Smart Lock Installation
The electronics are the easy part. Whether the door lets the bolt travel is what actually decides if it works.
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Most smart locks are an ordinary deadbolt body with a motor and a radio bolted to it. That matters more than the marketing does, because the motor has far less strength than your wrist. A door that needs a firm pull before the key will turn is a door you have been quietly compensating for, and a motor will not compensate for it. It will stall, drain its batteries, and report a jam.
So a smart lock installation is mostly a carpentry and alignment job with a firmware step at the end. Get the strike and the bolt travel right and the electronics behave. Skip that and you buy a lock that has to be babysat.
What gets checked before the new lock goes on
- Bolt travel. The bolt has to throw fully into the strike with the door closed, without being lifted, leaned on or pulled.
- Door gap and sag. A dropped door misaligns the bolt with the strike, and longer hinge screws are usually all it takes to correct it.
- Backset and bore. Existing holes need to match the new lock, and not every retrofit fits every prepped door.
- Door thickness. Thick or double doors need the correct spindle and screw length, which is a common cause of a lock that binds after a week.
- What happens when the batteries die - whether there is a keyway, an external contact, or nothing at all.
Decide these before the visit
- Whether you want a keyway retained as a fallback, or a fully keyless door.
- Who needs a code, and whether codes should be permanent or temporary.
- Whether the lock needs to reach your Wi-Fi, and how strong the signal is at that door.
- Whether the door currently sticks, drags or needs pulling to lock.
- Whether you rent, since the landlord may need to approve a hardware change.
Popular smart lock brands
Schlage, Yale, Kwikset and August cover most of what gets requested. Schlage's Encode line pairs a Grade 1 deadbolt with built-in Wi-Fi. Yale's Assure range went keyless first, with a touchscreen instead of a cylinder. Kwikset's SmartCode and Halo models are usually the fastest to fit and pair with the widest range of smart home systems. August mounts over your existing deadbolt from the inside, which is why it is the common choice for renters who cannot change the outside of the door. Installation, fit and alignment are the same regardless of brand — the door decides more than the badge does.
If you only want a code rather than an app, a standalone keypad deadbolt is simpler, cheaper and has far less to go wrong. see keypad lock installation.
Common questions
Is a smart lock as secure as a normal deadbolt?
The bolt and cylinder are usually the same grade of hardware, so physically it is comparable. What you have added is a second route in, so the question shifts to code discipline and how the lock behaves when power or network fails.
What happens when the batteries run out?
It depends on the model, which is why it is worth deciding before you buy. Some keep a keyway, some take a jump from a battery pack at external contacts, and some simply stop. Locks with no fallback want a spare key kept somewhere off the property.
Can a smart lock be fitted to any door?
Most standard bored doors, yes. Narrow-stile aluminium doors, some patio doors and unusually thick doors often cannot take a consumer retrofit, and that gets established by measuring rather than guessing.
Will it still work if the internet goes down?
The keypad and the bolt keep working - they are local. What stops is remote access and notifications. A lock that cannot be opened at the door without a network is not a design worth accepting.
Related locksmith services
Describe the lock or key problem
A short description of what happened gets the right tools out for the job.
Call (408) 418-0044