The safety of smart door locks can be inferred from their market prevalence. Currently, over 80% of new homes come pre-installed with smart locks, indicating that ordinary households widely recognize the safety and quality of fingerprint technology. However, many people still have doubts about smart locks.
Questions such as: How are smart locks better than regular locks? How to choose a smart lock? What to consider when buying a smart lock? What are the best brands? Let’s explore these aspects in detail.
What Makes Smart Locks Better Than Regular Locks?
Unlocking Methods: Regular door locks can only be opened with a key, while smart locks support various unlocking methods, including keys, fingerprints, passwords, and app-based unlocking. Some advanced models even feature 3D facial recognition.
This means you no longer need to worry about forgetting your keys or scrambling to find them when you're in a rush.
Security: Regular anti-theft door locks typically use grade A or B cylinders, which can be picked in as little as 1 to 5 minutes. In contrast, smart locks usually use grade C cylinders, which take around 270 minutes to pick, making them significantly more secure.
Smart locks also offer various alarm functions. For example, you’ll receive alerts if there are multiple incorrect password or fingerprint attempts, if the door is tampered with, if the lock malfunctions, or if the battery is low, allowing you to monitor your home even when you are away.
Other Smart Features: Some models come with smart peepholes that can capture photos of anyone lingering at your door. They may also feature built-in doorbells, temporary passwords for guests, and false password functions, adding convenience and security.
Smart Lock Purchasing Suggestions and Considerations
- Choose a C-grade lock cylinder: With a technical unlocking time of up to 270 minutes, it offers a higher level of security.
- Lock body: Communicate with customer service to ensure quality; the chances of brute-force unlocking are almost zero, and a standard 6068 lock body should be sufficient.
- Avoid installing top-and-bottom bolts: These are meant to prevent brute-force unlocking, but they also obstruct firefighters during a fire. According to the Fire Safety Law of 2009, community anti-theft doors cannot be equipped with top-and-bottom bolts, or they will fail fire safety inspections.
- Material of the outer casing: Prefer metal materials like aluminum or zinc alloy for better safety. Avoid plastic casings.
- Fingerprint recognition technology: Choose semiconductor recognition, such as Swedish FPC recognition (which is also a type of semiconductor), or vein recognition. These are excellent fingerprint unlocking technologies. Avoid optical recognition as it is less secure.
Three "Don'ts" When Buying a Smart Lock
1. Don’t buy too cheaply: Smart locks range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. While you might find a regular lock for $100, it’s unwise to purchase a smart lock at that price. If you go for a cheap one, you may regret it, as reputable brands are more reliable.
2. Don’t forget the primary purpose of a lock: The main purpose of a lock is safety. The materials used, the grade of the lock cylinder, and the lock body directly affect security. If these safety features are inadequate, other smart functions are irrelevant.
3. Don’t buy unbranded locks: Fun fact: There are over 2,000 smart lock brands on the market. Many of them are just a waste of money. For a security feature as critical as a door lock, it’s crucial to choose a well-established brand. Reputable brands ensure quality and provide good customer service, though not all models are great. Below, we recommend some of the best smart lock brands.
Recommended Smart Lock Brands
China JJR Smart Locks is a leading company specializing in the research, development, production, sales, and service of smart home products, including smart drying systems, smart locks, cameras, access control systems, and smart appliances.
JJR Smart Locks are committed to providing secure, intelligent, and convenient smart home living solutions. With strong technological support, they ensure users' security is well-protected. The development of smart locks is still ongoing, and JJR is expected to produce even more outstanding products in the future.
Representative Product: China JJR-1 Smart Lock
The JJR-1 uses the second-generation fully automatic locking system combined with a pure copper C-grade lock cylinder. The side pressure tolerance of the main lock tongue is 1.67 times higher than the industry standard. Even if a thief tries to forcibly dismantle the panel, they won’t be able to open the door, ensuring robust hardware security.
This summary is intended to help you understand and choose the right smart lock for your needs.
