The three things you need to look for when buying a smart lock
But before you go off and buy the first model you see, there are a few things you need to take into consideration.
The majority of smart locks are designed to replace the deadbolt on your door. In most cases, this means completely removing the deadbolt and swapping it with the smart lock.
However, if you want to continue to use the same keys as before, you should look for a smart lock that only swaps out the interior portion of the lock (August's smart lock is a prime example of this). While this means you won't get such things as a keypad or fingerprint reader — unless they're available as separate accessories — you can keep using the lock as you did before you made it "smart."
This may seem a bit silly at first, but one of the advantages of smart locks is that they offer multiple ways for you to enter your home. It'll be up for you to decide which you method - or methods - you want. Here are a few of the more popular entry methods.
A smart lock is one of the easiest upgrades you can get for your home. No more fretting about forgetting keys or accidentally locking someone out. You can unlock your door with your unique code or the free Hubspace app. Need to let your house sitter in while you're on vacation? Give them a temporary passcode or let them in with the app. It's simple but secure.
Unless your entire smart home will consist of a smart lock, you'll also want to consider how that lock will work with your other smart home devices. For example, when connected via a smart home hub, you can program your smart lights to automatically turn on when you unlock your door, or have your smart thermostat adjust its temperature down when you lock your door to leave your house.
If that's your aim, then you want to make sure your smart lock works with one of the major smart home platforms — Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, or Samsung SmartThings. Otherwise, you may have difficulty in getting all your smart home devices to talk to each other.
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