Smart locks augment existing deadbolts systems through wireless protocols, like Bluetooth, in order to allow your smartphone to serve as a “key” to your home. By using your phone, you can unlock your door instead of fumbling for your keys and you can assign digital “keys” to visitors and check the status of your lock when you’re not home.
What are the benefits of smart locks?
Smart locks add a easy and convenient features to your lock, including hands-free ways to unlock your doors, temporary access to visitors and the ability to track who comes and goes (and when). Smart locks save you the time and trouble you’d take to make and pay for copies of your door keys.
How do smart locks work?
By using wireless protocols, like Bluetooth, your phone links to your smart lock and becomes a “smart key”. This key is unique to your phone, and you can control the security of your home. You can give temporary access to others and set when you want that other person key to be used. For example: you got a sitter that works only in the afternoon, you can set her key to only works during those hours of the afternoon. This ensures that that key can only be used only during that time, not before or after. You can check the status of the lock via WiFi. Since this is done over wireless protocols, there is always the chance that the system can be compromised, so most locks come with safety features, for example: some locks can detect if your phone is inside the hose or outside, giving you access to different type of features.
What are the challenges of smart locks?
A lot of people will think smart locks are easy hackable and less secure. But since smart locks also include deadbolts, they are no more “defeatable” than traditional locks are. Manufacturers are aware of the hacking risks and some have done an excellent job of encrypting data and keeping your information and home safe. The initial cost of smart locks may be high but if a homeowner finds themselves needing a lot of keys, there are benefits that in the long run would offset that cost.
FIND OUT MORE:crtlabs.org/smartlocks
Credit to: NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS
