Debate: Are Keyless Digital Front Door Locks Worth It?
Home is where you and your family should feel safest.
I’m talking about the pros and cons of keyless digital front door locks and sharing some of my favorites. Plus, I’m giving you the scoop on what the rest of our team thinks about them, so you’ll know if they are worth it!
Digital Locks pros vs. cons
Pros:
- They are keyless, so there’s no need to carry around a key.
- No need to store extra keys outside your home.
- Easily share access to your home with trusted friends or family.
- No need to ever make extra keys again (or ask for them back 😉)
- Tell when (and how) people enter your home.
- Alert the police if incorrect numbers are entered too many times.
- Take less time to enter your home, as opposed to shuffling around for a key.
- They can be paired with your smartphone for convenience.
Cons:
- They’re more expensive than traditional locks.
- Intruders can potentially guess or hack the numbers to enter your home.
- Batteries on the locks eventually die, causing inconveniences.
- Some models don’t support lock bumping.
- Not for people who can’t remember number combinations.
- Some smart locks only work with deadbolts
- If WiFi is slow, you might have difficulty using smart digital locks.
- Some may fail if there’s a power outage, therefore your door would be unlocked.
Hip Safety Tip: Using a digital lock? Change up your code every so often. After having the same code for a while, the numbers start to fade, which can be dangerous (there are people out there looking for those faded numbers to try to guess the code).
Here are 3 of our favorite top-rated digital locks:
1. The ultimate smart digital lock
August Smart Lock Pro + Connect, 3rd gen technology
The key to your smart home is with this keyless door lock! It works with your Alexa, so you can keep tabs on your front door from the app – plus allow access for the pet sitter or when the kids get home from school. The August Smart lock can do it all remotely!
2. The best digital lock for deadbolts
Schlage BE365CAM619 Be365 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt
This commercial-grade backlit keypad is perfect for any door that requires the use of a deadbolt. With two programmed codes already installed, you’ll be ready to use it right after installation and be on your way to a more hassle-free way front door experience.
3. The all-in-one digital lock for side or garage doors
Schlage FE595 CAM 619 GEO Camelot Keypad Entry with Flex-Lock and Georgian Style Knobs
Want to replace it all? This digital lock comes with the keypad and the knob all-in-one, perfect for those extra doors you have around the house like your garage or basement walk-out. With two codes ready to go, your whole house will be locked down.
So what’s the Hip2BeHome team verdict? Here’s what some of us had to say:
Digital Lock 
Traditional Lock
“I have a digital lock, and I LOVE it! It makes it so easy for my kiddos to come in and out of the house without having to worry about carrying around housekeys. And no more hiding keys under a rock! The only downfall is that my kids’ friends sometimes walk into our house unannounced as my kids have shared the code with them!” – Bryn
“I love digital locks! We have one, and it’s so much easier than having to keep keys. Plus, since it automatically locks once we shut the door, I never have to worry if I locked the door. Our keypad also lights up at the touch of a button, which is amazing, so it’s always easy to see the keypad.” – Jamie
“I don’t personally own a digital lock, but I’d love to have one! I see them in a lot of the international shows I watch, and I can see how convenient they could be with kids coming and going and never losing your keys. I also love some of the security cameras that can integrate with them.” – Jami
“We used a digital lock at an Airbnb we stayed at, and we LOVED it! It totally convinced us to get one in our new house. No looking for keys, and you can give someone a personal code to use until you cancel it (like a family member in town and such). We loved the ones that Schlage makes where you punch in a number.” – Jennifer
“My parents have one, and it’s so nice because I can always get into their house if I need to, even if they are not home. Love to not have to worry about a key.” – Erica
“I’ve never thought about getting a digital lock, simply because I’m cheap and figured they would be too expensive, but after participating in this post, I feel like there are so many great benefits, and they’re really not that expensive in my opinion. Plus, you can’t put a price tag on when it comes to protecting your family and home.” – Jessica
“My good friend has a digital lock on his house, and it’s super neat! He uses his smart lock for his dog walker so he can come and go as needed. Also, once when I was in the area, (and he was at work) he said I could go to the house to use his WiFi versus Starbucks, and he just unlocked it from his phone from work! So neat!” – Tracey
Traditional Lock Digital Lock
“I wouldn’t mind having a digital lock, but we go through our garage more than our front door, so I never really felt the need to have one.” – Paige
“Being in a rental, a digital lock isn’t something I would add to our door. Plus, we use the garage for coming and going, so I don’t see the need for it anyways.” – Alana
The verdict? Digital Locks – 7 vs. Traditional Locks – 2
It’s pretty clear to see the team here at Hip2BeHome favors the new technology that keyless, digital locks have to offer, and only a select few feel no need to have one with the convenience of their garage.
