Smart technology has exploded over the past couple of years, and its popularity continues to grow.
At the forefront of this revolution have been devices such as Apple’s Siri, Amazon Echo, Google Assistant and Home Hub, which have become commonplace in homes across the UK.
These devices connect to a range of smart technology allowing users to control everything from lights to heating systems. It’s not just homes that can benefit from smart technology though, businesses can also make use of the advantages that smart devices provide as well as setting up a smart ‘home’ system in the office.
While you might not want to turn your business premises into a high-tech hub stuffed full of smart technology, there is one smart device that could provide an immediate benefit. Smart door locks offer business owners a great way to immediately upgrade their security, simply and effectively.
What are Smart Door Locks?
Smart door locks dispense with the need for keys to access your office or other business premises. Instead a keypad, fob or smartphone is used to control the lock. For businesses where there may be multiple people who require access, this helps to reduce the risk of lost or stolen keys.
In addition, because access permissions or keypad codes can be changed quickly without the need to change all the locks, you can easily do this in the event of staff leaving the business without returning their key fobs.
Leading Smart Door Locks in the UK
Now you’ve seen the possible benefits of installing smart locks at your business premises, Steve Harrison from Locksmith Leicester has taken a look at some of the major smart door lock brands and models in the UK.
Yale Smart Door Locks
Yale is one of the most well-known names when it comes to locks, but you probably think of them as traditional lock makers. Yale has now moved into the smart door locks market, providingseveral entry methods. Locks come with a touch panel control, or a key card or tag; while some give remote access via a smartphone if you connect the lock to a smart home system.
Yale smart locks are battery operated and use four AA batteries. You’ll get a warning if the battery is getting low and can even use a 9V battery touched on the bottom of the unit for temporary power if the batteries do run out.
If you want even more security options, Yale also makes a smart alarm system that you can connect your locks to.
Conexis
The Conexis lock is another in the Yale range of smart locks. This time the lock has no keypad at all, but rather is accessed using an app on your smartphone. The Conexis also allows users to send ‘mobile keys’ to other people allowing them to gain access. These mobile keys can be set to only work for as little as a few hours, so you could use them to let a trusted tradesperson into your business premises if you are unable to be on-site
There are also key cards and tags are available, and it’s really simple to revoke them if you decide that you want to deny access to anyone. Useful if you want to remove access from a former employee.
Nest
Nest are a big name in smart home technology known principally for their thermostat and alarm systems. They’ve now partnered with Yale to produce a smart door lock that is a tamper-free keyless deadbolt that will send you an alert if someone does try and tamper with it. The lock connects through Nest Connect or Nest Guard to the Nest app meaning you can open the door with your phone.
The lock has a keypad, so you can share the access code with any employees or business partners to allow them simple secure access. You can also use Google Assistant to check the status of your lock and lock it from any location.
The Nest smart lock also works with the Nest secure system for additional security. This system offers features such as video doorbells that could help make your business premises even more secure and make your life easier.
Codelocks
Codelocks is an established maker of keypad entry locks. Recently they’ve expanded their range to include smart locks, with their CL4500 and CL5500 ranges combining card and keypad entry systems with smart technology. Both ranges feature mortice locks and allow up to 350 users. They have capacity for 100 phone users and 100 codes, as well as 150 smart cards and can monitor when and where the locks were used, making them ideal for businesses.
The CL5520 smart lock includes a mortice lock for an additional level of control, as code users can be locked out with a key. The locks can be controlled using the K3 Connect app from Codelocks.
Codelocks offers a range of support including training videos that show how to programme and operate their locks, handy if you want to pass that information on to your employees.
Samsung
Samsung isn’t the first name you might think of when it comes to security. They’re Probably best known now for their range of smartphones and tablets, particularly the Galaxy range. However,they also produce loads of home technology and also produce smart door locks.
Samsung is a big name in technology, and many people have phones or other gadgets from Samsung. They have plenty of home tech, so it makes sense for them to offer smart locks too.
The Samsung EZON SHS-2920 is a sleek piece of kit that’s well-suited for office doors. There’s a touchpad, and the lock is activated by either entering a code or using a card. Again, the lock is battery operated with warning system to tell you when the battery is running low and the option to use a 9V battery to provide a temporary power source.
August Smart Lock
August makes both the Smart Lock and Smart Lock Pro. The Smart Lock Pro has more features than the standard Smart Lock and can be linked to the company’s Connect Wi-Fi Bridge to access even more elements.
August’s locks give access via Bluetooth, with an auto-lock and auto-unlock feature that senses when you leave and approach your premises. When you use the August app on your smartphone, you again have the option of sending guest access ‘keys’ that are active for as little as a few minutes. The app also lets you access the DoorSense™ feature, which lets you know whether your door is open or closed giving you piece of mind, particularly if someone else has locked up.
Another benefit of August smart locks is that they are compatible with most single-cylinder deadbolts, which means you can add them to almost any door without having to replace the whole lock.
Smart Lock Fitting and Maintenance
A smart lock can provide added security for any business, but because they are so closely tied to ‘smart home’ systems sometimes people don’t appreciate just how applicable they could be to a commercial situation, particularly for smaller businesses. Whatever smart lock you decide to install it’s important that you consider all the options first to find out which is best for you, as many aren’t suitable for DIY installs.
Things you might want to think about include: –
Before you decide on anything, why not speak to a professional commercial locksmith like Leicester Locksmiths and find out what your options are.
