When you buy a new car it comes with electronic locks. In fact, when you a buy a used car it also usually comes with electronic locks. You’d really have to get into a car from the late 90’s to return to a world of manual locks in cars.
But what is standard in a car is certainly not standard in a home or even office. Electronic locks are becoming increasingly popular though they still have not quite caught on.
In this post we go through the advantages and disadvantages of installing electronic locks in your home or place of work. There are of course a good variety of electronic locks. Therefore some of these advantages and disadvantages vary slightly based on which type of electronic lock we’re talking about.
Advantages of electronic locks
- You can never lose the key! The number one reason that people get locked out of their home is because they lose the key. Or it gets stolen or misplaced. Mechanical and hardware failure occurs, but that’s generally not the cause of lockouts. Since you never have to worry about losing a key, you don’t need to worry about lock outs.
- Another huge advantage is for children and people doing outdoor exercise. Children lose things. That’s just the way life is. But with an electronic lock, there is nothing for them to lose. People who leave the house for a walk, jog, bike ride or other local outdoor activity tend to have key issues as well. They forgot to bring the key with them. Or it fell out of a pocket. Either way, with an electronic lock this is not a concern.
- Many of these locks have an automatic locking mechanism. So if you forget to lock the door, it locks on its own. One of the greatest vulnerabilities for home security is human error. This by and large solves that problem. Even if you forget to lock the door, you are none the less covered.
- Electronic locks are less vulnerable lock picks and burglars than are mechanical locks. This is for a number of reasons. First, they look more secure and intimidating than regular mechanical locks. Therefore the average burglar passes them up for easier targets. Second, they really are more secure. Depending on what type of lock is used, they generally cannot be picked like mechanical locks, and therefore a burglar has less of an ability to gain access.
Disadvantages
- Electronic locks are more expensive than mechanical locks. There’s more technology packed into the lock which raises the sticker price.
- Servicing these locks can be more of a challenge than mechanical locks. While locksmiths are knowledgeable in all the different components of mechanical locks, that is not always the case with electronic locks. Many locksmiths can in fact trouble shoot and fix electronic locks, but not always. Sometimes damage to electronic components is not be fixable.
- People can forget the combination or password. Not sure which is more likely, losing a key or forgetting a combination!
- Some locks, especially those connected to wifi, can be hacked. However, a person who has the ability to hack into your electronic lock could also hack into your home wifi or cell phone. So if you’re so worried about your locks, then you should likewise worry about these other devises.
Electronic locks provide much opportunity in the world of home and office security, much of which has not yet been tapped. There are advantages and disadvantages, and like all new technologies, consumers should educate themselves to find what is best for them,
For more information about electronic locks, give us a call at 843.608.115 or contact us here, and we are happy to help.