There’s a smarter way to unlock your front door. Gone are the days of fumbling with a key while carrying a bag of groceries in a darkened front porch area at night. Smart locks provide more convenient, safer ways to operate a door lock than a key.

What Is a Smart Lock?

Securam Smart Lock Featured Image on Red Door

Smart locks for your home can come in different forms and secure many area types. You can find everything from a smart padlock for a backyard gate to a smart lock designed for a front door.

Related: The Best Smart Locks for Your Front Door

A regular lock is unlocked with a traditional key, while a smart lock is unlocked with next-generation methods. In addition to the ease of opening, a smart lock offers convenient features such as access control and usage logs.

A smart lock usually provides the ability to open it using a smartphone app. The app can connect to the lock through Bluetooth or remotely through your home network Wi-Fi signal. This is nice in case someone you know shows up at your house while you’re not home, for example, and you need to unlock the front door for them.

A smart lock also provides peace of mind. If you’ve left your house in a hurry, and you can’t remember if you locked the front door, check your smartphone app. If you forgot, you can lock it remotely.

The Problem With Keys

If you’ve ever lost a physical key or felt the need to re-key for security reasons, you might understand the need for a smart lock. Physical keys are easy to copy. Perhaps you’ve had the same keys for years, and you don’t know who has a copy.

Keys can also be challenging to use. Getting a key from your pocket and into the narrow lock slot can be challenging, especially if you're in a hurry. Smart locks end the challenge.

How Do You Unlock a Smart Lock?

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A smart lock can include different unlocking methods. Most companion apps will have a large or easy-to-find unlock button. Some locks unlock when you touch them while you have your smartphone. As long as the smartphone is within the lock vicinity, the app will send an unlock signal.

Biometric unlocking is a fancy way to say you can unlock with your fingerprint. Once you set up your lock and its app, press your fingertip into a sensor on the lock. This feature is common on smart padlocks and biometric safes.

Many smart locks will include a keypad on the lock. Program your customized code into the lock, and anyone who has that code has access.

Some locks can also be smart enough to use a camera to recognize you as you approach and unlock.

A wide variety of locks are also compatible with voice assistants like Amazon Alexa or Siri using Apple HomeKit. So you can lock or unlock the door with just a simple voice command.

Additional Smart Lock Features

Most smart locks have access control and logging. You can grant access to selected individuals such as friends, family members, or perhaps service crew members. Some keypad locks can grant individualized access codes. For example, your friend John might have 2-4-6-8, while the maid service has 4-3-2-1.

You can limit granted access. For example, the maid service might only have unlocking ability for 24 hours, or maybe they’ll need to get a new code from you next time they need access.

With access logging within the app, you can view the date and time that your friend John or the maid service unlocked the front door.

Are Smart Locks Safe?

Do you ever wonder if a smart lock could be hacked? As with any wireless technology, it is possible. However, it would take a great deal of time and effort, especially if you keep your access methods safe and software up to date.

Related: Can Smart Locks Be Hacked?

And like with any technology, it generally improves with time. If you’re concerned about hacking, wait around until the technology evolves. A more secure version is undoubtedly coming soon.

Smart locks use the same lock and tumbler design as traditional locks. If they have any physical vulnerabilities, they will be similar to a conventional lock.

And smart locks have safety advantages over conventional locks. For example, assigning access digitally might be safer than lending out a physical key or leaving it under the doormat.

Safety, Convenience, and Peace of Mind

Even if you’re carrying your kid with one arm and a package with the other arm, you can unlock the front door with a smart lock.

Smart locks provide a safe, convenient way to secure your smart home, lend access, and view the lock status.