Smart Locks
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Security is considered to be a well-oiled machine at its finest standards that is why smart locks and many integrations of technology have been made to make our lives safer and simpler. Smart locks have a ton of benefits that homeowners can truly enjoy. These devices are now capable of unlocking the front door when you’re close, for instance, while others can be unlocked with an app on your smartphone.
How do smart locks work? They work by picking up on the Bluetooth frequencies that your phone is releasing, and it unlocks the door for you. Some smart locks also have the capability to give their guests temporary key access while the homeowners themselves still have primary key control over their home. Smart locks truly are revolutionary in the world of security, as they are breaking the frontiers of the traditional locks we’re used to.
When you choose to put a smart lock in your home, you choose to show the world that the future is already here. With the benefits and technological innovation it has, smart locks have been the lock of choice for a lot of new homeowners in this modern era.
With the flexibility of technology, many different variations have been made to smart locks that makes them stand out from the rest of their peers. Most smart locks, however, usually have three main components in order to ensure that it runs smoothly. These basic components are the locking mechanism, the wireless transceiver, and a motor, which is the key to engaging or disengaging the locking mechanism of your smart lock. These three components are the key, no pun intended, into making sure that your smart lock works in tip-top shape. The wireless transceiver makes communication with your other devices possible, such as smartphones and other automated home systems such as LED applications.
Wireless transceivers mostly use Wi-fi connections in order to communicate. Think of it like a two-way phone call; your transceiver connects to the wifi and with your smartphone, and your smartphone uses the wifi to communicate with your smart lock. The second component inside most of your smart locks is the locking mechanism, which is the most important part of your lock. If no locking mechanism exists, no smart lock exists – and the lock itself won’t be able to do its primary purpose. This usually comprises a Grade 1 deadbolt. The motor, on the other hand, is the part of the smart lock that engages the deadbolt. Being that it has to fit on a smart lock, it normally runs on batteries which are meticulously placed in the lock. Of course, this is the norm for a majority of the smart locks in the market, but there are always exceptions to the rule. There are a few smart locks being sold in the market that do not use a deadbolt locking mechanism.
A good smart lock is not only judged by how effective it is at actually locking your door, but also by how it upholds the status of your property’s security. It may seem like just the fancy version of a simple door lock, but there is so much more to it that makes it a big part of home security, especially with the front door being the gateway to all of your private valuables. For that reason, smart locks are increasingly becoming the go-to choice because of how it can take your home’s security up a few notches.
One of the keys to the mechanism of a smart lock is it’s wireless transceiver, which is a complete game changer in the world of security. With these wireless transceivers, your home is made more secure due to their integration with technology. With them, you get to have full control over your smart lock from remote locations, and they have the capability to be integrated to your already existing home automation systems. This is the magic of a Wi-Fi enabled smart lock – the ability to work with other devices and make your life way easier, just from the touch of your smartphone.
In addition, you won’t have to worry about the hassle of remembering or forgetting your keys. Every homeowner has experienced it: the remorseful times of you being locked out of your own home just because you don’t remember where you put your own keys or locked them inside the house. With the wireless transceiver, your smartphone is your key, so you can kiss those unfortunate incidents goodbye.
You could consider wireless transceivers as the brains of your home automation systems, as it makes it possible for homeowners to have full control over their homes even when they’re kilometers away from it. Some of them also have the capability to access a homeowner’s wireless home network so that they can control the lock in a remote fashion.
Of course, the smart lock isn’t a lock without the actual parts that make them secure your home, that is, the deadbolt lock mechanism. This is a very important part of your smart lock, as it’s the one that ensures that your doors are shut, and not every person can just open it and wander inside your home, breaching its security. When it comes to residential locks, deadbolts are some of the go-to locks that homeowners choose because of its upgraded security compared to spring type locks. Deadbolts are classified by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) by grades, and these range from Grade 1 to Grade 3, with Grade 1 being the strongest and Grade 3 being the lowest. Of course, it’s always in the best interest of a homeowner to take the strongest grade of deadbolt, Grade 1, in order to save themselves from the risks of thieves or hooligans breaching the security of your homes.
If your home already uses a Grade 1 deadbolt lock, then the learning curve for you will only be the installation of your smart lock. However, if you are not a user of Grade 1 deadbolt locks, a smart lock installation would give you the perfect opportunity to upgrade the locks of your doors.
With the help of a highly trained and insured professional locksmith, like the ones we are working with at Sherlock Locksmith, installing a smart lock is a hassle-free process to complete. Smart locks are very varied, and each one has a distinct feature to them that makes them have their own unique traits. This distinct feature is what makes Smart Lock Installations have no universal process, unlike regular deadbolt locks. However, since most smart locks have the same basic components for them to function properly, there are general steps that are important in installing a smart lock.
The first step in installing your smart locks is to see if your existing lock is compatible with the smart lock. This is imperative in order for the installation to go as planned, your existing lock has to be supported by your smart lock. Deadbolt locks, especially those that are classified as Grade 1, are compatible with most smart locks, while other types of deadbolts with other integrations may, or may not, be suitable with your smart lock. Your smart lock’s instruction manual usually provides extensive information which entails which smart locks are suitable with them.
If, by chance, that the lock you currently have is not compatible with your smart lock, then our experienced locksmiths will have to remove the lock you have and install a deadbolt model that is compatible with the smart lock you want to use. Once our locksmiths install the deadbolt that is compatible, the next step in the smart lock installation process is preparing to integrate the deadbolt lock with your smart lock.
Since the variety of smart locks and their distinct features do not make the installation a universal process, the steps are unique to the model you currently have. The process of preparing for integration involves mounting the smart lock to the door, and putting it through the deadbolt. Without a universal process to install them with, our professional locksmiths will ensure that they examine the instruction manual so that they are using the correct tools so that your lock functions well.
After the lock has been mounted to the door, our locksmith will now turn their attention to the motor of your smart lock. Our locksmiths will plug in the batteries and ensure that the lock is working the way that it is supposed to. After the physical installation process is done, the homeowner will install the application required to operate their smart lock on their smartphone, and give it access to your home’s Wi-Fi network. Once the smart lock is connected to the Wi-Fi, the homeowner will not be able to unlock the door from their door.
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