50 • NATIONAL HOME SECURITY MONTH
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TODAY, THE‘ SMART, CONNECTED home’ is the exception. In a decade it will be the norm and locksmiths need to adapt to the changing environment to ensure their businesses don’ t get left behind in the‘ Smart Tech Revolution’. Already there are smart meters to track energy usage, smart thermostats to control heating systems, smart doorbells and cameras for home security as well as smart home assistance devices such as Amazon’ s Alexa and Google’ s Home Mini. This is what the smart tech revolution is all about. The current crop of technologies is merely the starting point. They will improve. And they will never stop developing.
The game changer for the locksmith market will be the mass adaptation of smart locks into the home residential market. Contactless smart locks that are wire free, wireless, cloud or mobile based are already in widespread use in commercial markets such as hotels, universities, airports, offices etc. The Government has already announced its intention that every new home built will have to be equipped with a smart meter and electric car charging points. In addition to this, major house builders are already starting to look at fitting smart locks as standard and as this begins to happen locksmiths need to be ready to service this huge market.
- The smart products coming on to the home security market are interesting not just for what they can do, but as precursors of a whole revolution in the way people will live-
One of the world leaders in smart wire free, wireless, cloud and mobile based access control solutions is SALTO Systems. Every day in over 90 countries, over 15 million people use SALTO contactless products to provide total control over who is able to access what, where and when. We asked Jack Cowburn, SALTO’ s UK Residential Solutions Manager to give us his take on the rise of the smart tech sector, how companies such as his are adapting to the changing security landscape, what products are coming and how locksmiths need to stay informed so they don’ t get left behind in the‘ Smart Tech Revolution’.
THE LOCKSMITH: WHAT IS RESIDENTIAL SMART TECH AND WHAT IS DRIVING ITS ADOPTION?
Residential smart lock technology allows the end user to go above and beyond what a standard door lock can offer. The smart lock allows multiple features to be accessed through an app on a smart phone giving the end user a greater picture of their home security. There’ s a lot going on in today’ s households: children coming in from school, dog walkers, housekeepers, babysitters. Even grocery store delivery services are now offering the option to enter your home to put groceries away. This has driven a need to not only secure your house but also give people access when needed, residential smart locks provide simple management that can be adjusted quickly and easily. I think another drive for this new technology stems from the rise of the smart phone, people now want everything to be accessed through their personal device. The residential smart lock allows for home security to be part of a person’ s smart phone. As well as accessing heating, CCTV and other smart home devices the security of your home can now sit alongside this.
HOW WILL SMART HOME TECHNOLOGY AFFECT LOCKSMITHS?
I think the biggest effect on locksmiths will be having to eventually change their product range to accommodate for the smart home lock, although I believe this will happen gradually over the next few years. Locksmiths will also have to immerse themselves into the move to smart locks so they can carry out routine servicing on end user properties as they would with a standard lock and key. In the case of SALTO I don’ t think locksmiths will be affected as much by Danalock as it retains a key and cylinder. This allows the locksmith to easily upsell the product without having to make any changes to the door structure. Overall I don’ t think the smart lock will affect business for locksmiths it will just change what type of lock they are installing. I think the locksmith will always be the prominent installer in residential security.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF THIS TECHNOLOGY OVER A TRADITIONAL KEY AND LOCK ARRANGEMENT?
There are many advantages over the traditional key and lock, a smart home lock will allow the end user to gain a bigger picture of their home security and monitor it remotely. Audit trails will let you know who has entered the house and who has left the house. Remote keys will
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LOCKSMITHJOURNAL. CO. UK | SEP / OCT 2018