Smart locks have become mainstream. You can pick one up at Home Depot or order from Amazon and have it installed in an afternoon. The marketing makes them sound like an obvious upgrade over a standard deadbolt. But as a locksmith who installs and services them regularly, I have a more nuanced view. Smart locks are genuinely useful for some households and genuinely problematic for others. Here’s what I tell customers in Albuquerque who ask me whether to make the switch.
What Smart Locks Actually Do Well
Access control without key copies. If you need to let a contractor, housekeeper, or dog walker into your home, a smart lock lets you create a temporary code that expires automatically. This is a real practical advantage over physical keys, which can be copied and have no expiration.
No more lockouts—usually. A keypad smart lock means you’ll never be locked out as long as you remember your code (and your phone is charged). For households that regularly misplace keys, this is a meaningful quality-of-life improvement.
Remote access monitoring. Wi-Fi-connected smart locks let you check whether your door is locked from anywhere and lock it remotely if you forgot. This is more convenience than security, but it’s a convenience many people genuinely value.
Auto-lock. The ability to set your lock to automatically engage after a set interval eliminates the classic “did I lock the door?” anxiety.
The Real Downsides
Battery dependence. Smart locks run on batteries. When the batteries die—and they will, at the least convenient moment—you need a backup plan. Most smart locks have a manual keyway override, but many homeowners don’t know this, don’t carry the key, and end up locked out anyway. Always carry the backup key.
Wi-Fi and connectivity issues. Z-Wave and Zigbee-based smart locks are generally reliable. Wi-Fi-direct locks are less so—they can lose pairing with the hub, drop offline during router reboots, or fail to respond when your phone’s Bluetooth range is marginal. These issues are annoying rather than dangerous, but they happen.
Physical security is not automatically better. A cheap smart lock with a Grade 3 deadbolt is not more secure than a quality Grade 1 Schlage B60N. The “smart” part and the “secure” part are separate. If you’re upgrading for security, pair the smart lock with a solid Grade 1 mechanism. Several Schlage and Kwikset models do both.
Compatibility with your door. Smart locks require a standard-size deadbolt prep (2-1/8” bore hole). Many Albuquerque homes—particularly older builds in Nob Hill, the South Valley, and historic areas near Old Town—have non-standard door thickness, unusual hardware configurations, or older strike plates that need upgrading. Installation by a locksmith rather than DIY is strongly recommended to avoid alignment issues.
My Recommendation for Albuquerque Homeowners
If you regularly need to share access, value remote monitoring, or want to eliminate key copies from your life, a quality smart lock is a worthwhile upgrade. I’d steer you toward Schlage Encode (Wi-Fi built in, Grade 1, no hub required) or Kwikset Halo as practical starting points at fair price points.
If your main concern is keeping your home secure and you don’t have complex access-sharing needs, your money is better spent on a Grade 1 deadbolt with a reinforced strike plate and quality door frame reinforcement. That’s the combination that actually stops most forced-entry attempts.
Have questions about which smart lock fits your door and situation? Call us at (505) 818-0720 or book an installation visit—we’ll take a look at your door hardware and give you an honest recommendation before you buy anything.
What About Rental Properties?
Smart locks are increasingly popular with Albuquerque landlords and Airbnb hosts who need to manage access across multiple tenants. We install and program smart locks for rental properties across the metro. A keypad lock eliminates the cost and hassle of rekeying between every tenancy while giving landlords full remote control of access codes.