Deadbolts have been around since many centuries ago and used to be one of the most reliable ways of keeping your properties locked in to safety. It is still is the most common type of lock, but people nowadays have more options of keeping their portals of their homes completely locked against unwanted people.
Keyless locks originated in the mid-20th century, when Tor Sørnes patented the first electronic keycard lock. Of course, it was a novel invention at that time, and that paved the way to commercialize keyless and programmable locks. Nowadays, electric and digital locks come with different ways of authentication like PIN codes, passwords or biometrics (such as fingerprint identification).
However, it is quite understandable that a lot of people still prefer traditional deadbolt locks. It won’t be a surprise if they doubt whether or not a keyless lock makes your home safe and secure.
Advantages of a keyless lock:
1. Convenience – The biggest advantage about keyless locks is convenience. You do not have to fumble through the contents of your bag for keys and have to do crazy guesses on which of the keys is the right one for your main door. Just enter the code or password, or place your finger in the fingerprint scanner, and you’re in!
2. High security – Keyless locks are designed differently compared to the traditional locks. With the absence of cylinder mechanisms, keyless locks prevents burglar from committing “lock bumping.” This keeps your residential property more secure.
With a keyless lock system, you can provide entry to everyone in your household at your discretion by providing them the proper code in order to gain access. You do not have to risk losing your keys, have them stolen or make duplicate keys. It also saves you time, money and trouble from re-keying to change out the lock. Many keyless locks are tamper-proof – another great feature which restricts access after a number of failed attempts.
A keyless lock system also allows you to specify when and how people would be able to access your home. This gives your home an added layer of protection and security.
3. Increased durability – Conventional locks wear out over time, which makes them less efficient in keeping your home secured. A doorknob that’s rusting would lose its functionality and would become more difficult for you to lock and unlock.
Keyless locks have enhanced durability compared to traditional locks, as they are made of quality materials and hardware. They won’t experience rust or loose parts.
The growing popularity of touchscreen interfaces has been responsible for the improvement in keyless lock design standards. They are sleek, user-friendly and definitely aesthetically-pleasing.
4. Easy installation – Keyless locks can be installed in a pretty similar way like conventional locks. There are also battery-powered keyless locks which do not require a connection to your home’s power source.
Disadvantages of a keyless lock:
While keyless locks provide a lot of advantages, they have some drawbacks as well:
1. The code or password can be hacked by intruders.
2. If you have some difficulty remembering things, you may forget the code or password and end up getting locked out of your home. Good news, though – there are biometric options (fingerprint scan keyless locks) so that you do not have the trouble of remembering passcodes. More on this later on the article.
3. Keyless locks may not function properly in the event of power outage. This can leave your door permanently locked or leave it open all the time. Fortunately, you can find electricity-run keyless locks with battery backup systems.
What is the best keyless lock option?
Keyless locks are designed to make your life easier and your home more secure. If you want to upgrade your home’s security system, it’s best to go for biometric options such as fingerprint scan keyless locks.
Fingerprints are completely unique to every human individual – even identical twins have fingerprints that are completely different to each other. They make our identity. Therefore, fingerprints cannot be duplicated. With fingerprint scan keyless locks, you don’t need keys, number codes or passwords.
Simply place or swipe your finger across the sensor, which reads your fingerprint. Once the sensor positively identifies your fingerprint, it activates the deadbolt, and you can now open the door. Make sure that you have registered your fingerprint into the system beforehand to improve the sensor’s recognition performance.
Another benefit of fingerprint scan keyless locks is that intruders won’t be able to hack them, increasing your personal safety and home security.
People who have registered their own fingerprints into the system are the only ones to gain access. A single lock can allow up to 20 fingerprints or more.