Smart locks are a hard pass for me after what I’ve seen on jobs. Had a client get stuck outside their own house in the rain because the app crashed—ended up kicking in their own door. Not exactly “smart.” Honestly, most of my customers end up asking me to put in regular deadbolts after a year or two of dealing with glitches.
Only smart thing I’ve seen hold up is those thermostats you can program from your phone. They’re handy if you travel or forget to turn off the heat, but even then, I’d rather just have a simple one with buttons. The more complicated it gets, the more stuff there is to go wrong. Give me switches and keys any day. All this tech feels like it’s solving problems we didn’t really have... and creating new ones.
I get where you’re coming from—nothing’s more frustrating than tech failing when you actually need it. But I’ve been testing out a smart lock for a few months, and honestly, it’s been pretty smooth. There’s a physical key backup (which I double-checked before installing), so if the app or Wi-Fi flakes out, you’re not totally stuck. I like being able to let in guests when I’m not home, too. I do get nervous about glitches, but having a backup plan helps me feel better about it. Maybe it just depends on the brand or setup?
Honestly, I’ve seen a lot of folks run into issues with smart locks, even with the key backup. Sometimes the mechanical part gets jammed or the batteries die at the worst possible moment. I get the appeal—remote access is handy—but I still lean toward traditional deadbolts for reliability. Maybe I’m old school, but when it comes to something as important as your front door, simple often means fewer headaches down the road. That said, if your setup’s working well, that’s great… just don’t toss out your spare keys yet.
I get where you’re coming from. I’ve installed a handful of smart locks over the past couple years—some for my own place, some for friends—and honestly, it’s been a mixed bag. The first one I put in was a “set it and forget it” kind of deal... until the batteries died in the middle of a snowstorm. I was standing on the porch with groceries, pressing buttons like an idiot, and ended up climbing through the back window because I’d left my phone inside too. Learned my lesson real quick: always keep a spare key hidden somewhere that’s not obvious.
Here’s the thing though—after that fiasco, I started treating smart locks like any other device that needs maintenance. Now I swap out the batteries every six months, whether they’re low or not. I also give the mechanical part a shot of graphite lube every so often, just like with regular deadbolts. It’s not foolproof, but it cuts down on the “jammed at 2am” scenarios.
One thing I do like about the smart setup is being able to let in contractors or dog walkers when I’m not home. But I totally get why folks stick to old-school locks. There’s something satisfying about a solid key in your hand, no tech required.
If anyone’s thinking about making the switch, my advice would be: don’t ditch your spare keys and keep up with basic maintenance. Smart doesn’t always mean less work—sometimes it’s just different work. And yeah, sometimes it feels like my house is outsmarting me too... especially when it starts talking to itself at 3am because of some firmware update.
Totally get the “house outsmarting me” vibe—mine once locked me out because the WiFi hiccuped during a firmware update. Ended up sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee, just waiting for the thing to reboot. Felt like I was negotiating with a robot bouncer.
Couple things I’ve learned after installing a bunch of these:
- Always stash a physical key somewhere, but not in the classic fake rock (everyone checks those).
- I keep a set of backup batteries in my car glovebox. Not foolproof, but it’s saved me from a late-night hardware store run.
- If you’re using voice assistants, double-check your privacy settings. My lock once announced “front door unlocked” over the speakers while I was on a work call... not ideal.
Honestly, I still like the convenience, but I agree—maintenance is just different now. Instead of oiling hinges, I’m updating firmware and checking battery levels. Progress, I guess? Still, nothing beats the reliability of a good old-fashioned key when tech decides to take a nap.
