Your home can never be too secure, especially if you have a smart home, so don’t believe the myth that smart homes are difficult to install or maintain. Plus, there are plenty of easy smart home upgrades for beginners. Smart locks are a potential option, but people might wonder if they are more secure than traditional locks. Well, yes and no.
At their core, smart locks are just electronic deadbolts. Many have keypads like those seen on high-tech safes in shows and movies, while others can be unlocked with your phone. Some of the best smart locks you can buy also have fingerprint scanning technology and bundle several of these features, along with physical keyholes for backup.
Assuming you buy a smart lock that doesn’t require a key, you no longer have to worry about being locked out if you lose that key. You have to remember a code and, with some smart locks, make sure your phone has enough charge to connect. Unlike regular locks, you can change the code as needed, instead of calling a locksmith if you misplace the keys. And if you’re expecting guests, they can enter with a shared password. No more hiding keys under rocks for burglars to discover. But that doesn’t mean smart locks are foolproof.
Just because a lock can’t be picked doesn’t mean it can’t be hacked.
Smart locks that lack an opening to insert a pick mean that potential intruders can’t break in through traditional means, and those that include keyholes usually contain safeguards that prevent this. Built-in safeties, such as a feature that locks someone out if they enter the wrong code too many times, are also commonly included. However, this does not mean that smart locks are more secure than standard door locks; it’s just another type of security.
Let’s start with the most obvious flaw in smart locks: the code used to unlock the device. Normally only you know this series of numbers, but invaders can figure it out if they are smart or very lucky. If, for example, someone’s phone or email account is compromised and they receive a message with the door code, a hacker will obtain the metaphorical keys to your kingdom. And if you tend to reuse your passwords and PINs, a hacker could guess your smart lock combination based on information found in data breaches.
While many smart lock manufacturers claim their devices are virtually unhackable due to connection-hiding encryption, if a hacker gains access to your router through malware or a connected device, they could bypass this lock. By taking precautions to protect your smart home from hackers, such as using multi-factor authentication and a local network, you make it even more difficult for someone else to open your smart locks remotely. That said, reported cases of smart home hacking for petty theft are rare.
