My house was renovated two years ago. After moving in, I found that many people in the community had replaced their smart door locks. Last year, I finally couldn\’t resist the temptation and decided to change my locks – I was really shocked when I walked into the lock store. I didn\’t expect the price range of locks to be so wide, from a few hundred yuan to several thousand yuan. No wait.

As a frugal person, I chose the cheapest one. When I got home, I thought I was picking up So cheap. But after using the cheap smart lock for a year, I finally know where it falls short. The experience of using it can be summed up in 6 words: safe enough, but not easy to use.

Safe enough

Since it is a lock, the first priority is of course safety. When I bought a smart lock, I was very worried about security issues. But it turns out that all my previous worries were unnecessary.

The security of smart door locks can be viewed from two aspects:

The first is the lock cylinder – the lock cylinder grades of anti-theft doors can be divided into three levels: A, B, and C. Among them, the C-level lock cylinder has the highest security. All smart door locks on the market have C-level lock cylinders.

This means that the difficulty of unlocking smart door locks through technology is as high as the best anti-theft door locks.

The second is fingerprint security. When I was buying a lock, I saw a piece of news from a few years ago, saying that smart door locks can Opened via bionic fingerprint. It is even said that it can \”make a fake finger to unlock the door by extracting the owner\’s fingerprint.\”

For this reason, I consulted the boss on the day I sold the lock, and the answer I got was: Today’s smart door locks all have biometric identification methods. If they are not real people’s fingerprints, they cannot be used. turned on.

C-level lock cylinder and biometric identification. With these two functions, smart door locks ensure basic security. No problem. And fortunately, today\’s smart door locks are equipped with these two functions, so you don\’t have to worry about the security of smart locks.

Not easy to use

That cheap smart phone Why are door locks so cheap? I didn\’t understand it at first, but it took me a year to figure out two major flaws.

Defect 1 .Poor texture

In appearance, half of cheap smart door locks are made of plastic. The more expensive smart door locks will have a lot of metal and tempered glass on the outer shell, which makes them look taller at a glance.

And in terms of details, cheap smart door locks also show a sense of cheapness. To give the simplest example: there is a deep gap on the edge of my lock. Although it does not affect the use, the visual effect will be much worse than a door lock that fits tightly.

There are also big differences in use. Cheap smart door locks will make a loud mechanical sound when opening and closing the door, and there will be a strong vibration on your hands. The switch of high-end smart door locks is very soft. When you hold the switch in your hand, it is like holding a vibrating mobile phone.

Not only is it \”ugly\”, sometimes the texture is also \”difficult to use\”, such as mine. The lock, after opening the door from inside, the lock tongue feels very deep. You have to press the indoor handle to the bottom before the lock tongue can be retracted and the door can be opened. Even with a slightly better lock, the lock tongue will be pressed lightly when the handle is pressed. Fast, automatic retrieval

Defect 2. Few functions

The functions can be divided into convenience functions and security functions. Cheap locks have both functions. Slightly worse.

In terms of convenience functions, some smart door locks can automatically identify people wandering outside, automatically record videos, automatically alarm (remind the owner through a mobile app), etc. However, my lock can only be broken violently. When it is removed, a sharp alarm will sound.

When there are visitors, a good smart door lock can automatically generate a temporary password to open the door, and even open the door remotely. Just like a traditional lock, it can only wait for the owner to come home and open the door.

In terms of security functions, smart door locks are already safer than traditional locks. There is still a gap between a cheap lock like mine and a good lock.

For example, if a good lock has two or three layers of encryption chips, you will encounter more difficulties when unlocking it through a computer. /p>

For example, a good lock has an independent inside and outside. If you violently smash the lock on the outside of the door, the door will still not open.

For example, HaoLock can link multiple devices. When a threat occurs outside the door, smart devices such as cameras and alarms will activate protective functions at the same time.

In short, the quality gap of smart door locks is still obvious. Cheap smart door locks can also be used, but they are definitely not as useful as expensive ones. But no matter how valuable the smart door lock is, Both are better to use than traditional door locks (and more expensive than traditional door locks)