What should a smart door lock do?

London, April 2017 – Until recently, the digital lifestyle revolution had barely reached our front doors. Digital access is familiar in a hotel or office, of course, by smart card or even mobile app. At home, meanwhile, the mechanical key has reigned supreme. But, powered by smart technology, a new generation of residential locks do more than just secure the entrance. They provide a smart gateway to the 21^st-century smart home.

What exactly do consumers want from a smart lock? A wide-ranging survey polled potential adopters across Europe, Africa and the Middle East to find out. The results suggest this is already a demanding and knowledgeable consumer market, one which craves the convenience offered by this latest generation of smart door locks.

Unsurprisingly, consumers value security as their most important concern. An emphatic 99% rated security at least “somewhat important” and 90% as “very important” in any purchase decision. After all, security is any lock’s most important job.

ENTR Smart Door Lock.

The smartphone will be the most convenient remote control for this new generation of locks, and customers know what they want from any app that operates their lock.

Smart lock apps should send a notification when someone enters, and enable homeowners to check the status of their door—open/closed, locked/unlocked—from anywhere. We have all, surely, experienced a nagging doubt after leaving the house: Did I forget to lock the door? This function offers valuable peace of mind.

Customers also appreciate the ability to issue or revoke digital keys, so a neighbour can feed the cat while you are on holiday, say, or to cancel a builder’s access rights once a job is complete. It’s far more convenient (and secure) than having a new set of keys cut.

Going further, remote opening via app enables users to let in a cleaner, a contractor or their child from anywhere, at any time—perfect for a domestic emergency while you are away from the house.

The ability to override the digital technology—to open the door with a physical key—is also ranked as “very important” by three-quarters of respondents. Leading smart locks have a built-in mechanical override, so you can still unlock the door with a key in the event of a power failure.

Yet another critical feature: locks should integrate seamlessly with smart-home platforms, so homeowners can control all their smart gadgets from the same app or web interface.

“We are seeing the beginning of a major shift to smart residential access control,” says Thomas Schulz, Director Marketing and Communications EMEA at ASSA ABLOY Group, whose brands including Yale and Mul-T-Lock are already established leaders in the domestic smart door lock market.

“The total integration of security, energy consumption and other critical domestic functions, all controlled from a single smartphone or tablet app, is coming. Our ENTR^® Smart Door Lock already comes with all the functionality that consumers value most, as well as optional features such as a remote control and fingerprint reader. Yale Keyless and Keyfree Connected locks are equally powerful, and integrate easily via the Z-Wave protocol with leading smart-home platforms.

“This new generation of locks can deliver convenient security fit for the 21^st-century smart home. Property developers are already adopting these technologies for new apartment and housing blocks. Opening this year in Istanbul, for example, 1,700 new homes at Future Park will have their heating, lighting and Yale front door lock all controlled by the same integrated app.

“It’s a huge boost in convenience, and, after all, a truly smart home should start with a smart door lock.”

The ASSA ABLOY family of smart door locks are available for residences around the world.

All the response data from this consumer survey is detailed in “The Smart Home Security Report,” published by IFSECGlobal.com and ASSA ABLOY. It is free to download for anyone working in the smart-home sector. Visit www.assaabloy.co.uk/smartreport2016.

More about ASSA ABLOY:

ASSA ABLOY is the global leader in door opening solutions, dedicated to satisfying end-user needs for security, safety and convenience. Since its formation in 1994, ASSA ABLOY has grown from a regional company into an international group with about 47,000 employees, operations in more than 70 countries and sales close to SEK 71 billion. In the fast-growing electromechanical security segment, the Group has a leading position in areas such as access control, identification technology, entrance automation and hotel security.

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