Getting locked out of your house sucks, and so does paying someone to let you back in. The money you spend on your next locksmith callout would be much better spent on a smart lock instead.

Locksmith Callouts Aren’t Cheap

Hearing the click of the latch behind you as you step out to check the mail and the frantic realization that you don’t feel the reassuring stab of a key in your pocket as you frisk yourself is panic-inducing. If you have a partner or housemate inside who can let you back in, it’s no big deal.

But if you’re stranded outside your home with no way of getting back in, your options are limited. You could call someone you know who has a key, but you might get stung with a fee for the callout. Sometimes the only option is to call a locksmith and engage the services of a professional to break into your own home.

Murphy’s law almost guarantees that lockouts will happen at the most inopportune moment, like at night in the freezing cold while you’re wearing pajamas. This happened to me on a quiet Sunday afternoon a few years ago and while my dignity was intact, my bank balance suffered as a result of the callout fee.

Standard callout fees can range anywhere from $30 to over $100, and that’s before the locksmith has even attempted to open the door. Out-of-hours fees can easily double this number, particularly if the locksmith has to travel a long way to reach you.

Sometimes the lock can’t be picked, and so the only option is to break the lock. This leaves you not only with a callout and service fee but also the cost of a new lock and repairing any damage incurred to the door. If only there was a better way to lock and unlock your front door.

A Smart Lock Solves the Problem

The best thing about a modern smart lock is that you don’t need a key to get in. There are a myriad of entry options, and most smart locks include at least a few ways to enter your house.

Some smart locks use a keypad, into which you can input a code to disengage the lock. Others use a fingerprint reader, an even faster method of getting back in. There are smart locks that use the near-field communication (NFC) chip inside your smartphone or wearable to unlock with a wave.

Others are connected to a smart home system like Google Home or Apple HomeKit, allowing you to unlock the door remotely with your voice or a smartphone as long as you have internet access. Some use proprietary apps to do the same thing.

Many smart locks even have a failsafe keyhole, just in case a perfect storm of events happens to render your fingerprints, smartphone, memory, and home Wi-Fi useless. This probably won’t be that useful if you lock yourself out, but it’s good to know.

Smart locks aren’t prohibitively expensive anymore. Some of the best locks on the market, like the Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch, retail for $279.99 but can often be found discounted. The more you spend, the more features you get. Yale produces a version of the Assure Lock 2 that doesn’t include a fingerprint scanner, which will save you $40.

The slightly cheaper Aqara Smart Lock U100 can be found for less than $190 on Amazon. It works with Apple, Google, and Amazon smart home systems, includes IFTTT support, a fingerprint reader, a regular key, and backup power options.

You can spend less than this, but the less you spend the fewer options you have. Buying from reputable companies also ensures some standard of build quality. There are countless no-name smart locks on websites like Amazon, and while they’re probably fine, this isn’t necessarily good enough for home security and dependable everyday convenience.

Picking a Smart Lock

Once you’ve settled on a budget, it’s time to select a smart lock that’s right for your residence. You’ll need to make sure your chosen lock fits your door by measuring the door thickness and understanding terms like face bore, strike, and backset. If in doubt, download an installation guide from the manufacturer’s website.

Yale’s smart locks come with a Door Checker that you can print at home and use as a guide to make sure your door is a match. Most smart locks come with detailed instructions for you to install the lock yourself. We’ve got a guide to installing a smart lock too.

Most smart locks use battery power since the locking mechanism lives on the door itself and cannot draw power from the mains. In this instance, you have two options: disposable (usually AA or AAA) batteries or rechargeable cells that can be topped up via USB.

The aforementioned Aqara smart lock is powered by disposables and lasts roughly 8 months. Other locks may use rechargeable batteries that need to be charged more often, but disposables are more common. Your lock should notify you when the battery is getting low so that you can take action, and some even include a USB port on the outside so that you can power the lock in an emergency.

In terms of security, smart locks have a lot in common with “dumb” locks. They depend on the same mechanism and technology that’s used in a standard lock, with an emphasis on keyless entry and modern smart home features. Smart locks have been secure for a long time, but they share the same weaknesses as other locks like brute force attacks.

There are some nice bonuses to installing a smart lock beyond keyless entry. This includes automated locking, alerts to let you know if the door has been left open, the ability to share access temporarily without sharing a physical key, and automations that can trigger other events in your smart home.

For example, you could trigger smart lighting to engage when you wave your smartphone in front of the lock at night, or you could even trigger different events based on who is unlocking the door. You may also be able to integrate your smart lock with a video doorbell, allowing you to unlock the door from a different room or remote location.

You’ll need to check compatibility if you want to make use of these sorts of features, and it might be worth looking into open-source local smart home system like Home Assistant for this.

Stop Hiding Keys Under Your Doormat

Hiding keys under the doormat means you’ll never get locked out, but it also means that other people could find their way in. If you have home insurance, it may not cover you if a hidden key was used to gain entry. The same is true if you leave a window open.

Combination lockboxes are a better idea, but they’re far from infallible. Someone could potentially steal the lockbox, take it home and break it open, then return to your residence with a key. You’re painting a target on your back.

Looking for a smart lock? Check out our round-up of the best smart locks for some shopping ideas.