Keyless, Wireless Home Door Locks: An Open Invitation for Thefts?

Keyless locks are the wave of the future for home improvement and security, but these novel inventions leave a lot of questions. Are wireless home door locks really more secure than a traditional lock and key, or do they actually create a new vulnerability by opening your home to criminals with more brains than brawn to intrude via a hack than use physical force?

How Keyless Door Locks Work

Keyless door locks can work in different ways, giving homeowners ample choices in this area. UniKey uses a unique transaction between your phone and the lock and relies on a public-key infrastructure to authenticate each user. Since the transaction is unique every time, it’s more difficult to hack.

Lockiron uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to communicate with your phone. This allows you to unlock the door remotely and enables the lock to send you notifications when someone enters the house. Goji is another Wi-Fi and Bluetooth solution. This futuristic option looks as innovative as it is, giving your door a distinctly different appearance. You can unlock Goji with a key fob or issue digital keys remotely.

August uses Bluetooth as well, but this lock never connects with the company’s server or the Internet. Instead, authentication comes exclusively through the app.

Advantages of Keyless Locks

Keyless door locks offer ample security with some added benefits that you won’t enjoy with a traditional lock. Depending on the system, this may include:

• No physical key that you can lose
• No need to hide a physical spare on site thanks to remote digital keys
• The ability to track who comes in and out of the house
• Digital keys you can change remotely so you can revoke privileges even if someone doesn’t return a physical key

Disadvantages of Keyless Locks

Keyless locks have a high-tech air that can make them seem impenetrable. However, it’s not impossible for a criminal to gain access to your home. Further, you could lose access to your home as well if you experience a power outage or your Wi-Fi is down, depending on the system. It’s difficult to hack into a keyless door lock but not impossible.

If you’re using a keyless system to protect your home, you need to make sure it’s updated. Blacklisted keys could still let an unwanted visitor into the house if the lock or the app didn’t update correctly.

Choosing the Right System

Taking all considerations into account, keyless door locks are no more or less secure than traditional options. With any system, criminals can simply smash a window or gain access through force. While someone could potentially hack a keyless lock, they can also pick a traditional one. If you’re interested in a system that provides perks like remote entry or a camera on the lock, a keyless system could work very well for you.

Don’t expect a keyless door lock to be a fool-proof option, but do consider this upgrade if you’re looking for a door lock with some added features and functionality.