Keyless entry systems, also known by many as an electronic lock, have grown in popularity as the technology behind them improves. If you’re new to this idea or considering making the switch for your Fort McMurray home, here are some pros and cons to consider before making the switch.

Pros of a Keyless Entry System for Your Home

Electronic locks offer some great benefits that a traditional lock just can’t compete with. While we’ll get into some cons later, here are the reasons why you may want to consider having at least one electronic lock at your home:

1 – No More Hiding a Key Under the Mat

If you’ve ever had to find an inconspicuous rock, window ledge, or welcome mat to hide a key under, you know the bizarre feeling that leaves you with. Well, with a keyless entry system installed by yourself or the team at Fort McMurray Locksmith, you can safely give out a permanent or temporary code for a number of purposes.

Here are some of the best uses that having a keyless entry system provides over traditional methods:

No more hiding a key under the mat
You can stop relying on the garage door pin code entry system having a fresh battery
Dogsitters, housesitters, home service techs can all use a temporary code for easy access and locking up after they leave
Family members that forget their key no longer have to wait or find another way in
Losing your keys no longer becomes as big of a deal

2 – Benefits of a Smart Lock

Some electronic locks go beyond just the keyless entry and also include some Bluetooth technologies to link up with your smartphone or Smart Home systems. By using these options, you could unlock or lock your home remotely on an app, monitor who comes and goes from the house, and even record video of people approaching the door.

3 – It’s Convenient

When you use a keyless entry system, there should be no real security difference from a standard deadbolt. As long as you’re careful and regularly update your lock with new codes and delete old ones (especially if others have them), you should see no real drop in security at your home. That said, you do stand to gain quite a bit in terms of convenience. Anyone that’s fumbled for the keys in the dark while carrying groceries in can attest that a lit-up keypad that takes only one finger to operate sounds pretty nice.

Cons of Electronic Locks

If the above sounds pretty good to you, know that you’re not alone. It’s expected that the keyless entry market will rise to over 8-billion dollars by 2026. So, why would you not want to jump on board and go with an electronic lock? Here are a few reasons why you may want to either approach this technology carefully or avoid it altogether.

1 – Remembering Codes

While remembering a 4-digit code once is probably no big deal for you and your family, remember that you will have to pretty regularly change your lock’s entry code. For starters, the buttons will eventually show signs of use, so a single code will only last so long before the numbers used in it will become obvious. Additionally, you’ll likely want to give your code out to people outside of the family that need access to the home, such as plumbers, electricians, carpet cleaners, etc. In any case, your electronic lock is only as good as your memory. Also, while most electronic locks work with a standard key, it’s often much more difficult to operate manually than a standard deadbolt, which can be quite annoying to deal with whenever you have to. Couple that together with the tendency for homeowners to stop carrying or forget their house keys after relying on electronic locks for a while, and you have a recipe for calling a locksmith more often with a lock that is supposed to prevent that altogether.

2 – Technology Failures

A call we receive with increasing frequency at Fort McMurray Locksmith these days is one from homeowners that have trouble with their keyless entry systems. This can come in many forms, such as:

User error, such as forgetting the code or entering the wrong code too many times
Lock failure, such as buttons going out or the system generally failing (as electronics are known to do)
Power failure, including a general power outage for the rare hardwired locking system or, more commonly, a dead battery within the lock itself.

In any case, when your lock stops working, it can be a frustrating experience that often only a house key, alternative entry point, or locksmith can remedy.

3 – They Aren’t Cheap

Everything about an electronic lock screams cost from day one. For starters, a keyless entry system can cost anywhere from three to ten, or even fifteen, times more than a standard deadbolt. The difference between a good deadbolt and a Smart lock can literally be hundreds of dollars. And, since electronics are involved, the lifespan of your electronic lock will almost certainly be far less than you would expect to receive from a manual deadbolt. For this reason alone, many homeowners are either hesitant to purchase a keyless entry system or end up retrofitting back to a standard deadbolt after owning one.

Pros & Cons of Electronic Locks for Your Home