Are smart locks worth the investment? Debunking 6 common smart locks myths.

Technology today is fantastic. It fills the gaps in your life you never knew you had.

I never knew I needed wireless earphones until I went to the gym and realized how much the quality of my workouts improved without wires getting tangled between equipment. Just like how I never knew the amount of joy controlling the lights from my phone gave me, because I no longer needed to leave my bed to switch them off at night. But no smart product has ever afforded me the same level of convenience and improvement in my day to day life as a smart lock did.

The truth is that keys suck. They get lost easily, are cumbersome and occasionally stab you in the thigh. With smart locks, the anxiety of wondering if you brought your key with you, whether you can rush home in time to receive your parcel and trying to find your keys in the deep recesses of your bag while clutching 4 bags of groceries are long over.

Nevertheless, smart locks are still an expensive investment for most people. Here are 6 common misconceptions about smart locks that may be preventing you from taking that leap of faith.

1. Smart locks are easy to hack

The most paramount concern about purchasing a smart lock is whether it is safe. Especially since the world today is so interconnected, there is an increasing mistrust when it comes to the security of IoT devices.

Most smart locks come with multiple layers of security. igloohome devices use advanced AES encryption for our software to ensure the highest level of security. Every data connection between your mobile device and lock is encoded with a timestamp. Each connection to transmit data is only valid at that time, and cannot be saved for future use.

2. Smart locks can’t be unlocked if I lose my phone or if my phone runs out of battery

From fingerprint authentication, PIN codes, Bluetooth keys, RFID credentials or the Bluetooth key fob, igloohome locks offer you a myriad of ways to unlock your door even without your smartphone. Physical keys are also available as a backup.

igloohome Smart Mortise 2+

However, life happens, and you may not have your physical key with you. The igloohome mortise locks also have a 9V jumpstart feature that will allow you to key in your PIN to unlock the lock.

And in the event where you do lose your smartphone - we’ve got you covered. Simply use another phone to delete your lock from your old account, and pair it to a newly registered account.

3. Smart locks are less reliable than mechanical locks

Okay… but what about emergency situations? What happens in the event of a fire? Or what if an intruder tries to break into your house? What about excitable children and really smart pets that can push open doors?

All these are legitimate concerns, and our smart locks have solutions that unquestionably triumph over mechanical locks.

igloohome locks come with a fire alarm feature, where if the sensor on the inside of the door detects a temperature between 50˚C - 70˚C for a sustained period of time, the door will unlock automatically with a loud alarm sound to allow you to exit. This is important especially in the case of fire and panic, where you definitely would not want to be fumbling around with your mechanical lock.

Our intrusion alarm and tamper alarm features ensure that no assassins or murderers will be sneaking into your house anytime soon.

Lastly, our locks come with a child and pet safety function to prevent any accidental unlocks from inside. So rest assured that you may continue to work in peace, without the fear that your child or pet is plotting their escape.

4. Smart locks can’t work during a power trip

As smart locks run on batteries, it will work regardless of a power trip or blackout. Our keypads also have back-lit numbers so that you don’t have to worry about fumbling about in the dark.

And not to worry (I know what you are thinking), you will receive a low battery alert to replace your batteries before they run out.

igloohome Rim Lock

5. Smart locks have keypads that make it easy for people to guess the password

Now, I don’t blame you for having this assumption - we’ve all seen it in the best spy movies.

From Tom Cruise scanning the keypad to identify the most worn down buttons to James Bond carefully monitoring the user’s fingerprint motion from a distance away, it may seem as if smart locks aren’t so smart after all.

igloohome Push-Pull Mortise

First of all, igloohome locks are made of finger-proof-resistant and durable materials that will withstand extreme temperatures and weather conditions.

Second, all igloohome locks come with a Masking PIN code feature which allows you to enter up to 8 other digits before your actual PIN. This is entirely optional but will help to deter hackers and prevent your PIN code from being exposed. Furthermore, with the security lockout mode, it will be difficult for people to attempt to access your house by guessing your PIN code.

You may refer to this video for a visual reference to this feature. https://youtu.be/HVOwpB0ZY6E?list=PLztGZWrpcQeb7Iir_IdRQXDBjnnlKFMiD

6. Smart locks can only be controlled on-site

Your aunt suddenly wants to drop by to pass you a batch of cookies but you are not at home? Simple - via the mobile app, you can send PIN codes and Bluetooth keys from wherever you are. Our unique algoPIN™ makes this possible, so you don’t have to be near the Mortise to grant access to those who need it.

Choose from One-Time, duration, recurring or permanent PIN codes. You can grant access for days, weeks or months - it’s all up to you. This may be essential for delivery services that you could not be at home for or keeping out pesky relatives that often overstay their welcome.

The bottom line

Smart locks unlock not only your doors but a world of opportunities. Greater convenience, a safer home and simpler living, who wouldn’t want that?

Still have more burning questions? Feel free to email us at info@igloohome.co!