I am all about making my life as simple as possible, which means that I find and use tools that allow me to free up my time and mind. I am the type of person who worries about things and second guess myself.
There have been a few times when I forgot to lock the front door because I think it has become an automatic habit, and I assume I have done it. For those times, when I am unsure if I did lock the door, I worry and stress.
When I came across smart door locks, I was convinced that I need this in my home. I love the idea that I can check to see if my door is locked. If you’re like me, and this sounds like you, then owning a smart door lock could be the best thing for you to add security to your home and provide you with peace of mind.
It’s typically worrisome for me when I head out for vacation, and all I can think about for the majority of the time is if the door was left unlocked. Having this constant worry while I am supposed to be relaxing is one of the reasons why I use a smart door lock.
Aside from this reason, there are several others which we’ll go through. Consider these reasons when you’re thinking about purchasing your smart lock.
Added Security
Smart locks add security to your home because you can monitor the lock from your smart device. You will also receive notifications if there is activity.
To add more security, you can pair your smart lock with your video doorbell or other security monitoring systems you have in your home.
Best smart locks for security:
No need for a key
I enjoy having the freedom of not carrying around too many items. I am the type of woman who does not carry around a large purse, and if I can get away with not carrying one at all, then it is even better.
I do not have another key to carry around, and the fact that I don’t have to dig through my purse to find it is a benefit. I can either punch in a code or use my smartphone to unlock the door.
It is especially helpful when I do groceries or any form of shopping, and I am carrying multiple bags. I don’t have to fumble around to try to find a key to unlock the door.
Not needing a key also adds a little more time to my life, because I don’t have to run back into the house to find the house key if I forgot to grab it on the way out.
No need to lock the door
I’m sure this is not the best reason to convince you to purchase a smart lock; it definitely should not be the only reason you buy one. What has been very helpful for me and has made my life simpler is the ease that when I have family coming over, and they leave the house, they can see themselves out.
Now, I’m not a rude hostess, but my family lives close by, and sometimes they pop in to grab things from me. So, if I am working or in meetings, and I am unable to see them out, it’s very convenient. Having the ease that they can let themselves out and lock the door behind them is very helpful.
They enjoy it too; for those times they sleepover, they let themselves out when ready to head home, and there is no need to wake me up if I decide to sleep in that day.
Monitoring and receiving alerts
I already mentioned briefly, that you can receive alerts on your device. You can keep an eye out for who is entering and leaving your home, especially if you have a large family.
For parents, I am sure this will give you peace of mind. You can receive alerts when your kids leave or when they arrive home from school.
Best smart locks for giving alerts:
Auto-locking
Many smart locks allow you to set a time for it to lock if it senses that the door is closed, but the lock is not enabled. Then a smart door lock will be able to lock your door automatically.
As someone who is on the go, this is a fantastic feature to have. There have been many times when I leave in a rush, and I forget to lock up behind me. Or, I have many things to carry in my hand, and having this feature gives me peace of mind, knowing that my door will be locked.
Best smart locks for auto-locking:
Provide access to other people
One of my favorite features is being able to give access to someone else to unlock my door, so they can enter my home without me being there.
It is especially helpful when I am on vacation, and I need someone to water my plants or bring the mail into my home.
Getting services done at your home, such as cleaning services, allows you to remotely unlock the door or provide them with a passcode to enter instead of having to be there to open the door or giving them a key.
When you give someone access to enter your home, you can set it, so they have limited access. You can set a specific day and time for them to access the lock, and you can check through the app when your door has been opened and by whom.
If you are expecting an important delivery that will be dropped off but you are not home, you can open the door for the delivery person so they can slip it in. Now, I highly advise that since they are strangers, you take precautions. I would allow a drop-off only in an area that does not directly give the delivery person access inside your home, and I would use a mudroom or outdoor shed where they can leave your items. I highly recommend pairing this with a security alarm, video doorbell, etc.
Allowing others to enter your home is a significant risk, so make sure you do everything you can to ensure the security of your home and family.
Best smart locks compatible with giving access to others/amazon:
Great for your rental units
If you have a rental unit, especially if you run an Airbnb, then having a smart lock is something you should seriously consider.
Using one for your rental gives you peace of mind and makes life so much easier. When managing an Airbnb rental unit, makes things run smoothly, it saves you time, and the logistics of running your unit(s) are easy.
Before switching over to smart locks, first, we were meeting with the renters to give them a copy of the key, and then we tried using lockboxes to store the key and provide them with the code.
There are a few issues with doing things this way. One is your time. You would be going to your rental unit regularly to ensure that you provide keys or make sure that renters close the lockbox properly, and the key is inside.
When switching over to a smart lock, takes away all that worry and frees up your time. You don’t have to worry about the tenant losing the key because they would have to punch in a pin/passcode, and they are always able to access the unit with ease.
Plus, you can manage rental units which aren’t so close to where you live effectively and make more money.
You can also see when they checked in and set a time when they have access to the door using the app.
You don’t have to worry about having to set up a time and schedule your entire day to meet with the customer to hand over the keys. And you can always make sure that the door is locked, and if it isn’t, you can remotely lock it.
Having a smart door lock for running our AirBnb business saves us lots of time and money.
Conclusion
Although I have given you ample reasons why you should use a smart lock, please be very cautious about your security. Your security is the most important thing.
There are also reasons why you should not purchase a smart lock, so you should determine for yourself if the reasons for owning one are of importance to you.
Many people have mentioned that it could be easy to hack your smart lock. The way I look at it is that if someone wants to break into your house, they will find a way to do so. I do not live my life feeling scared or insecure. I want to live it in a way that is simple, easy, and fun. But, of course, I do not put myself in harm’s way intentionally or ignorantly. I am aware of things and do my best to ensure my safety and security, as should you.
If you are renting out a unit or a room, then smart locks will help you run your business better; you’ll have more revenue, more time, and more peace of mind.
