After I had house guests who locked themselves out and then climbed in through the window, I bought myself a smart lock — and an old-fashioned bolt for the window.
A smart lock is a simple introduction to do-it-yourself, or DIY, security. Installing and using one doesn’t require being a technological genius, and they are light years ahead of the days of calling a locksmith to change the locks when a relationship went bad.
My smart lock is — well, smart. It can be opened remotely or up close using my mobile phone —I just tap the app and enter a four-digit code. It also can be opened with an electronic keypad that lights up on the lock. Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google’s George will lock and unlock it with a voice command. Or it unlocks the old fashioned way — with a key. That’s a nice feature in hurricane season when both the electricity and internet can disappear.
My lock can store up to 30 codes. I’m not sure why I’d want that many. I gave one to my daughter, one to my neighbor, and one to a good friend. I could give temporary lock codes to service people, but I prefer to have them text me when they arrive, so I can let them in remotely.
However I do it, the lock keeps a record of locking and unlocking. The info pops up on the front screen of my phone and is then stored as history in the app. I wish I had had that info when my children were teens.