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Ask a Locksmith in Bradford: In the Age of Keyless Locks, are Mechanical Locks Safe?

Electronic locks and keyless locks have become increasingly popular over the last couple of years. Door hardware technology, like other technologies, has been evolving further thanks in a large way to the advancement of the Internet of Things (IoT).

Naturally, some questions that have crept into homeowners’ minds include, “Are mechanical locks less safe than electronic locks?”, “Are electronic locks safer?”, and “Between key and keyless locks, which are the best?”.

In this article, a locksmith in Bradford weighs in on whether mechanical locks are still worth it or should everyone switch to the digital transformation happening at the doorknob with immediate effect

Are Smart Locks Safer than Mechanical Locks?

A Next Market study showed the smart lock market would hit the $3.6 billion mark in 2019 as more people embrace newer and convenient door lock technology. From the forecast, the way forward seems to be towards utilizing smart locks and electronic deadbolts.

However, in August of 2017, Chief of Security Strategy at cyber security company, Sentinel One, had this concern to voice out:

Would I personally entrust the security of my home to such a device? Not at the moment, but in the future as the devices get better and more secure I might trust them more. Should others use them? Sure, depending on their living situation. And people might consider using them for doorways where what they’re securing isn’t critically important to them.”

That came on the back of earlier concerns about smart locks’ vulnerability to hacker attacks as the Airbnb case showed. On one hand, connected locks allow users to monitor visitors remotely via a convenient device such as a smartphone.

On the other hand, like a Massachusetts University of Technology (MIT) professor emphasized, smart hackers are not as smart as they should be when it comes to protecting homes, offices, cars, safes, and other valuables.

But is that to mean mechanical door locks are better?

One positive is that mechanical mechanisms have always required a ‘hacker’ to be on-site to attempt an intrusion while a smart lock can be hacked remotely.

However, mechanical door locks also have their drawbacks. For once, keys do get lost which can force the occupier or owner to break into their own house, for example, and destroying their door hardware.

What a door locks solutions firm, Key4U’s Locksmith in Bradford, says is that combining the two models of locks is better. The physical keypad, which requires on-site numerical entry gets to curb against remote, over the internet attacks. On the other hand, physicalburglary is hindered by the electrical aspects of the lock.

The Convenience of Smart Locks

According to a2016 August Home and Xfinity Home study, more people were embracing smart lock mechanisms that included connected cameras (40%), video doorbells (26%), and smart locks (13%). About 64% of the respondents wanted to use a connected lock to protect their families, while 54% wanted the convenience the locks afford users.

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