As smart doors become more widely accepted for their security and convince, a major question still ringers, are smart door locks safe? This is because your choice of smart door lock will directly impact your home security, and statistics indicate that over 75% of all home burglaries involve criminals gaining access through the main doors.
Luckily, as more manufacturers enter the smart door locks market, they tend to deploy more security features in their smart locks, gradually eliminating unsecured products.
This guide covers everything there is to know about smart door lock safety and security features.
Just How Safe Is A Smart Door Lock And How Does It Stack Up Against Conventional Locks?
A smart door lock’s safety and security guarantee depend on its design, installation, and usage patterns. Keep in mind that not all smart door locks are created equal. Some self-contained units entirely replace the traditional lock, while some are integrated into existing structures within the door’s deadbolt.
Most smart door locks have keyless options that rely on Bluetooth, Z-wave, or Wi-Fi. Some manufacturers also add fingerprint scanners to provide biometric authentication.
Smart Door Locks Security Features
The only way to stay ahead in terms of security features is to continuously innovate smart door locks, something that every manufacturer recognizes. While shopping for a smart door lock, you should consider one with the following security features:
Fail Secure Status
The term “fail secure status” refers to the capability of the lock to remain fully secured in the absence of power. This feature ensures that in the case of physical attempts to tamper with the lock’s power supply or controls, the deadbolt will remain in place until you restore power to the smart lock.
Smartphone Compatibility
Most smart locks in the market have Wi-FI connectivity which seamlessly unlocks the capability to connect with your smartphone. The smart features will vary depending on the manufacturer, and you can even set the lock to send a popup notification whenever someone is at the door.
Multiple Digital keys
You can assign multiple pin codes or digital authentication keys to your family members with a smart door lock. You can revoke any unused keys and get notified whenever each key gets logged.
In case you are expecting multiple guests, you can even assign a temporary guest key that automatically expires after the event.
Remote control
Smart door locks incorporate remote controls with additional hardware such as a camera and microphone with built-in two-way audio. These features grant you additional control over who gets to enter your house even when you are hundreds of miles away.
Auto Locking
Smart door locks will automatically detect when you have left the door and automatically lock it behind you. This feature works even when your Wi-Fi is down so that you never have to worry about having to re-0lock the door every time you use the smart door lock features such as keyless entry.
Automatic updates
A significant chunk of the vulnerabilities in smart door locks is in the software end. This is why most Wi-Fi-connected smart door locks receive regular over the air (OTA) updates to fix any known bugs in the smart door lock system. Marketers often maintain the smart door lock software for as long as the device is in warranty to prevent potential points of failure that might impede the safety and reliability of the smart door lock.
ANSI Lock Quality Rating
Smart door locks have to meet distinct specifications such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). These tests are designed to measure how the smart door lock holds up to various physical attacks, picking, and bumping. These tests also ascertain the longevity of the locking mechanisms used in the smart door lock.
Possible Security Vulnerabilities In Smart Door Locks
A significant point of concern when installing a smart door lock is the possibility of it getting hacked. Hackers mainly exploit points of vulnerability in the smart door lock program or rely on plain old social engineering.
Using plain text passwords makes it easy for a hacker to deploy a Bluetooth sniffer and grab the user password or even brute force it if they’re sure you are using a plain text password.
Replay attacks that use a valid data transmission interpreter to duplicate an encrypted authorization transaction that can be used later on to access the same smart door lock. However, these vulnerabilities have been patched over time, and manufacturers rely on more secure encryption protocols for the new generation of smart door locks.
Wrap Up
Smart door locks are significantly safer than traditional door locks. However, just like any other technology, some unknown vulnerabilities and bugs require continuous patching and security updates to fix. If you are in the market for a secure smart door lock, you can take a look at our catalog.
