A secure lock on your door is one of the most effective ways to protect your home, family, and possessions. Since the arrival of smartphone operated smart locks, there has been a debate about whether they are as safe and as secure as traditional locks.
There are pros and cons for each, maybe a smart lock is best for someone who often misplaces or forgets their keys, but many people opt for the traditional lock, having concerns about the security of digital devices. We have a look at both types.
Traditional Locks
‘Traditional’ locks refer to the typical locks seen on just about every door, be that a Euro Lock, Mortice, Yale, etc. These locks need a physical key to operate.
Smart Locks
‘Smart’ locks refer to a lock that is controlled by your phone or another device such as a fob. These locks use either Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) and not a physical key to unlock your door.
Door Lock Security
This is the biggest point for most people, which if the two is the most secure? The issues facing smart locks is that anything that is connected to the internet is vulnerable to hacking, which means your lock could be hacked to unlock.
With traditional locks are susceptible to break-ins, possibly more so than smart locks. An experienced burglar can snap or pick locks in seconds. But you can invest in traditional locks that are snap- and pick-proof.
When deciding which system is best for your home, maybe you should consider if a burglar is more likely to hack your lock or pick/snap it. Statistics have shown that burglary is more often a crime of opportunity, which makes it less likely they will have pre-planned a hack for your smart lock.
However, smart Locks often run off Bluetooth or Wi-Fi so there is always a chance this will fail, potentially leaving your home vulnerable.
Convenience
Smart locks can be exceptionally convenient. Being able to unlock your door from miles away – for example, children who have misplaced keys, relatives, pet-sitters. In this day and age, people are generally never without their phones, which reduces the risk of being locked out.
With a traditional lock, if you want to give someone access to your home, then you will either need to trust them with a key or leave one in a safe place, which we would advise against. And if you lose your key, then you are locked out until someone else with a key can attend.
However, a phone with a dead battery will be useless, or power outages that knock out the Wi-Fi mean you could be locked out of your smart lock. Most do have a key override, but that might feel it defeats the object of having a smart lock! Traditional locals and keys won’t need power or the internet.
It can all depend on your personal circumstances as to which option is going to be best for you, your home, and your family, so weight up the pros and cons of each before making a decision.
If you need a locksmith in Wallington, get in touch today!