A major draw of the smart lock is its ability to integrate with various home automation devices, which have become more pervasive in the era of smart home. Enabled with the Zigbee or Z-Wave technology, the smart lock serves as the “first trigger” that turns on lights or AC system once someone enters the house.
Residential smart locks, which interact with the smartphone and provide a more automated living experience, are now seen more and more at the front door. “As adoption increases and technology develops further, smart locks will offer the homeowner more convenience and connectivity while maintaining security and control,” said Donald Beene, Product Manager for Smart Home at Allegion.
Henning Overgaard, CEO of Poly-Control which makes smart locks called Danalocks, said home smart locks’ growth potential will be significant. “We have been in the business for almost 15 years doing smart locks. For the last year, things have moved, and we think that maybe in the next two years things will really take off,” he said.
Integration with Smart Home Systems
A major draw of the smart lock is its ability to integrate with various home automation devices, which have become more pervasive in the era of smart home. Enabled with the Zigbee or Z-Wave technology, the smart lock serves as the “first trigger” that turns on lights or AC system once someone enters the house.
“We have all the integration options in our new application. We have complete integration to Logitech Harmony and Nest where if you come home, the Danalock will trigger your Nest thermostat and update home away status,” said Overgaard. “The Danalock can trigger every scenario in your smart home system. When you come home it turns off the burglar alarm and switch on the light. When you leave the house it turns on the burglar alarm and switch off the light."
It’s a real trigger for the home automation system. That’s beginning to work now, and everybody sees this as a complete solution.”
Yale’s Linus locks also work within the Nest ecosystem. “This will interact with the Nest thermostat, Nest Protect, and Nest Cam. So when you come in your thermostat will become a little smarter, knowing if I’m in the home or away from the home via my entry through the door. Other things can happen. If there is a CO2 or smoke warning it can tell me even before I walk into the house,” said Mark Fish, Director of Sales and Business Development at Yale Locks and Hardware.
“At initial launch, the Schlage Sense smart deadbolt works with Apple HomeKit,” said Beene. “This means that it can be used with a variety of other HomeKit-enabled accessories and apps to make your home smarter.”
Adding Smartness to the Home
Smart locks nowadays can lock and unlock via the homeowner’s smart device. Moreover, they can connect with various home automation devices, providing security as well as convenience for users as they leave or arrive at home. With smart locks setting the trend in the residential sector, it can be expected that pretty soon they will be found at every home entrance, rendering mechanical locks and keys a thing of the past.