It is a testament to how much technology can improve and assist with one device and function on your property: your front door lock. Your front door is the gateway to your house. Upon returning home with your arms full of shopping, this is the first place you'll encounter when you receive visitors, receive mail, or get your mail delivered. Isn't it nice if you didn't have to put down your carrier bags and find your keys before entering your home? Well, you can if you invest in a smart lock, which allows you to open doors without getting up from your comfy chair. Most Australian homeowners prefer smart locks to enhance their comfort and security. Smart locks will help them to feel more in control and safer.
What is Smart Lock?
With a smart lock, a user's authorized name and password simultaneously open a mechanical and electronic lock. Smart locks enable homeowners to enter their homes or provide others access without the use of traditional keys. It utilizes a wireless protocol, Bluetooth, and a cryptographic key to perform the authorization process for a Smart-Lock to perform locking and unlocking on a door after receiving instructions from an authorized device. Besides managing access and sending signals, it also handles several other functions related to the device's current status, such as sending notifications. Cameras are sometimes incorporated into smart locks, which take pictures of those gaining access and keep a record of those accesses.
Elements of Smart Locks
To operate smart locks also require two primary components, namely the lock and the key. The key in the case of smart locks comes in the form of a smartphone that wirelessly handles the authentication process necessary to unlock the door.
What does a Smart Lock do?
By installing a smart lock, you can gain access to your property without keys by entering a numerical code or controlling access from your mobile device. In addition to providing smartphone notifications about who is going or coming to your front door, a smart lock can also trigger other smart devices, such as your lights and security system, automatically. If that seems almost too good to be true, then you might just have hit upon the nub of the issue. A smart lock can be unlocked and locked from anywhere, whether you're sitting on your sofa, in your car, or at work.
Are Smart Home Locks Safe?
The best smart door locks can be just as safe as conventional door locks. If they are installed and used correctly, they can be even safer. And they may even be safer than conventional keys and tumbler locks thanks to their authentication features, such as a combination key code or fingerprint recognition.
What to look for Buying Smart Lock?
It is important to consider the following features before buying a smart lock, which must be available in your smart lock.
1. Battery Life
Your smart lock will give you an alert on your app when its batteries run low, whether it's a single AA alkaline battery or a rechargeable lithium-ion cell. Furthermore, if the battery needs to be replaced/recharged, or if the housing mounted on the inside of your door includes a red LED, the lock will give an alert. How long do these batteries normally last? Well, it depends on the lock and how it is used. Batteries are often measured in cycles - in other words, how many locks and unlocks it performs in a year - and power can last anywhere from three months to a year, depending on the type of lock and the functionality it performs.
2. Alternate Entry Options
Even smart lock manufacturers are aware of the possibility of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi being unreliable. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi may be great, but they are inherently unreliable. As a result, smart locks are being developed with alternate modes of locking and unlocking. In addition to wireless unlocking techniques, smart locks are now being developed with other physical or electronic entry methods, such as PIN codes (sometimes with an additional keypad) and Bluetooth. In addition to smart locks, some manufacturers offer key fobs that can unlock a door wirelessly without a smartphone.
3. Auto lock/unlock
Keyless or PIN-less entry is usually provided by Bluetooth-enabled locks. When you're carrying your phone, a smart lock might allow you to unlock your door after a specified distance and lock behind you after a user-prescribed time has elapsed. Smart locks with keypads generally don't include proximity auto-unlock capabilities for security reasons. With that said, this distance is usually limited to about 30 feet. It must be remembered that this function can only be performed from outside the property.
4. ANSI lock Quality Rating
It's hard to tell whether a smart lock is going to meet your needs because you'll find most physical door locks come with their technical specifications and idiosyncrasies. ANSI/BHMA (American National Standards Institute/Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association) has created 3 standard lock designations to assist with making that choice. Tests designed to determine the strength and security of a lock are performed based on their robustness, security, and longevity against physical attacks and picking. The three designation grades include
Grade 1
Commercial applications usually require the strongest grade.
Grade 2
ANSI-certified locks are the most commonly purchased residential locks.
Grade 3
The lock is used as a backup for a grade 1 or 2 lock.
5. Wireless Security
It is, of course, a concern to be protected against security threats, especially when reading about recent hacking attacks. There is no difference in that regard with Wi-Fi. There is no 'best' wireless security scheme or standard for smart locks, and most smart lock manufacturers will publish information about their locks and their W-Fi security. Unfortunately, you will only discover this through extensive research. The best you can hope for is to discover how highly the smart lock manufacturer rates this issue. There is, however, some sort of certainty that the best smart locks - or the most secure ones - are those that have a keypad as their primary means of entry rather than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
6. Fit and Finish
There are numerous variations of silver, bronze, brass, and black in finishes and trims offered by traditional lock vendors, like Yale and Schlage. Smart lock companies focused on technology do not offer such aesthetic options, so if aesthetics are important to you, there are fewer options when it comes to purchasing a smart lock.
