How long do homeowners say smart locks last?

Smart locks are definitely one of the essential smart home gadgets that you should use as they provide more security and convenience to your home. Smart locks are one of the best smart home gadgets for minimalists because they eliminate the need to carry keys around, but they’re great devices for anyone worried about losing their keys or being locked out of their home. However, a question that often comes up about smart locks is how long they last. So we turned to real users to find out how long people say these devices last.

While your personal mileage may vary, most online users say their smart locks last about five years on average. Some last longer, but the five-year lifespan is most commonly cited. For example, one Reddit user said you should expect to get five to eight years from a reputable manufacturer, citing more fragile electrical components as the reason for their failure. It is important to emphasize that this is not a rule. There’s always a chance you’ll run into a lemon, even if you opt for what smart lock experts consider to be the best.

Unfortunately, much to everyone’s shock and horror, electronics can fail at any time without warning. In discussions about smart locks, there are stories of even the best smart locks failing. It worked perfectly for three years, but after the internal electronics failed, the user found that their batteries were losing charge after just a few days. Given that most owners agree that batteries last about six months, this might be considered a total failure, but it’s not uncommon for smart gadgets.

Besides the battery, it is worth mentioning that a warped door could cause your smart lock to break. Erasmus127, on Reddit, claims to be a door hardware specialist, warning that doors and door frames have a habit of contracting and expanding from heat. Therefore, if the door is not aligned, it could break the automatic bolt of the lock. Alternatively, if the micro-servo stalls, the firmware could detect the problem and continue to press the bolt, triggering software errors or draining the battery. However, most smart lock users never experience this particular problem and instead complain about surprise, undisclosed failures – not the bolt breaking.

If you go by the lifespan of smart locks according to homeowners, you’ll get about five years of use if you’re lucky. You’ll also be able to do semi-frequent battery changes or charges if you have rechargeable models. As previously noted, smart lock batteries can hold six to 12 months of juice. Of course, it all depends on the model and how often you open and close the door. In most cases, your hands are tied, usually.

It’s common knowledge (many users confirm this) that Wi-Fi models can drain batteries faster than Bluetooth versions. If you’re unfortunately stuck with a dead battery, it’s worth checking the quality of your Wi-Fi connection. One user says that signal strength is absolutely important and recommends placing a Wi-Fi repeater near the door and turning off auto-lock (although this somewhat defeats the purpose of using a smart lock).

The battery dying and getting stuck outside is on your list of horror scenarios you never want to experience, and it’s a pretty common concern. Therefore, most locks will send you an alert when the battery is low. Various smart locks (including a $70 smart lock from Amazon) come with a physical key that you can use to bypass the lock manually.