Smart Locks: Security Benefits With Convenience

by Jamie Jamieson 08/02/2021

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels


 

New home builders are starting to equip residences with smart door locks, and for good reason. With these locks installed, homeowners enjoy even more security and convenience than ever before. Instead of digging out your keys, you can use an app, fingerprint scanner or voice commands to unlock and lock your door in an instant. Curious if this system would benefit you? Take a look at this guide to learn everything you need to know.

What are Smart Door Locks?

Smart door locks connect to WiFi to allow you to lock and unlock your home without a key in hand. You just have to use your fingerprint, voice or an app to tell the locking mechanism when to open and close. The app-connected models even let you make changes on the fly while you’re away from home.

So, if you forgot to lock up or are just worried you did, then you can activate the lock with a click of a button. Similarly, if you need to let someone in while you’re away, you can do that, too. You use smart locks on the doorknob, deadbolt or both, depending on the level of security you want for your home.

Smart Door Lock Benefits

Although using your key to lock and unlock your home is easy enough, smart systems take that experience to the next level and give you all the following benefits.

Boost Household Safety

Smart locks help improve the safety of your household by making it easy to get inside without fumbling with your keys. Beyond that, these systems make it easy to get back inside if you get locked out. With that, you never again have to worry about storing an extra key under your doormat or in a phony rock.

Make Life More Convenient

As you walk up to your door with your hands full, getting your house key out of your pocket proves difficult indeed. To avoid all that, you can just unlock the door from your phone before loading up your arms or reach out a finger to press on the reader. And if you have friends or family coming from out of town, you don’t have to arrange time off to go let them in. You can just click a few buttons once they arrive to open the door while you’re still at work.

Enjoy True Peace of Mind

If you have that nagging feeling that you left your front door unlocked, you’ll never again have to race home to check once you have smart locks on your side. You can just check the app to verify that they’re locked or click lock to secure the front door if your gut feeling was correct.

Save Money on Insurance

Homeowner’s insurance companies often offer discounts on your premium when you install security systems – and smart locks definitely qualify. Since these locks help prevent burglaries and other incidents, they may net you a discount of around 5% a month, if not more. You just have to let your insurance company know, and they will apply the discount to your account.

When you buy a home equipped with intelligent locking systems, all these benefits are yours for the taking.

Best Practices When Using Smart Locks

When setting up your smart locks, you’ll want to follow all the steps in the user manual to avoid missing any key information.

In addition, it’s important to:

  • Make use of all the safety features
  • Lock any smartphone that uses the app
  • Watch the battery life of your locks
  • Have a backup key on hand at all times

When you follow all these important practices, you can make the most of your smart lock setup and enjoy all the benefits it offers.

If your new home build only has these locks on the front door, you might want to add them to all the other exterior doors as well. Even the garage door can benefit from smart opening systems that improve your home security and make your life more convenient.

About the Author
Author

Jamie Jamieson

Professional Association National Association of Realtors (NAR) New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR) Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors/ Hudson Gateway Multiple Listing Service Education I hold an A.A in Italian Studies and an A.S in Accounting as well as being one of few students accepted into the Cambridge University International Student Study Program abroad as a returning student in 2011. Community Involvement I am proud to serve on the Home & School Board for St. Augustine School in Ossining and maintain the role of a Girl Scout leader. I am an active member of the community assisting in a variety of fundraising efforts. Personal I am a young and energetic agent who prides myself on providing personalized service with honest representation whether you are buying or selling your home. My expertise of the river towns, attention to detail and excitement for real estate are a few of the many assets I will bring to you. I will utilize my eagerness and market knowledge of the area to build lasting relationships with all of my clients that will extend far beyond the closing table. Be at ease from start to finish with my help. In my spare time, I love exploring the Hudson Valley with my husband, three children and our dog, Pippin. I love scoping out the infinite restaurants, farmers markets and other fabulous activities this exciting county has to offer. Experience Before joining William Raveis Legends Realty Group I started my career with Hudson Homes Sotheby's International Realty team. Prior to real estate, I had a remarkable 15+ year career in Restaurant Management/Hospitality including Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Rivermarket and several establishments in Newport, Rhode Island. My experience in that field provided me with the foundation of excellence in customer service. Areas Covered All of Westchester County and parts of Putnam County.