I hear you on the neighbor key—beats the fake rock trick by a mile. I tried hiding a spare in a “clever” spot once (inside a garden gnome, no less) and my dog dug it up within a week. Not my finest security moment. I’m all for keypad locks, but those batteries always seem to die at the worst possible time. Has anyone tried those Wi-Fi-enabled locks that send battery alerts? I’m curious if they’re worth the extra cash or just another gadget to worry about.
Locked Out Drama—What Would You Do?
Had to laugh at the garden gnome story—reminds me of the time I tried hiding a key in an old birdhouse out back. Thought I was being clever, but a squirrel made off with it. Found the key months later wedged in a tree knot. Nature’s little prankster, I guess.
Living in a house built before electricity was even a thing, I’ve always felt a bit weird about adding too much tech to the doors. But after getting locked out twice last winter (once in slippers, once with wet hair), I caved and got one of those Wi-Fi locks with the battery alerts. Here’s the thing: it does ping my phone when the battery’s low, which is handy, but it also pings me for every firmware update and “suspicious activity” (usually just my neighbor’s cat). Sometimes it feels like more notifications than peace of mind.
On the plus side, not having to juggle keys is pretty great when you’re carrying groceries or wrangling muddy boots. But there’s always that nagging worry—what if the Wi-Fi goes down? Or my phone dies? I still keep a spare key with a neighbor just in case (not in another birdhouse this time).
I guess for me, it’s about finding that balance between old-school backup plans and new gadgets. The tech is convenient, but I wouldn’t trust it as my only line of defense. And honestly, nothing beats knowing your neighbors well enough to ask for help when you’re standing outside in pajamas at 7am...
That’s a pretty solid approach—tech is great until it isn’t, and nothing beats a good neighbor backup. I’ve retrofitted plenty of old doors and honestly, even the best smart lock can’t replace a simple hidden key or a trusted friend nearby. Notifications can get annoying, but at least you’re not standing in the snow with wet hair again... Been there, done that, and it’s never fun. You’ve struck a good balance.
Locked Out Drama—What Would You Do?
Had a similar situation last winter, actually. Upgraded to a fancy keypad lock on my latest flip, thinking it’d solve everything. First cold snap, the batteries died and I was stuck outside with a bag of groceries and no way in. Ended up climbing through a basement window—definitely not my proudest moment, but it worked. After that, I started stashing a key in one of those fake rocks out back. Not high-tech, but at least it doesn’t freeze up or run out of juice.
I get the appeal of smart locks and all the notifications, but honestly, nothing beats having a low-tech backup. Tech’s great until it decides to quit on you at the worst possible time. I’ll take a hidden key or a neighbor with a spare any day over another wrestling match with dead batteries in the snow.
Tech’s great until it decides to quit on you at the worst possible time.
That’s the truth. I’ve been burned by “smart” locks more than once—one time the app glitched and locked me out while my dog watched from the window, looking way too amused. Since then, I always keep a spare key in a magnetic box under the grill. Not glamorous, but it beats crawling through shrubbery or explaining to the neighbors why I’m scaling my own fence. Sometimes old-school just works better, especially when your hands are full of groceries and your patience is running thin.
