All keypads, no keys: bad idea?
I just swapped one of my exterior doors for a Yale YRD246 w/ IM1 (Homekit) module, and I'm loving the thing. I don't have to carry a key, and it looks super sleek. I'd really like to swap my other exterior door for the same lock, but I'm wondering if this is a *really* bad idea, since I won't have another way to get into the house if both locks jam. (I can scrounge up a 9V battery if they both die at the same time, so they would both have to actually jam.)
OTOH, I guess I could just deal with having an ugly lock and go with the YRD226 for the second door...
Has anyone gone the totally keyless route? Am I worrying unnecessarily? (Would you risk it?)
Posted May 7, 2018, 5:58 PM UTC
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I'd never risk not having backup methods of getting into the house in the rare moment my batteries died in my smart locks at the exact same time.
That said, the lock shouldn't ever really 'jam' unless you didn't have a properly installed strike plate to begin with (in which case, it wouldn't be reliable in the first place). If you're adamant in going keyless, at the very least you should keep a spare key hidden somewhere for you to access the manual lock should the worst case happen.
You can connect a 9volt battery to Yale locks to solve that potential issue.
Yales don't have a traditional key lock.
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Yale locks only lockout for a few minutes, though I don't know if I will get an alert on my phone when that happens.
My door has a large pane of glass and is located right next to two windows, so I view my door locks as deterrent only. I expect that a lockout for a few minutes is similar in deterrence to a cylinder lock that could be bumped in that amount of time. Someone who wants to get in will get in, I figure.
I could (would?) use a security cam to monitor for people who attempt to guess the code, but that's straying into what my spouse has deemed 'ridiculous and paranoid' territory.
Security questions aside, I'm chiefly concerned with locking myself out here.
I'll just rephrase and reiterate my original statement: if you have any kind of concerned about being locked out of the house, you should avoid single points of failure. At the very least, perhaps look at an alternative automated lock that gives you the option to have a manual override in the off-chance all of your automation fails you in a catastrophic failure of devices.
As an aside, while your SO may object to the paranoia of a security camera due to code guessing, you could always sell to them the idea of installing a video doorbell that they can use to answer/unlock the door from them via phone. The addition of basic motion control for anyone who approaches and attempts to use your keypad is just icing at that point.
It's not a single point of failure. The OP has 2 doors.
Again, let's be real here. The only way that happens is if someone sets off an EMP, which is very unlikely.
Does your traditional deadbolt stop working if someone tries to pick it?
Let's be real here, a deadbolt is very little protection anyway. The odds of someone randomly guessing your access code is slim to none and would take way longer than feasible.