As technology continues to advance to the point of mundanity, people now see technological advancements not only in their gadgets and vehicles but in their very homes as well. With homeowners wanting to turn their house into a smart home, a digital lock is perhaps the more popular feature of a smart home. Nevertheless, just like any piece of technology, you will begin to see the pros and cons of using digital door locks.
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But first, what is a digital lock?
From the word digital, this technology veers away from the typical lock-and-key to lock and unlock doors and instead uses a touchpad or even a phone application.
As of now, in terms of residential technology, digital locks have been one of the more popular gadgets. According to Grandview Report, the global market for digital locks is expected hit 24 billion dollars by 2024. With the demand forecasted to increase further, even more, digital lock variations will be provided and sold.
As a homeowner, there are a lot of factors when considering replacing deadbolts with touchscreens. One might think that if a door can keep you secure, that is all one might need, right? Perhaps other factors include budget, convenience, and even preference.
Hence, before deciding if a digital door lock is the next best gadget or something you can live without, this article will list the different pros and cons of digital door locks.
Pros of Using a Digital Door Lock
The following points explain what makes digital door locks advantageous to the homeowner.
1. Keyless Usage
As mentioned above, the mechanism of a digital door lock works with a touchpad, fingerprint, or a smartphone app. That means that you do not need to reach for your pocket, search around your bag, or bobble with your keychain just to enter or lock a room. From a single swipe from your phone, a touch from your preferred finger, or by inputting your code, you can access your door now.
What makes some digital doors flexible for use is that some still contain keyholes if you need to enter through the door the traditional way.
2. All Under Control
If you live in a condominium and you are expecting guests, you can give them a special code that will expire within the day to provide them access to the door without you coming to the door to open it for them.
One special feature of this digital door lock is the ability to control who enters and exits through the door. All you must do is wait for the code to expire or renew it easily.
3. At the Tip of Your Fingers (Literally)
To build off the prior point of this article, your control of the smart door is literally at the tip of your fingers. You can use your fingers to input the passcode or use your fingerprint to scan, but more importantly, your smartphone becomes your best friend in controlling the smart door.
From anywhere and anytime in the world, you can lock/unlock a door and change the passcode. Moreover, you can use the home app of your phone to connect the door with other appliances of your house (ex. Opening the lights when the door is opened).
4. Modern Aesthetic
Nothing makes a house more 21st century than having doors digitally locked. Regardless of what digital door lock you get, it is guaranteed to look modern, trendy, and high-tech. Just make sure it blends well with your house.
You will know it’s a smart door if it has flashy lights, metallic designs, and technology on it like a finger scanner or touchpad.
Cons of a Digital Door Lock
Like anything, from the pros and cons of digital door locks, the following points show either why one must not go smart with digital doors or what one must be cautious of if ever one decides to install smart doors in one’s house.
1. Extra Expense
Technology always comes with a price to pay due to the convenience it provides.
A digital door lock is typically priced from PHP 7500 to PHP 15000. This is a sizeable increase from a regular door whose lock costs around PHP 500 to PHP 1000.
Buying the door is only the first step as you will need to pay for installation and possibly repair.
A regular door should be cheap and easy to install and repair in your condominium. However, for expensive pieces of technology, the cost should be considerably more expensive. The price may also vary depending on the other installments or repairs needed (ex. connecting with a smartphone, pairing with other smart furniture, etc.)
2. Threat of Bypass
Using a high-tech door lock does not exempt it from being broken. There are many ways one can bypass the lock of the door and trespass.
One, if the smart lock still contains a keyhole, the trespasser can pick the lock with classic equipment. Two, the trespasser can hack into the smart home system, override the entry code and unlock the door. Thankfully, newer smart home devices will notify you if you are experiencing a cyber-attack.
3. Reliance on Phone and Connection
Digital door locks operate by using Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to communicate with your phone. Often, you can only lock or unlock your smart door with your phone connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Therefore, if your phone has been stolen or you lose it, you might get locked out.
In addition to this, if there is a power outage, leading to your Wi-Fi shutting down, you will not be able to use your phone to control your door.
Lastly, these things have a battery, so it is imperative to keep track of their battery life and charge it to avoid the inconvenience of it running out of battery and being unable to use their smart features.
4. Forgetfulness
If in the old days, you might forget your keys, in the new era of information, you might be forgetting your PIN this time.
While smart home applications allow you to change your PIN, it becomes an added hassle to constantly change your PIN just to enter your home or room.
Is it Worth It?
At the end of the day, it becomes a matter of preference.
When it comes to the pros and cons of digital door locks, sure, it resolves many problems people used to experience when it came to the traditional door. It comes with the convenience of using connectivity and technology to live in this present fast-paced lifestyle.
However, this is going to cost you some extra money. Also, perhaps you might think that the extra cost is not worth it because you’re an old-fashioned guy that does not believe in technology. Maybe you believe that your house is already secure. Or the features of a smart lack did not reach your expectation of it.
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That is why smart doors do somehow provide you with more security and convenience. But, considering this is a new trend, people need time to understand it more and the smart locks themselves need to evolve as well.
Despite the long lists of the pros and cons of a digital door lock, safety and security remain the most important indicators of what you need in a door.
