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Smart locks are growing in popularity and for a good reason; they bring a lot of benefits that other smart home devices can’t provide such as the ability to keep a log of who is entering and leaving your home and at what times.
Let’s look at 17 reasons why you should buy a smart lock and use it alongside all your other smart home devices.
1. No need for physical keys
One of the best reasons for having a smart lock is that there is no longer a need for a physical key and so there is one less thing you need to carry around with you when you leave.
I’m sure you’ve had many times where you have been digging around in your bag or pockets trying to find a key and it takes much longer than it really should just to unlock your front door.
Smart locks replace the need for a key with a secure code that is used to disengage the locking mechanism.
This can be particularly useful if you have kids returning from school and you are concerned about them losing the spare key you gave them.
If they happen to forget the secure code, all they need to do is contact you and you can let them know what it is. You can be totally location independent.
Some smart locks will even use your smartphone’s Bluetooth as a way of unlocking the door, so there is literally nothing you need to remember other than having your phone with you.
2. They can be voice controlled
If you’re anything like me, you climb into bed at the end of the day, and just as you start drifting off to sleep, you get that doubt in the back of your mind as to whether you remembered to lock the door.
You then have to get up out of bed, go to the door and find that 99% of the time you did, in fact, remember to lock it.
For this reason alone, having a smart lock that can be voice controlled is a huge benefit.
You simply need to tell your voice assistant to lock the door and it will take care of it for you. There is always the option of locking it through the app, but I just find a quick voice command is more convenient.
As time goes on, more functionality is being implemented that can be voice-controlled so you can do more than just lock and unlock the door with your voice.
3. They can keep track of who goes in and out
The smart locks that require a secure code allow for more than one code to be set up, so you could assign each member of your family their own unique code.
This allows you to keep track of who is entering and leaving the house and at what times. The log is easy to access through the free app that comes with most smart locks.
This useful feature could come in handy if you have kids that are leaving partway through the night and deny doing so when you ask them about it the following morning.
The evidence is black and white through the smart lock’s logs when everyone has their own unique code.
4. You just love the technology
If you’re anything like me and have a passion for the latest and greatest technology, you will likely want to have a smart lock as part of your smart home setup.
You may not make as much use out of one compared to someone else, but if just having it brings you a sense of joy what does it matter.
Some things are just nice to own even if you don’t use it to its maximum potential.
5. They can grant temporary access
There have been many times where I have had to stay at home all day waiting for someone like the mailman to arrive to deliver the package that I’ve been waiting days for, but they just don’t give you a time slot.
This can be really frustrating as there no doubt other things you could be doing away from home to spend your time instead rather than staying in and hoping they turn up on the scheduled day.
Smart locks help solve this problem by allowing you to grant temporary access when it is needed.
Be it the mailman, an electrician, or a babysitter, you can assign them their own unique access code that is very much temporary.
You can select a specific time and date in which the code will activate and then deactivate as well as set up a re-occurring schedule.
Perhaps you have a babysitter come around every Saturday night between 7 pm and 9 pm; their code could automatically be activated during this time without the need for you to keep setting a new one.
If you do decide to assign temporary access codes for your guests, I would suggest you only give one out to people you trust unless you have a porch area for the mailman to drop off your package for example as they won’t be given access to the main areas of your home.
6. You can be alerted when guests arrive and leave
A follow on from being able to grant temporary access to your guests by using a one-time code is the ability to be alerted as and when they arrive and leave.
Within the smart lock’s app, you can set up alerts to be received on your smartphone when the lock is both engaged and disengaged. These alerts can be set up for just those with that temporary access or for anyone using the door including the members of the family with a permanent code.
Should the lock not disengage for whatever reason when some has left, you can always lock it remotely using your smartphone, too.
7. They save you money on getting keys cut
Getting spare keys cut can work out to be quite expensive, especially when the locking mechanism is a bit more complex. I have had to pay $10 or more for each spare key I wanted cut for my front door in the past, which is quite expensive in my opinion.
Having a smart lock means you no longer have to spend money on getting keys cut as well as the hassle of having to actually go to the locksmith and get them cut. Everything is digital, much more convenient, and doesn’t have extra re-occurring fees.
You also remove the risk of the spare keys being lost and someone that you don’t know potentially being able to access your home.
8. They are well-built and durable
Smart locks are generally very well-built and durable so you can be confident that they still last for many years to come without the risk of degrading in quality over time.
Just look at one, even if it is a picture online, and you can see how a lot of thought has gone into manufacturing them. The metal used is very solid and for a good reason; it needs to prevent the door being opened when it is locked!
You should have confidence that a good quality smart lock from a reputable manufacturer has received extensive testing and will perform well for a long period of time.
9. They are secure and can’t be picked
Given that most smart locks don’t have a hole for a physical key, there is no way to pick them in the traditional sense.
They are also considered to be more secure than a traditional lock and key as they don’t require you to leave spare keys lying around.
Some people will argue that smart locks aren’t secure in that many of them connect to your Wi-Fi network and are therefore susceptible to hacking, but providing you take the necessary steps to secure your network, I personally don’t see this as much of a concern.
