Smart Locks Vs Traditional Locks How They Works, Looks And Security

Smart Vs Traditional Locks

Let’s face it; every home needs locks regardless of other types of security tech available to us. Many people tend to overlook the significance of high-quality locks until those times when they’ll need to lock their homes or offices to prevent unauthorized access. Leaving your home unlocked is the surest way to invite strangers and burglars to plunder, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want to experience that. So, if you value privacy and belongings, you’ll want to get an idea of the lock that’s right for you.

For the most part, the lock industry has witnessed some significant changes that have made security stronger and more reliable. The good thing is, technology have also shown itself strong in the lock industry as it has developed locks that are smart and functional. The primary goal of smart locks is to allow homeowners do more than they could with traditional locks. In other words, they give homeowners the opportunity to do more with less work.

Now the big question is “are smart locks better than traditional locks?” which of them is more secure for your home or office? Well, we can’t provide relevant answers to these questions without taking an in-depth look at their functions and characteristics. From this point, we’re going explore each of these locks so you can learn more about their differences and choose the one that works for you and your household. Sounds good? Let’s get to it!

What is a Traditional Lock?

For starters, traditional locks are the regular locks you use in your home or the ones you see at different places that value privacy and security. For the most part, traditional locks are locks that require you to engage the locking mechanism manually. In other words, the locks are not automated — your hands will need to do some twisting and turning to get the job done.

Traditional locks typically come in a number of variations including deadbolt locks, mortise lock, knob locks among other variations. One thing these variations have in common is that you’ll need to do some twisting and turning to engage or disengage the locking mechanism. Some of them can also be operated by the push of a button. The bottom line is, the locks need to be operated manually to keep your home or office secure.

How Do they Work?

Most traditional locks are operated with a key. In other words, a key is used to engage the locking mechanism. I’m pretty sure you’ve come across some types traditional locks, or you’re probably using them in your home thanks to their popularity. Some typical examples include pin tumbler locks, rim, and mortise locks.

Pin tumbler locks happen to be very common in most residential properties in the US and the world as a whole. So how does it work? For the most part, these locks come with a series of spring-loaded pins that are loaded into cylinders. The cylinders also feature set of pins that work as key pins and driver pins. So, when you insert the correct key into the locking mechanism, the key pins will get elevated and eventually push the driver pins upward.

Looks

As long as you insert the right key into the lock, the driver pins and key pins will get aligned with the shear line. Once this is done, you’ll be able to turn the key to lock or unlock the mechanism. However, using the wrong key will lead to the misalignment of pins and eventually block the key from being turned.

How Secure are Traditional Locks?

One cannot determine how secure traditional locks are since they come in different variations. In other words, the security level of one lock may be entirely different from other ones. As I mentioned earlier, there are different types of locks available at your disposal, but the most commonly used exterior locks are deadbolts. These locks are sure to provide maximum security to homeowners as long as they are used the right way.

One of the surest ways to enhance the security of your traditional locks is by investing in locks that are resistant to lock picking, lock bumping as well as other bypass methods. Making use of security pins within the lock cylinder will also strengthen your locks, and that’s huge.

Here’s the deal:

There are three primary factors you need to consider when talking about how secure your traditional lock will turn out to be.

The placement of the lock

Always ensure that locks meant for exterior doors are used for exterior doors and not otherwise. Such locks might also work fit interior doors, but that’s not necessary.

Frequency of Use

Secondly, the strength of your lock also depends on its frequency of use. This means that placing a certain type of lock on the front door of your home or a place that has a significant amount of traffic can weaken its strength. This might eventually leave a flaw in the security, and that’s not a good idea.

All in all, traditional locks are secure if they are installed and used the right way. It’s highly recommended to engage the services of a professional locksmith to get the job done so you can have full assurance of security.

What are Smart Locks?

