blows and 250,000 successful open-close cycles and only 1-inch of projection in the door frame. Likewise, grades two and three have lesser hammer intakes and low successful cycles.

Activity Notification

With the traditional lock, you can never know when someone enters the home but, with the keyless lock, this is going to change as you can get notifications on who enters or leaves home while you are away. For this, you receive emails or push-notifications every time the lock is opened or locked. This feature is ideal for parents who want to know when their child is home and when they are not if you already assigned a custom code for each of them. Yes, this feature comes with a remote access fee, but it’s worth the pay. After all, it’s about knowing the whereabouts of your kids.

Technology has always been found ways of making our lives easier at the same time, secure, and the keyless door lock is no different. It is not just the modern trend but, secure and safe for your family. It may cost more than the traditional lock, but, no pay is much over the security of your loved ones.