Do you have a digital lock?
What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments below!
We have one on the door from the garage into the house. That way if the garage door is open, it stops someone from walking right in. I love it, but yes, you do have to change the battery every so often. The first one we had was from Home Depot and didn’t last long. Then we had a locksmith come put in a higher quality lock. It was pricier, but you get what you pay for. I’m not sure I’d put one on my front door, though. It seems a bit exposed for someone to mess with.
Thanks so much for taking a moment to share your experience with us! Good to know how the digital locks have worked for you!
We have a digital lock on the front door to our home, as well as one on our pole barn. And we added a battery operated digital keypad outside of our garage door (garage is attached to home – pole barn stands alone). We don’t ever use keys anymore and LOVE the simplicty of these things. Our kids can get in and out easily, as can family who we’ve given the code to. We do not have close neighbors, we live on 10 acres and our home has a security system so we feel well protected.
Oh awesome! Thanks a ton for the feedback! It sure does sound more convenient than worrying about keys! I’m always worrying that my daughter will lose her house key!
We have a Kevo Quickset and HATE it. We have given up and just use our keys to unlock it. We will be replacing it but it’s hard to spend even more money on something that is less than a year old.
Oh bummer! Thanks for the honest review, Dawn! Sorry to hear that one has not been working well.
For those who seem to be saying they leave the door between their house and garage unlocked, they really shouldn’t. If someone manages to get into your garage, you have then allowed them access to the house, as well. If a door is locked, it tends to be more noticeable if someone breaks in – versus just walking through an unlocked door.
We have one and I LOVE it! With five kids (4 would use the lock) they would probably lose all of our keys. This way we can keep the door locked all the time and they can come in without a key. I love it for carpool. When they drop off my kid and if I happened to be nursing or putting baby to bed, I don’t need to run down stairs to open the door for the kid.
SWEET! Happy to hear how functional it has been for your family! Thanks for sharing with us!
We have them and we LOVE them!! We’ve rarely had problems, and it helps when my bonus child comes to visit, he doesn’t have to worry about a key since he has his own code. The beeping to enter in the code and when it’s accepted so you clearly hear when people are coming in. It’s so nice!
Oh cool! Great feature to have, to know when someone enters. Thanks for the feedback, Becky!
We have a Schlage and LOVE it! Between this and they key fob for my car, I don’t carry keys anymore. I love the Schlage because now the kids can run inside and don’t have to wait for me to come unlock the door. Great for when it’s raining or I have to gather and carry the 5,000 things they left in the car all by myself….
We’ve had one for quite a few years and love it. We receive texts when the keypad is touched so we assign different codes so we know who has entered. It’s come in handy for making sure our teen got home by curfew or that the neighbor stopped by to feed to dog while we’re away.
Oh neat! Thanks for sharing, Jen! I love the idea of getting texts and having different codes.
We have a keypad lock on our front door. It doesn’t require WiFi, so we don’t have to worry about it not working if the WiFi is down or the electric is out. It’s one of my favorite “smart” updates to our house! I don’t have to mess with finding keys when my hands are full, and my 8 year old can easily lock & unlock the door without worrying about losing a key.
I love our keyless door lock. I wouldn’t be without one since we’ve put it in.
Thanks so much for stopping by to comment, Nicole! Happy to hear how pleased you have been with your keyless lock!