Ensure Your Keyless Door Lock Is Secure By Avoiding This Crucial Mistake
If you have gone shopping for a new door lock set or tried to determine how to choose the best security system for your home, then you probably saw a number of smart keyless entry systems as options. These locks look stylish and contemporary, and they eliminate the frustration of fishing around your bags or pockets for the house key. Plus, you will not have to worry about forgetting or losing your key somewhere and being locked out of your home. Some designs have keypads built into the locks, and others can connect to your phone and be locked and unlocked using a Bluetooth connection. There are some cool benefits, but transitioning from a physical key to a digital key can be a bit unnerving, and for good reason. While you do not have to worry about someone stealing or copying your key, you do need to be careful about leaving your Bluetooth connection on and making sure that no devices are paired with the smart lock to avoid dangerous situations.
Because these locks connect to the internet, it is possible for them to be hacked. There are a few different ways that this can happen, including getting access to your WiFI, listening in on the Bluetooth communication and recording it, or a successful break-in to your phone's app that connects to the lock. To reduce the likelihood of these hacks occurring, you should turn off your phone's Bluetooth regularly and unpair any devices that have been previously connected to the smart lock.
Are smart keyless locks safe?
Frequently turning off your Bluetooth will disable connections until you reconnect them, which gives you more control and a better understanding of what your device is paired with. It is recommended that, for your safety and privacy, you turn off Bluetooth when not in use because leaving it on allows potential hackers to access your information and previously paired devices. When you do use Bluetooth, for your keyless lock or just in general, it is best to use it in a "hidden" mode if it has one.
Your lock system should come with instructions on how to unpair previously paired devices. Generally, though, this will involve turning off connected devices and manually uninstalling them from the lock's system. Once they have been unpaired, you can better monitor your devices and keep track of any new ones. Finding an established company with support that can help you perform these tasks is one of many tips for choosing the best smart lock for your front door.
Although the thought of being hacked is quite scary, especially when it involves entrance to your home, it is important to know the truth about using smart home devices. While no lock is completely perfect, well-built smart locks with the best safety features, such as two-factor authentication and 128-bit encryption, are safe from regular lock-picking and extremely difficult to hack. So, overall, if you choose a reputable lock with good features and regularly turn off Bluetooth and unpair devices, your keyless smart lock should be safe.