As sensible residence know-how has continued to advance through the years, virtually each family has some form of sensible system at their disposal. But one sensible gadget that hasn’t fairly caught on as prominently as cameras and doorbells is the sensible lock.
Following CES 2026, I’ve seen loads of new sensible locks introduced, and so they’ve turn into extra technical than ever earlier than. Many fashions now include facial recognition and palm vein scanning, whereas others double up as full safety methods.
All these developments and extra could be a little off-putting to those that are simply beginning out with a wise lock. So, for those who’re contemplating upgrading your entrance door with a wise lock, listed here are 5 options you want and one you would do with out.
You do want: Multiple entry choices
The greatest a part of upgrading to a wise lock is having a number of entry choices. With a conventional lock, for those who neglect your keys, you’re locked out till your companion or housemate comes residence or a locksmith arrives, however a wise lock offers you a number of methods to unlock your door.
The commonest unlocking technique that every one sensible locks include is a smartphone app. With the app, you may merely faucet it to unlock your entrance door, or some fashions will recognise your cellphone as you strategy and unlock mechanically.
“But what if my phone dies”, I hear you cry. Most sensible locks have as much as 5 entry methods, together with fingerprint, palm or facial recognition, passcodes, voice instructions, NFC playing cards and even back-up keys, so that you’re not in need of methods to enter your own home.
You do want: Remote entry
Remote entry to your sensible lock is a recreation changer, particularly for situations the place you’re in a rush. With your sensible lock’s accompanying app, you may shortly faucet it to unlock your door which is useful in a number of methods.
For instance, for those who’re carrying numerous procuring baggage, you don’t should cease to fumble on your keys. Instead, you may faucet the app earlier than you get out of your automotive and your door is unlocked so that you can enter extra simply. Other examples embody friends with out keys getting access to your own home whilst you’re out.
Remote entry to your sensible lock means you may examine the standing of your own home whilst you’re at work or on a visit. The app allows you to monitor who’s getting into and exiting your home, and can ship you real-time notifications so that you’re on high of what’s occurring even once you’re not there.
(Image credit score: Yale)
You do want: Auto locking and unlocking
Briefly talked about above, sensible locks with auto-unlocking features use your cellphone’s GPS and Bluetooth to detect once you’re approaching your door. It’ll mechanically unlock as soon as it detects you, making entry to your own home a lot simpler and fewer faffy.
On the alternative finish of the spectrum, a wise lock may also mechanically lock your door for you, which is a lifesaver for those who’ve forgotten to lock up – no judgement, we’ve all been there. It does this after a set period of time which you can customise within the lock’s app or when it detects that your door has closed.
You do want: Reliable energy
The majority of sensible locks are battery powered whereas others might be recharged with chargers, however no matter which one you select, the battery lifetime of a wise lock is for much longer than you suppose. Having mentioned that, battery life remains to be a standard concern for a lot of, so it’s essential to search for a mannequin that has a dependable quantity of energy and is straightforward to recharge.
Smart lock batteries can last as long as 12 months however this may differ relying in your utilization, lock, and Wi-Fi. I’d suggest searching for a wise lock that has a back-up battery, and at all times have spare batteries at hand when your lock is operating low on energy.
Speaking of, your sensible lock’s app will ship you alerts so that you’re up-to-date together with your lock’s standing. Some locks may also beep or flash at you, so in idea, you must have loads of time to recharge your lock earlier than it utterly runs out of battery.
You do want: Local management
Depending in your sensible lock, it could possibly have many connectivity choices, together with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave or Zigbee. You want a very good connection on your sensible lock to work, and many individuals suggest utilizing native management, like Bluetooth or Thread to maintain it linked.
The essential motive for that is the connection is commonly safer, and in case your Wi-Fi goes down, you don’t have to fret about points together with your sensible lock, as Bluetooth is commonly a back-up possibility for this. It additionally tends to be quicker because it’s not counting on the cloud, plus having too many connectivity choices can get complicated and pose a safety danger.
You don’t want: A built-in digital camera
Moving onto the function you in all probability don’t want, and that’s a wise lock that has a built-in digital camera. It goes with out saying that if you need a wise lock that has a digital camera, you must in fact get one, but it surely’s not a function that I’d encourage you to prioritise.
The essential motive for that is most houses have already got a security camera or a video doorbell installed, so a smart lock with a camera is a bit redundant and you likely won’t use it. This added feature will also come at an added cost, and it makes the lock a little more complicated which isn’t really what you need.
Even if you don’t have a video doorbell set up, I’d still recommend having two separate devices rather than an all-in-one gadget. I always feel like ‘something has to give’ with these kinds of devices, and a lock definitely isn’t the area you want to compromise on.