"Learned that the hard way after getting locked out during a storm... not fun."
Yikes, getting locked out during a storm sounds rough. I started stashing spare batteries in my hallway cabinet after a similar scare—easy access without cluttering up the kitchen drawers. Saved me once already, thankfully.
Totally agree with keeping spare batteries handy—smart move. A couple extra tips from my own experience:
- Keep a physical backup key hidden somewhere outside (in a secure spot, obviously). Smart locks are great, but tech glitches and power outages happen more often than you'd think.
- Check if your lock has an emergency power contact. Mine has two tiny metal contacts at the bottom; you can hold a 9V battery against them to temporarily power it up if the internal batteries die. Saved me once when I ignored the low-battery warnings for too long...
- Also, consider enabling notifications on your phone app. I set mine up to alert me when battery life dips below 20%—gives plenty of heads-up before things get dicey.
Learned most of this the hard way during a late-night lockout myself. Not fun at all, especially in bad weather.
Good tips, especially the 9V battery trick—wish I'd known that sooner. Last year I installed a smart lock for a client who insisted he didn't need a physical backup key. Sure enough, two months later, he called me at midnight in pouring rain because the batteries died and he couldn't get in. Ended up having to drill out the lock...not exactly ideal. Ever since then, I always strongly recommend clients keep a hidden physical key somewhere as a fail-safe. Tech is great until it isn't.
Totally agree about having a physical backup. When we renovated our place, I was all excited about going fully smart-home—locks, lights, everything. But after reading some horror stories (like yours!), I decided to stash a spare key in the garden just in case. Tech glitches always seem to happen at the worst possible moment...usually when it's dark and raining, right? Better safe than sorry, even if it feels a bit old-school.
I get the appeal of going fully smart-home, but honestly, I've seen enough renovations to know tech isn't foolproof. Had a client whose smart lock decided to update itself mid-day...locked him out for hours. Physical backups aren't old-school, they're just good sense.