Smart locks attract two equally wrong reactions: that they are gimmicks, and that they are magic. The truth is narrower and more useful. A good smart lock on a well-fitted door solves a handful of everyday problems better than any key can, and a cheap one badly installed is worse than the deadbolt it replaced.
This guide covers the problems smart locks genuinely solve, how the connectivity options differ in practice, the battery and override questions that matter more than the app, and why the door itself decides whether any of it works.
The problems a smart lock actually solves
Ignore the futurism and look at the Tuesday-afternoon use cases. A cleaner, dog walker or tradie needs access at 10am while you are at work: issue a time-limited PIN or app key, and revoke it the moment the arrangement ends, with no key to recover. The kids get home before you do: they use a code, and you get a notification that they arrived.
The spare under the pot plant retires permanently, which removes the most guessable entry method in suburbia. Lockouts largely disappear because a PIN or phone gets you in without a keyring. And the entry log answers small domestic mysteries: whether the babysitter left on time, whether the Airbnb guest actually checked out, whether the back door was opened at all on Saturday.
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee and Z-Wave
Bluetooth-only locks talk directly to a phone within a few metres. They are the cheapest and easiest on batteries, but there is no remote access: you cannot let the plumber in from the office. Wi-Fi locks (built in or via a plug-in bridge) give full remote control and notifications from anywhere, at the cost of noticeably faster battery drain when the radio is in the lock itself.
Zigbee and Z-Wave locks connect through a smart home hub, sipping power and integrating cleanly with automations, sensors and voice assistants, but they assume you have or want a hub. The practical rule: remote access for other people is the feature most buyers actually use, so make sure the model you choose provides it in a way that fits your setup. And prefer locks that keep working locally, via PIN pad or Bluetooth, when the internet is down, because the internet will be down eventually.
Batteries and key overrides: the boring questions that matter
Every smart lock runs on batteries, commonly four AAs, with real-world life ranging from a few months to over a year depending on the radio, the motor load and how often the door cycles. What separates good from bad is the failure behaviour: weeks of low-battery warnings in the app and on the keypad, and an emergency option when it goes flat anyway, typically contacts for a 9V battery held against the outside of the lock, or a physical key.
On the key override itself, opinion splits. A keyway gives you a guaranteed mechanical way in, and it also gives the lock a pickable cylinder, so quality models fit decent cylinders rather than afterthoughts. Keyless models remove that attack surface but make the battery and electronics your only way in. For a main entry door, a physical override, key or 9V terminal, is the conservative choice.
Will it fit your door? Backset, thickness and alignment
Smart locks are designed around standard door dimensions: backset (the distance from the door edge to the centre of the lock hole, usually 60mm or 70mm in Australia), door thickness, and the size of the existing cutout. Most retrofit models replace a standard deadbolt or fit over an existing cylinder, but Australian doors carry a mix of hardware, and some older mortice locks need real modification or a different model entirely.
Alignment matters even more than dimensions. A motor that must drag a bolt into a misaligned strike will strain, drain batteries and eventually fail to lock, and the app will cheerfully report a jam at 11pm. If your current deadbolt needs a push, lift or shoulder lean to lock smoothly, fix the door first. A smart lock automates whatever the door already does, including its faults.
Why professional fitting is worth it
A locksmith fitting a smart lock does the parts no app can: squaring up strike and bolt alignment so the motor runs light, packing hinges, confirming backset and cutout match the model before anything is drilled, and fitting a quality key cylinder where there is an override. They will also tell you frankly if the model you bought suits your door, and swap it for one that does before holes are made.
DIY installation is realistic for a handy owner with a standard door in good alignment. The failure pattern locksmiths see is everything else: enlarged cutouts that ruin the door when the lock is later changed, motors burned out against binding strikes, and doors that read locked in the app while sitting on the latch. Against the price of the lock itself, professional fitting is a modest addition that determines whether the whole exercise works.
What to expect on price
Entry-level keypad deadbolts commonly sit in the low hundreds of dollars, established smart lock brands with app control typically run in the mid hundreds, and premium models with proximity unlocking, hubs and integration support push toward and beyond a thousand once fitting is included. Installation by a locksmith adds a fitting fee that varies with how much the door needs.
Budget honestly for the whole system: the lock, a bridge or hub if remote access needs one, installation, and batteries a couple of times a year. A mid-range lock fitted well beats a flagship fitted badly in every way that counts.
Frequently asked questions
Can smart locks be hacked?+
Reputable brands use encrypted communication and have solid track records; the realistic weak points are a poor user password, shared codes that never change and unbranded imports with unknown firmware. In practice, burglars overwhelmingly force doors and windows rather than attack electronics. Choose an established brand, use unique codes per person and enable two-factor login on the app.
What happens to a smart lock in a power or internet outage?+
The lock itself runs on its own batteries, so a power outage changes nothing at the door. An internet outage stops remote access and notifications, but a good lock still opens locally by PIN, Bluetooth or key. Check for local operation before buying; cloud-only unlocking is a genuine dealbreaker.
Are smart locks suitable for rentals?+
With the landlord's written permission, retrofit models that replace only the internal side of an existing deadbolt suit rentals well because the external hardware and keys stay unchanged. Renters should avoid models that require drilling new holes, and put the original parts somewhere safe for the end of the lease.
Do smart locks meet insurance requirements?+
Generally a quality smart deadbolt is still a key-operated or purpose-built lock in the sense insurers mean, especially with a physical key override. If your policy specifies deadlocks, check the PDS wording and confirm the model you choose qualifies; your locksmith will know which fittings satisfy the common wording.