Best Smart Home Locks Available in Australia
There are different types of smart locks available depending on the door type and the traditional lock fitted. We have listed our top picks for the best smart home locks below.
Yale Assure Lock Keyless
With the YALE Assure Keyless Digital Deadbolt, you receive the best of both worlds: a well-designed lockset with a highly secure digital deadbolt and an elegant touchscreen interface. It gives users easy access to their premises via their smartphones while they are away and lets them remotely open the door for guests. SmartPhones can be used to lock and unlock homes, share access histories with friends and family, and manage user preferences. You can monitor the status and usage of the Yale Assure Keyless Digital Deadbolt through a centralized controller that integrates with any Z-Wave product. With its tapered features, this deadbolt can be used in applications where the door is not perfectly aligned and can be installed in the place of your existing deadbolt. It is compatible with all standard interior and exterior doors. To ensure the most reliable communication between the Z-Wave lock and a network controller, it is recommended that this lock be programmed through the centralized user interface (UI) via a PC or hand-held device. This will guarantee the best possible control and management through a single network controller. Yale Assure Digital Deadbolt's Z-Wave home automation controller of choice is VeraEdge/Plus. You can remotely control all Yale Assure Digital Deadbolt functions with this controller.
Pros:
- Yale App lets you share five digital keys.
- A unique PIN code may be stored up to 12 times.
- When a short time has passed, the lock will automatically lock.
- Alarm for low battery level and tamper detection.
- Utilizes the new 500 series Z-Wave chip.
SECO-LARM Fingerprint Lock (With Keypad)
The new fingerprint and keypad based lock your home secure against burglars. This smart door lock simplifies the setup process to make it simple for anyone to use. It is one of the most developed biometrics techniques available and provides excellent security. The fingerprint reader is the most economical and most accurate biometric authentication technology. One benefit of the biometric fingerprint reader is that it is difficult for someone to duplicate another person's fingerprint in a way that the scanner recognizes. It is quite easy to copy a key or write down an alarm code. Fingerprint readers have none of those weaknesses, as anyone with a valid fingerprint does not necessarily have access to anything else. Other forms of access control are weak in that they rely on something that can be easily lost, shared, or duplicated.
Pros:
-
It can handle up to 3,000 users (up to 1,000 fingerprints, up to 2,000 PINs) with its optical fingerprint reader.
-
4.2*6 digits *1 second for fingerprint authentication User code length 4.2*6 digits.
-
0.01% false rejection rate for fingerprinting with 12V DC operation. 0.01% false acceptance rate for fingerprinting with 12V DC operation.
-
Default output: 2A 12V DC relay, tamper alarm output: 2.5A 12V DC relay; timer setting: 100ms*99s or toggle; output type: relay.
-
A fingerprint reader that glows in the dark with an IP66 weatherproof rating with Wiegand output for 2-door security.
Yale Assure Digital Deadbolt Lock with Key
In this Yale Assure Digital Deadbolt (with key), an elegant electronic touchscreen interface is integrated with a highly secure lockset. Users can remotely open their doors for visitors while they are away and can conveniently access their premises using their smartphones. With digital keys, you can lock and unlock your home on your smartphone, share digital keys with friends and family to manage user settings, view access history, and share them with friends and family. Assure Digital Deadbolt (with key) from Yale is designed to work seamlessly with Z-Wave products and automated control systems to provide seamless monitoring and controlling of this device. This device is also Bluetooth-enabled when Z-Wave is enabled. For Yale Assure Digital Deadbolt, VeraEdge/Plus is the best Z-Wave Home Automation controller. It offers full control of Yale Assure Digital Deadbolt features, as well as remote access. With its tapered features, this deadbolt can be used in applications where the door is not perfectly aligned and can be installed in the place of your existing deadbolt. It is compatible with all standard interior and exterior doors. We highly recommend having a secondary entrance available in case of total failure(e.g., cars, trains). The lock may not be used on moving doors (i.e., cars, trains, or similar applications).
Pros:
-
All the features of the keyless version are included in the keyed version, but you can also manually operate it with the key set.
-
The Yale App allows you to share up to five digital keys and to be able to hold up to twelve PINs.
-
Utilizes the latest Z-Wave 500 series chip that automatically locks after a short period and tells you when the battery is low.
Conclusion:
Smart locks are not being criticized in any way. I enjoy them, as I think they are a truly futuristic advancement. However, manufacturers need to start thinking more deeply about security. For your smart locks to be useful, they must serve the primary purpose of keeping locations safe and secure. In other words, if your smart locks do not perform this important function, then it is pointless to have them. The purpose of smart locks is to offer security to homeowners, and therefore security-oriented locks are the best option. As mentioned above, there are some key features that homeowners looking for smart locks should look for to make sure that their smart locks will satisfy their needs and keep them safe.
