P23 Home Automation:Layout 1 23/11/2021 10:45 Page 23 HomeAutomation Are smart locks a piece of cake?


The massive influx of short term lets have seen smart lock sales rise faster than any other locking sector, says Matt Kemp,manager of Smart Choice Security. Property owners are renting out rooms, houses and flats all over the country, taking advantage of the increased need for affordable lodgings, and they realise the benefits of getting rid of keys in favour of smart locks. Matt shares his insights into the teething problems of this rapidly growing sector.


W


hile we certainly welcome the rising sales and installation of smart locks, either for the property owner or to a reseller, it can be a minefield fraught with problems. Unlike America or Europe, the UK door market has evolved in many


different directions over the last fifty years - from wood to plastic and composite with hundreds of different locking mechanisms, backsets and variants that on occasion still baffle me to this day. We learned very quickly that selling a smart lock online to a customer for us to install at a later date - or that they would attempt to fit themselves - 0was going to end in tears and a costly refund. Some of the smart locks on the UK market were simply not going to fit on


Mr Smith’s fifteen year old UPVC front door in Bolton. However, he needed a solution quickly. Firstly we ascertain if it’s for inside or outside use, what type of door, and


what the customer actually wants to gain from having this lock in the first place. Is it a lift to lock? Is it split spindle? Do they want it online? Do they want integration with Alexa? Then we ask for photos or a video of the door. I am very reluctant to send my technicians out to install without first seeing what we’re working with. WhatsApp has worked well for us for picture swapping and gathering of door info. This narrows things down to three locks for Mr Smith: the Yale L1, the


Ultion Smart (both of which are TS618 security approved by the Door and Hardware Federation, making them a good secure option), or the Smartlock Slimline Universal lock, which is a highly functional, weatherproof ‘lift to lock’ smart lock with fingerprint entry and pincode pad. On this occasion, we recommended the Smartlock Slimline Universal due to its narrow style and ease of install on this particularly narrow door, with a 35mm backset. This took my tech an hour and a half to fit, and Mr Smith is now living the dream. The UPVC door market and retrofit market is huge in


the UK, and every sale and every install requires its own unique challenges, so it’s nice when we deal with management companies who want apartments converting from wooden doors. It gives us many more options for app based smart locks. Our partners igloohome, for example, provide the


attractive Mortise 2, or new Rim Lock smart lock, with optional iglooworks software. The Bold Connect,


meanwhile, is a new cylinder replacement lock which we


have found reliable and easy to retrofit into a Euro deadlock with minimal fuss. We recently installed twenty of these in a managed apartment block in London on a tight budget, and our client is very happy with the result and functionality. We also adapted our Smartlock Universal Slimline lift to lock to work in a wooden door, with an additional lock case, which is a game changer for us as we love the functionality of this lock. There are many smart locks on the UK market. In my


experience as a reseller and installer, we need to try and standardise to models that are functional, reliable and


ewnews.co.uk The UK door market has evolved in


many different directions over the last fiſty years - from wood to plastic and composite with hundreds of different locking mechanisms, backsets and variants.


adaptable to as many doors as possible. Suppliers with additional customer support and products that are weatherproof and comfortable to install are also priorities. One thing we do know is that demand is growing, and we expect to see new products coming into the market all the time. Just make sure you get the door photos sent to you beforehand!


December 2021 electrical wholesaler | 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40