Smart lock to home front door.

Caporegime
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Norrbotten, Sweden.
I'm about to take offers from some firms to change a few windows and front door.

My house is getting fairly smart now with pretty much just heating and door locks to go, but I'm very hesitant about making the step to a smart lock system, though now would be the time.

Anyone here have one/use one? Preferably working with Google home/nest system.

How they work ideally with some kind of NFC or... Tbh I don't know. I assume voice commands are out of the question :p

Maybe smart locks are just not worth it in the big scheme of convenience?
 
Caporegime
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Smart locks are still very much terrible.

We used one at an air BnB in Vancouver and it worked maybe one in 3-5 attempts. I don't know if it was low battery issue. But we figured out you had to fiddle with the lock a bit then it would work first time usually but not always.

Again all YouTube videos on them say they are crap after having them for a while.

Personally I'd wait another 5-10 years the market and the tech isn't there.


Personally I'd say get a pin door lock like the types used in commercial properties. So staff can get in but customers not.

They are tried and tested and been around for several decades.

You don't need a key just type the pin and open the door. It automatically locks when shut. A much better system for now.
 
Soldato
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Bourne, Lincs
I know there was some info on the smart locks being sold did not conform to some British standard so basically invalidated your home insurance, so make sure you check that.

The one I was looking at was the Yale one, worked with wifi, zigbee with the right module or stand alone.
 
Soldato
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We've had Ultion locks for several years, a local locksmith recommended them to us when I wanted to change the locks.

We've also got the rest of the house keyed the same so we can open the front door, french doors, bifolds & shed padlock using the same key. It's very convenient though if for whatever reason we need to change the locks in the future we'll need to each all the locks replaced which won't be cheap.
 
Soldato
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Norfolk, South Scotland
The Ultion has a turn-latch on the inside. That means you literally don't need a key to get into it. Just a letterbox tool. In fact given that it appears to be motorised, a bent coat hanger would probably nudge it over to start moving and get you in.

And the problem with the £2000 anti-snap guarantee is that locksmith tool manufacturers immediately went out and made decoders for Ultions. So they're about as secure as a hooking a latch on your garden gate. It's literally 20-30 seconds to decode them and adjust the skeleton key that opens them. They made the centre of the lock very strong so you couldn't snap it, but as soon as they did that people just looked at the rest of the lock to gain entry. And it has plenty of vulnerabilities.

And anyone with a decent set of flag rakes can still rake them open. It just takes a bit longer.

I suppose if you really want a smart-lock, knock yourself out. Just don't be fooled into thinking a lock with a turn latch on it is in any way secure.
 
Soldato
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Has anyone come across any waterproof ones? I'd like one for a side gate that has access to the rear garden - less focus on the "secure" aspect, and more for the convenience as the locks are only on the back of the gate. Which means i have to go out of the gate in order to come back in, whereas i'd like to be able to go out of the front door and use the side gate when needed.
 
Soldato
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Has anyone come across any waterproof ones? I'd like one for a side gate that has access to the rear garden - less focus on the "secure" aspect, and more for the convenience as the locks are only on the back of the gate. Which means i have to go out of the gate in order to come back in, whereas i'd like to be able to go out of the front door and use the side gate when needed.

Magnetic lock is your best option. Cheap, waterproof and robust. You will need power from somewhere though.
 
Soldato
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Burg TSE.

had it for many years and works really well.

got a bold lock in one of my other houses. Works quite well but you have to have your phone with you.
 
Associate
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Most of the high end doors (I mean high end not Solidor) tend to be fitted with electric deadbolts or electric striker plates as they are far more secure than a smart lock. These are or can be wired to a smart module for release. The preference is a striker plate as these can fail secure in the event of a power cut and still be opened by a conventional key. Electric deadbolts need to fail safe on a domestic premises (otherwise you cant open the door in the event of power failure).

The Ultion smart lock is pretty big and chunky in real life and is not to everyone's taste. Many of the smart locks are from the US where multipoint locking mechanisms havent even been heard of, they rely on simple deadbolts, so the majority of smart locks dont work with multipoint mechanisms. Of the ones that do, there is only one on the market that can raise the handle to engage the multipoint locks, that relies on a spring loading system.

Personally I wouldnt fit a smart lock to my premises.

Competition lockpickers like the LPL may make it look really easy to pick locks like Euro cylinders in reality its not that easy without hours of practice, that is why locksmiths make decoders, because if picking were that easy, they would do it in seconds. Its also why most locksmiths main lockpick is an 18v Dewalt drill and some hardened HSS Drill bits, not a set of rakes and a tension lever.
 
Caporegime
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Smart locks are not for me personally.
I'd consider them as I do have access to back of the house. But I'd never fit without this.

Also there always seems to some easy solution to get in

That one linked earlier looked like you just had to nudge the turn handle with a coat hanger to open it.
I guess you'd need to know it was that type of lock from outside though. No letter box would also work.

But really not for me
 
Soldato
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Sunny Scotland
lockpickers like the LPL may make it look really easy to pick locks like Euro cylinders in reality its not that easy without hours of practice

I used to think so and after practising doing a few padlocks and cylinders was able to pick my new high security 3 star euro cylinder while mucking about in about 5 minutes. Was a proper what the moment.

To be totally fair to it. I have not managed it again in under 10 minutes of mucking about but still..
 
Soldato
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Norfolk, South Scotland
Personally I wouldnt fit a smart lock to my premises.

I couldn’t agree more. Even more so in this case because it actually leaves the key in the lock so you can turn it. That’s like an invitation to come on in. And it has a beautifully massive handle for a ‘helping hand’ letterbox tool to grip onto.

Competition lockpickers like the LPL may make it look really easy to pick locks like Euro cylinders in reality its not that easy without hours of practice, that is why locksmiths make decoders, because if picking were that easy, they would do it in seconds. Its also why most locksmiths main lockpick is an 18v Dewalt drill and some hardened HSS Drill bits, not a set of rakes and a tension lever.

Most locksmiths can rake a Eurocylinder very quickly. Generally they just go straight for the pick gun in those cases and all the high security locks like Ultion have decoders available now. Even the ones with magnetic pins. The better locks are absolute barstewards to drill with ball-bearings and all sorts embedded in the pinways that just spin against a drill bit. It’s actually easier to snap an Ultion than to drill it (I know they’re supposedly snap-proof, I should claim the reward more often!)
 
Associate
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I'll be honest, i don't see much point in high quality locks (even less for smart locks for that matter, i'm a cynic against this and push button start for security), as long as it deters an opportunistic theft (ie they pull the handle and the door doesn't open) then its job is done. Most people looking to rob you will just brick a window or french door, look around a few mins and be gone. They aren't going to spend minutes drilling the core, or minutes to pick it.

If you've got some £10m diamonds in the house then sure, get the mega 9000 ultra omegatron lock, and then get 5 others and hope the lockpicker doesn't have a pick gun for all of them but i expect you to also have the house setup like a jail with bars on every window, ram proof doors, alarm systems for openings and rooms etc.
 
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