Smart Locks near you

Smart locks differ in how you unlock them and in how much of the existing lock they replace. The choice depends on whether you want remote control, how strong the Wi-Fi is at the door, and whether a condo or a lease lets you change the exterior hardware.

Most smart deadbolts are designed for the standard holes drilled in residential entry doors, but old doors, thick custom doors, steel doors with a narrow edge, and patio or storm doors can be exceptions. Before buying, the installer checks the door's thickness, the size of the holes, the distance from the door's edge to the centre of the lock, and whether a storm door or trim will get in the way of an exterior keypad.

The most common cause of a smart lock that drains its batteries or jams isn't the electronics but the door. When the bolt rubs against the strike plate, the motor strains every time it locks. A good installation starts with a bolt that slides freely by hand.

Cold is hard on batteries. On a door exposed to the weather or in an unheated vestibule, a lock can report low batteries sooner in winter, and a motor that has to push a stiff bolt into a frosty strike uses more power. Frost and freezing rain can also coat an exterior keypad or seize a cylinder that is rarely used.

Plan for the day the batteries die. Most smart locks warn you through the app, a light or a sound when batteries run low, and many offer an emergency power contact outside, but the most reliable backup is still a mechanical key. Keep one on you or with someone you trust, not hidden near the door, use it now and then so the cylinder doesn't seize, and replace all the batteries at once, with the type the manufacturer specifies, before the cold sets in.

Access codes are the main advantage of a smart lock, and managing them well is most of its security. Treat each code like a key: it belongs to one person, works only when needed and disappears when it's no longer needed.

A smart lock guards the door itself, so the account that controls it deserves as much care as your bank account. The basic rules are the ones Get Cyber Safe gives for any connected device: change the default username and use a strong password, turn on automatic updates, and put smart devices on a separate guest network. Get Cyber Safe also counts two-factor authentication among the features that help keep smart devices secure; turn it on for the lock's app.

Then check how the lock behaves when something fails: ask whether it keeps working with its keypad and key when the Internet or the manufacturer's servers are down, whether voice unlocking can be turned off or protected by a code, and whether the model still receives updates. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada suggests activating only the functions you need; for a lock, that can mean leaving location-based unlocking off if you don't use it.

Whatever the lock does electronically, it must open from the inside by hand, right away, without a code, a phone or a key. In a fire or a power failure, everyone in the house, including children, guests and anyone with limited hand strength, needs to turn the interior knob and get out. Avoid models or settings that require a code on the inside, and make sure a retrofit adapter's thumb turn is easy to grip in the dark. Exit requirements in building and fire codes vary by province and municipality, and the locksmiths page covers the hardware that can block an escape.

Talk to your insurer as well. A policy may set conditions about exterior door locks, and after a break-in the insurer may ask how the intruder got in; the lock's activity log can help show when the door opened and with which code. Before you choose, ask whether the insurer has requirements or discounts tied to locks or monitored alarms.

A smart lock works best as part of a wider plan. Linked to an alarm system, it can disarm the alarm when a family member enters their code, arm it when the last person locks up, or send an alert if the door is unlocked while the system is armed. Linked to lighting, it can turn on the entry light when you get home after dark. These links only work if the lock and the alarm speak the same language, so check compatibility before buying; the home security page explains how to choose and monitor the alarm itself.

Be careful with automatic unlocking: routines that open the door on their own when your phone arrives are convenient but add risk. A cautious approach automates locking and alerts and keeps unlocking deliberate.