Nowadays, there are two types of door lock categories. These include the conventional door locks and smart door locks.

What are conventional/deadbolt door locks?  

The conventional deadbolt door locks are not as fancy a the smart locks. While these do not offer any digital/computerized features, they are extremely secure and have been used for hundreds of years.

The conventional door locks range from the expensive drill-proof locks that are designed to provide maximum security, to the cheaper deadbolts that are available on most variety stores. The cheaper ones are still secure, but can easily be broken in. Nevertheless, no thief/burglar would still want to take the pain of breaking these locks as the resulting noise may wake the neighbors up.

The most notable benefit of the conventional door locks is that they are often very affordable, and very reliable.

At the same time, the major disadvantage of these locks is that they do not offer any extra smart features that smart door locks tend to provide.

What are smart door locks?

As their name suggests, smart door locks tend to make use of digital and computerized features, that include voice control, remote control, geofencing, authorization, access logs, and a lot more.

However, smart door locks cannot be used without a WiFi hub that may result in extra costs. Some smart lock models are designed to replace the deadbolt locks completely. Other models convert the existing deadbolt locks into smart ones.

The prime benefit of smart locks is that they offer a lot of conveniences, with the option of WiFi connectivity. There are a number of smart features on these locks nowadays. Moreover, you will not have to worry about losing your physical keys in case you are authorized.

On the other hand, these tend to be just as susceptible to forced entry as the deadbolt locks. Moreover, being digital, these locks may be vulnerable to hacking. At the same time, extra hardware may be required for their operation and some features. This may result in extra cost, that you can otherwise save if you choose a conventional deadbolt lock.

Choosing the perfect door lock

  • Make sure that you have checked the rating of the lock. In this regard, you will have to visit the website of the company and will have to do some research. However, many lock companies do not display what grade the locks are. Nevertheless, it has been concluded that Grade 1 locks tend to be the most difficult to break and are the best at resisting forced entry. In total, there are three Grades i,e, Grade 1 to Grade 3.
  • Determine your costs. This is because in case you want to save, you would not definitely want to deal with the hidden hardware costs and maintenance + installation costs of smart locks.
  • Determine whether the features of a smart lock are of any use to you or not. If not, consider going with a conventional lock for your own ease.
  • Make sure that your doors are strong enough. Often at times, weak doors breakaway far easier as compared to the locks themselves. This would make a burglars job 10x easier.