Smart locks are more like the traditional locks that make use of automation. Most smart locks are likely to function as the traditional lock mechanism, but the lock mechanism will have to be engaged remotely or electronically. One other thing homeowners are sure to love is the ability of smart locks to be controlled by smartphones and other smart devices — who wouldn’t want the easy life?

For the most part, smart locks allow homeowners to control their locks with exceptional ease and comfort, but they might not be the most secure option. As we know, security is the primary factor to look at when buying or installing a lock in your home. This is crucial!

How Do Smart Locks Work?

As I mentioned earlier, smart locks are like the automated version of traditional locks — they also need a lock and key to function. The thing is, a smart lock will have to get linked to a smart device and make use of a cryptographic to lock and unlock your door. Furthermore, smart locks can alert its owners when it’s locked or unlocked — so you’re more likely to know when someone is trying to get into your house and otherwise. The alerts are typically sent to the homeowner’s smartphone or other smart devices. You should also know that the keys for smart locks are not like the ones used for their traditional counterparts. The keys could be a set of instructions but home automation protocol (confirms that it is the correct key for the lock) or even special key fobs.

How Secure are Smart Locks?

For starters, smart locks are seen by most homeowners as a super convenient way to lock their homes, but the security capabilities of these locks might be an issue. One good thing is, most smart locks are sure to work with an existing deadbolt, meaning that they’re more likely to be secure than some traditional locks. However, making additions to smart locks won’t be easy as compared to the traditional locks. Speaking of regular locks, homeowners can make necessary additions to increase its overall security, and that’s huge.

Look

Most of the smart locks on the market may be vulnerable to simple bypass if they do not have security additions.

Another thing is, smart locks are vulnerable to external cyber attacks, and this has been a challenge to many homeowners and smart lock manufacturers. Now, these attacks happen when hackers gain direct access to the lock or the network the lock is on. The bad thing is, breaching a smart lock is very likely to put your entire home security system at risk.

The good thing is, there are several measures homeowners can engage to ensure that their smart locks are harder to hack. Generally speaking, they’ll need to invest in new equipment to strengthen the security of their smart lock including a high-security firewall and the like. You would also need to change your network passwords and access codes from time to time — this is crucial.

Sum Up

Are smart locks better than traditional locks?

Smart locks are great for providing easy access to your home, but if you forget and don’t lock up when leaving on vacation or at work they act just like any other traditional deadbolt. The only difference is that instead of having one key (which can be lost), each smart locking system requires two keys – one from the host device and another specific code created specifically by the user who owns it so no strangers will get in without permission!

What are the disadvantages of smart locks?

Smart locks are great for providing easy access to your home, but if you forget and don’t lock up when leaving on vacation or at work they act just like any other traditional deadbolt. The only difference is that instead of having one key (which can be lost), each smart locking system requires two keys – one from the host device and another specific code created specifically by the user who owns it so no strangers will get in without permission!

And that’s it! Traditional or smart locks — which do you think is more secure for your home? Well, don’t know about you but I think traditional locks are more secure than their smart counterparts. For starters, traditional locks have been around for years, and their level of security has been tested and tried by both homeowners and manufacturers. Today, there are traditional locks that are astoundingly difficult for a burglar to lock pick and that’s simply amazing. Moreover, homeowners can choose to make security additions to make their locks stronger and more resistant to all forms of unauthorized access, and I’m pretty sure you’ll want that.

Now, smart locks are great, I mean, who wouldn’t want more convenience when using locks? However, the primary purpose of getting a lock is to secure your home and not otherwise. The thing is, smart locks seem to focus more on its secondary features instead of the primary objective of keeping the home secure and safe from sticky burglars and criminals. Besides the physical issue, smart locks are also vulnerable to cyberattacks, and that’s a problem you would never have to deal with when using traditional locks.

The bottom line? Traditional locks are more secure than smart locks, and I recommend you stick with former (regular locks) especially if you value your privacy and care about the safety of your entire household.