Smart locks · explained · Manchester
Smart locks: good for some doors, wrong for others.
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- Fitted £180-450
- 60-120 min
- We'll say no if it's wrong
We fit these. We also talk people out of them roughly as often, and both of those are the same job done properly.
What they genuinely solve
- Letting a cleaner or a dog walker in without cutting a key
- Airbnb and holiday lets: no key handover, ever
- Knowing whether a teenager actually got home
- Revoking access without changing a lock
- Never being locked out of your own house again
If any of those is a real problem you actually have, a smart lock is a good buy. If none of them is, you are paying £180-450 to avoid taking a key out of your pocket.
What nobody in the advert tells you
Batteries die
They warn you. You ignore it. Most have an emergency contact or a key override. Know which yours has before it matters, not at 11pm.
Insurers vary
Many policies still want BS3621 or TS007 3-star. Most smart locks have neither. Check your wording before you buy.
Wi-Fi is not the lock
Your router dying should not lock you out, and on a decent product it does not. On a cheap one it can. Ask.
Support ends
A mortice lock from 1910 still works. A smart lock is a company's server. When they stop, so does the app.
The insurance one is the big one
This is where people get properly caught. Your policy may require BS3621 on the final exit door, and most smart locks are not BS3621 and never will be. Rip out a compliant mortice lock, fit a smart lock, get burgled, and the insurer has a clause with your name on it.
The safe route is to add, not replace. Keep the BS3621 mortice deadlock, put the smart lock on the nightlatch position. You get the convenience and you keep the cover. See insurance work.
Where we say no
- Your policy requires BS3621 and you'd be removing it
- uPVC multipoint that already needs the handle lifting hard
- Communal door in a block: that is access control, not a consumer lock
- You just want a keypad: that's cheaper and simpler
- Rental where the tenant will take it with them
That second one matters. Bolting a motor onto a mechanism that is already stiff means the motor now does the forcing, and it is weaker than your arm. It will fail sooner and it will fail locked. Fix the gearbox first, then talk about smart.
What it costs
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Smart lock supplied and fitted, mid-range | £180-320 |
| Premium with keypad and bridge | £280-450 |
| Fitting only, you supply the lock | £65-120 |
| Keypad-only code lock (no app) | £90-180 |
| Advice on whether you should | free |
Digital door locks · Access control · Security upgrade
Questions people actually ask
What happens to a smart lock when the battery dies?
It depends on the model, and you need to know which yours is before it happens rather than at 11pm in the rain. Better smart locks warn you for weeks, keep a reserve, and have either a physical key override or emergency contacts on the outside that let you jump-start them from a phone charger or a 9V battery. Cheaper ones just stop. When we fit one we show you the override and make you do it once, because the time to learn it is not when you are stood outside.
Will my insurance accept a smart lock?
Check your wording before you buy, because this is where people get genuinely caught. Many UK home policies still require BS3621 on the final exit door, and most smart locks are not BS3621 and are not going to be. If you remove a compliant mortice deadlock, fit a smart lock, and are then burgled, the insurer has a clause with your name on it. The safe approach is to add rather than replace: keep the BS3621 mortice deadlock and put the smart lock on the nightlatch position. You get the convenience without losing the cover.
Can I put a smart lock on my uPVC door?
Sometimes, and often you should not. If your uPVC door already needs the handle lifting firmly, adding a smart lock means a small motor is now doing that forcing instead of your arm, and it is considerably weaker than your arm. It will fail sooner and it will usually fail locked. Fix the multipoint gearbox and realign the door first, at £45 to £85, and then talk about smart. On a door in good order, a smart cylinder can work well. On a stiff one it is money spent on making the failure worse.
Are smart locks less secure than normal locks?
Not inherently, and the honest answer is that the risk is different rather than bigger. Nobody is standing outside your house hacking your Bluetooth. What actually happens is more mundane: batteries die, apps stop being supported when the manufacturer loses interest, and Wi-Fi drops. A mortice lock made in 1910 still works because it does not depend on a company continuing to exist. That is the real trade-off, and it is worth weighing against whichever convenience problem you are actually trying to solve.
Do I actually need a smart lock?
Only if you have one of the problems it solves. Letting a cleaner or dog walker in without cutting keys, running a holiday let with no key handover, knowing whether your teenager got home, or revoking someone's access without changing a lock: those are real problems and a smart lock fixes them properly. If none of those applies, you are spending £180 to £450 to avoid taking a key out of your pocket. We will tell you that on the phone for free rather than fitting one and taking the money.