Yeah, I get where you’re coming from. The appeal of smart locks is real—remote access, temporary codes, all that. But the battery thing is a legit concern, especially if you’re not there to keep an eye on it. I had a similar issue with a rental; lock went dead during a snowstorm, and the backup key was with a neighbor who’d left town. Ended up waiting for a locksmith in the cold. Not fun.
Mechanical keypads aren’t perfect either, but at least you don’t have to worry about batteries or app glitches. I do think they make more sense for rentals or places you’re not at all the time. For my main place, I still like the convenience of a smart lock, but I’m pretty obsessive about swapping out batteries every few months—maybe overkill, but it beats getting locked out.
Guess it comes down to how much you trust tech to behave when you’re not around. For flips or rentals, I’d stick with simple too.
I totally get the paranoia about batteries dying at the worst possible time. I’ve had a smart lock on one of my rentals, and even with reminders, tenants sometimes ignore the low-battery alerts. That’s a headache I’d rather avoid, especially if I’m managing from a distance. For my own place, though, I’m with you—the convenience is hard to beat, and I just swap batteries on a schedule. Have you ever tried any of those hybrid locks that have both a keypad and a physical key override? Curious if they’re actually more reliable or just another thing to go wrong...
Have you ever tried any of those hybrid locks that have both a keypad and a physical key override? Curious if they’re actually more reliable or just another thing to go wrong...
I’ve put in a couple of those hybrid locks during my last reno. Honestly, the key override is a lifesaver if the batteries die or the keypad glitches. Haven’t had any issues with the key part failing—at least, not yet. It’s one more moving part, sure, but I’d rather have a backup than risk getting locked out. Just gotta remember where you stash the spare key...
Just gotta remember where you stash the spare key...
That’s the tricky part, isn’t it? I’ve installed a few of these hybrids myself, and I agree—the key override is a solid backup. Here’s what I usually do to keep things running smooth:
1. Change out the batteries every 6-8 months, even if they’re not dead yet. Most keypads will start acting up before they totally die, but I don’t like leaving it to chance.
2. Test the key override every couple months. Locks can get sticky if you never use the key, especially if there’s humidity or dust.
3. For the spare key, I avoid the classic “under the mat” move. I’ve got a little lockbox hidden in the shed. Out of sight, but not impossible to get to if I’m locked out.
Honestly, I’d rather have a mechanical backup than trust an app or WiFi. The only downside is, yeah, it’s one more thing that could break... but so far, no issues. I’d say reliability comes down to regular maintenance more than the design itself.
Honestly, I’ve had tenants call me at 2am because the batteries died and they didn’t know about the key override. Learned the hard way to tape a tiny note inside the utility closet with “spare key in lockbox by grill.” Not the most elegant system, but it beats getting a locksmith out. I’m with you—apps are great until your phone’s dead or the WiFi’s down. Mechanical backup is king, even if it’s old school.