I certainly consider a smart lock to be more secure than a regular lock and key providing you keep your Wi-Fi network secure.
10. They look better than a traditional lock
This is very much a matter of opinion, but I personally think that smart locks look much nice than a traditional lock.
Many traditional locks look very old-fashioned and aren’t particularly nice to look at, whereas the smart locks that use a sleek design with touch-screen controls are much more modern and provide something that bit nicer for you and your guests to look at as you walk up to your front door.
Now I wouldn’t consider this to be the main reason you should buy a smart lock, but it definitely doesn’t go amiss.
11. They are easy to install
Smart locks have been designed to be easy to install for anyone that is a bit handy around the home and has a few basic tools lying around.
Not only will you save money on having to get a professional around to install it for you, but you can do the install at whatever time is convenient for you and take pride in being able to do it yourself.
I would say, though, that if you don’t feel comfortable installing one yourself, get a professional in that knows what they are doing.
I would hate for you to accidentally break your smart lock by damaging it during the installation because you weren’t 100% confident in your abilities.
12. They are affordable
A lot of smart locks will cost in the region of $150 or more. Now, this may seem quite expensive for some, but I think they are very affordable when you consider how much use you will get out of one for years to come.
Whenever I go to purchase something and think “ouch, that’s a lot of money”, I take a step back and consider how much per day that particular product would cost me if I were to use it every day for a year.
Let’s say a smart lock costs $200 to buy outright. Over the entire year, this works out to be just over $0.50 per day. That’s not per use either and you will more than likely be using your smart lock more than once per day.
Smart locks will more than likely last for years to come so I consider them to be a good investment into your smart home when you think about how much use you’ll get out of one and the other benefits they bring.
13. They integrate well with other smart home devices
Having just a smart lock brings a host of benefits but combine it with some of your other smart home devices and you unlock even more of its potential and set up some really cool routines.
The lock being engaged or disengaged can be used as a trigger for other devices like smart plugs, smart lights, and smart thermostats to perform certain actions and adjust accordingly.
You can also have smart devices only react in a certain way when a particular access code is entered, so automations could take place when it is yourself arriving home, but not anyone else.
One of my favorite automations is to have everything power off when the lock is engaged and there is no one else at home.
You can set up a routine that uses geo-fencing to have your smart plugs and lights power themselves off and your smart thermostat stop heating the home unnecessarily whenever you leave and engage the lock.
If other people are at home, the routine won’t run thanks to the geo-fencing integration.
This really is just scratching the surface when it comes to smart locks integrating with your other smart home devices; it is amazing what you can set up with all of your devices working together as one.
14. Deliveries become easier to accept
With major retailers like Amazon offering special delivery services such as Amazon Prime, it is getting better each year for your packages to be delivered quicker and easier for you to accept.
Certainly, Amazon has seen the benefit in smart locks by assigning the delivery drivers a temporary access code for smart locks so they can safely drop off your package without having to bother you.
You literally place your order and find it placed within your home just a couple of days later.
Of course, some people may not wish for the retailer to be giving out temporary access codes even with your prior consent, so you can always opt-out of this service and assign your own codes if you would prefer.
I wouldn’t be surprised if more and more companies start to offer this service as the popularity of smart locks and online shopping and delivery continues to boom.
15. They are battery operated
Most smart locks are battery operated and don’t require a professional electrician to hardwire them into your mains electricity supply.
The batteries are used primarily to power the motor inside that is responsible for performing the lock and unlock mechanism, but there are also wireless chips and LED lights that need power.
Batteries are more than capable of performing these basic functions which is great you for you as it makes a smart lock much easier and cheaper to install as you don’t need to involve your mains electricity whatsoever.
My advice would be to not cheap out on batteries and make sure you get some good quality ones from a reputable manufacturer. These will generally last long but don’t forget to keep some set aside as a backup.
Use cheap batteries that are of poor quality and you could find yourself having to replace them quite often, which takes away from the convenience that having a smart lock offers.
16. They can use Bluetooth or Wi-Fi
Some smart locks will require a Wi-Fi connection to function, others will use Bluetooth instead, and some can make use of both.
Those that use Wi-Fi generally offer more functionality, integrate better with other smart home devices, and are easier to control using your voice assistant, whereas those that use Bluetooth instead are usually more affordable and can be considered more secure than some due to a Wi-Fi network being able.
Either way, both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled smart locks both come with their own benefits as well as a few cons to still consider.
Check out this article for a more in-depth look into both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled smart locks.
17. They can trigger an alarm system
This ties into the previously mentioned benefit of being able to integrate well with other smart home devices, but I wanted to make a point of how well a smart lock can work with other home security devices.
One example automation to improve home security would be to trigger an alarm if someone was attempting to jam the signal and enter your home.
As well as sending a notification to your phone, you could also have your smart lights flash red and have your smart security camera power itself and immediately start recording.
If someone were able to enter your home, they will be captured on the camera without you needing to be there or do anything other than set up the automation in the first place.
This is just one example of many automations you could set up that integrate your smart lock with other devices to better protect your home.
