There is a menu of door technology on the market right now that involved the locking and unlocking of doors without keys. Keyless door tech is very fashionable right now.
Yale have their KeyFree door handle. MACO have their ZTA locking mechanism with finger print, keypad or NFC chip control. Winkhaus have their own electronic option. Then there is the August Smart door lock. Kevo is another smart door lock option. The list goes on. But for all of these keyless door lock options, UK home owners don’t appear prepared to ditch their keys just yet.
Reluctance to change
I don’t really want to generalise or label certain demographics, but I find that those of a certain age, when shown some of the keyless door tech in our showroom, shirk away from them, in favour of a traditional key and handle.
The younger generation, who have grown up and worked around the kinds of technology that are now being used in doors, are more open to the idea of using keyless tech on their new door. But I wouldn’t say that they’re embracing it in their droves.
The reality is perhaps that the UK residential market isn’t ready to ditch the humble key. It’s been our way to lock and unlock our doors for hundreds and hundreds of years. Perhaps this is one trend that isn’t going to be knocked off into the dust as quickly as others have.
The tech is good
I should say that the slow uptake on keyless door tech is no reflection on the quality of the products on offer right now. I have seen pretty much all of the aforementioned smart door locks, and they’re all pretty good.
Manufacturers have spent good time and money producing products that are of a high standard. Perhaps the highest of them all has to be the ZTA locking mechanism by MACO. It’s NFC and finger print options are the two that impress me the most. It’s an indication of where door tech is going to in the future.
Your finger, your own individual finger print is perhaps one of the most secure details you can own. So why not use it to lock and unlock the first and most important barrier to your home? Many new smartphones have that technology built in and we’re all quickly getting used to it. Commercial buildings are using the same technology increasingly. So it would make sense for the tech to jump to the residential market in a bigger.
Cost will be a factor
As with all new technologies, the early editions are going to be expensive. And there is no doubting that the ZTA, Yale Keyfree and others cost a fair few quid. A home owner is going to have to invest some serious cash if they want that sort of quality technology on their new door.
Whilst the costs remain as high as they are, keyless door tech will remain a product for those really looking to splash out and those who love their technology. For most, the prospect of a high security door cylinder and lever/lever handle will be more than enough to go with their new door.
Once keyless door technology becomes established though, prices will drop, and when that happens, I expect a much better uptake of various types of keyless door options to be taken by home owners.
This one is a slow burner.
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The other major issue is security. Finger prints can be easily spoofed and NFC is far from being secure. It’s great to see this tech coming through but as you say in your post, it’s far from being consumer ready yet.