Beginning of School Year Highlights Particular Benefits of Smart Locks

  • By Matt Jones
  • September 08, 2022

With the beginning of the 2022–23 school year, residential lock manufacturer Kwikset recently outlined some of the benefits of a residential smart-lock system as relevant to back-to-school season.

“There are many convincing reasons why a smart lock is the best security option for parents during the school year—or really, any time of year,” said Erik Glassen, Senior Manager, Brand Marketing at Kwikset. “The remote capabilities of smart locks give parents the ability to use their smart phone or tablet to control their lock and track who’s coming or going. Plus, a smart lock can serve as the centerpiece of a complete home security system, connecting devices like locks, lights and cameras while giving parents greater peace of mind.”

According to a news release, both parents and students can benefit from the use of a smart lock throughout the school year. Within a single family, children may be arriving home at different times of the afternoon—a fifth-grader immediately after school, and a high-school sophomore after football practice, for example. Further, now that parents are returning to offices as the pandemic wanes, children may have to carry keys that could get lost or stolen. Smart locks let children use a simple user code (or even a different code for each member of the family) to unlock the door, saving the potential security breach of a key hidden under a doormat.

Second, parents can use Internet-enabled devices like smart phones to unlock doors remotely, giving them the power of access control even when they’re away from the house. Parents can unlock the door for their children and then lock it behind them to ensure maximum protection.

Finally, smart locks can send a wide variety of notifications to parents’ smart device of choice, notifying them of everything from motion at the door to its unlocking to live video feed of children making it inside safely. As children get older, parents can use a “time/date stamp” feature to keep track of when their children leave the house—and get back home, making breaking curfew one step harder.

“If security dealers do their homework about the seasonal benefits of smart locks,” said Glassen, “they can not only have a successful back-to-school season, but also potentially make smart locks a centerpiece of their home automation business all year long.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

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