Smart Lock Installation: preparing for the visit

You have just taken possession of the house and the previous owners handed over a keypad deadbolt with a code nobody wrote down and an app account you cannot get into. It needs to become yours, properly, or be replaced.

Worth answering before the call

Do you already have a specific lock in mind or in hand? How many people need their own way in, and does that list change often? How strong is the Wi-Fi signal when you stand at that door?

Do I still get a key?

In most cases, yes. The majority of keypad deadbolts keep a conventional cylinder behind or beside the keypad, and the locksmith rekeys it during the visit so a fresh key works and the old one is retired. A few designs have no keyway at all and rely on the keypad plus an emergency power contact instead. Which you prefer is part of choosing the model, and either way the fallback route is tested before the locksmith leaves.

Is a smart lock as secure as a regular deadbolt?

The part that resists force is the same: a steel bolt, a solid strike with long screws and a door that closes true. Smart deadbolts meet the same residential hardware standards as mechanical ones, and a reinforced strike goes in regardless of which you choose. Where a smart lock adds is on the human side: codes that can be revoked and a door that locks itself, plus, on a key-free model, no keys to copy or lose. Good habits, such as unique codes and updates, keep the electronic side tidy.