Reliability is key: Some homeowners are ditching their smart locks for old-school keys as cheap products flood market

In August, more than 50 people were locked out of their homes after their smart locks were remotely disabled, following a dispute between a local distributor and a Chinese manufacturer.

SMART LOCK FAILURES CAN BECOME ROUTINE FOR SOME 

As it is often a case of caveat emptor (Latin for buyers’ beware), not all who purchase these cheap home security devices seek recourse through the authorities. 

On Shopee and Lazada, smart locks can be bought for under S$100 (US$76), with more advanced models costing more than S$1,000. 

Several tout features such as facial recognition, fingerprint scanning and card access to unlock the door. One listing CNA checked had palm recognition, while another boasted compatibility with a smart app that can be prompted by voice.

To find out how often these smart locks run into problems, CNA spoke to four locksmiths, who said that they regularly hear complaints from residents about the devices.

Mr Phng from Vincent Locksmith gets at least one call a day about faulty smart locks, mostly because the batteries needed to power the smart locks have failed as they were not switched out or were depleted due to hardware issues.

If it is the latter, some homeowners might opt for replacing the lock with the same model, but there is a chance that the model might no longer be restocked, said Mr Phng. As such, they will need to purchase another smart lock model, which can involve modifying the front door.

Homeowners then become “fed up with the ballooning costs” from the constant issues with their smart locks, said Mr Phng.

That is why several customers would rather just revert to mechanical locks, he said.

Besides battery issues, there are also concerns about build quality as slamming doors can also damage the motor or electronic circuits. 

Misaligned installations are another frequent cause of malfunction, said Mr Rajiv Kesavan of Infinite Locksmith and Digital Locks.

On the issue of installation, First Locks’ founder and director Mr Joseph Tan said about three in 10 customers have complained to him about low-quality smart locks made by OEMs that can be found on e-commerce sites such as Shopee, Lazada and Taobao. 

Some sellers on these platforms offer installation services. But homeowners typically have to engage locksmiths on their own to install the devices, he said.

But about 70 per cent of the time, Mr Tan has to decline to install these locks as the devices do not correspond to the slots on the doors meant for locks. 

“There’ll be more damage to the door (if we try to install it). So we try not to do it for the customer,” he added.

Even if these smart locks are installed, customers have little avenues of support when problems arise.

OEM smart locks do not have the after-sales support that established lock manufacturers do, said Mr Tan, adding that sellers on the online platforms can also be unresponsive.

Echoing this, Mr Alex Heng, director of Interlock Singapore, said there were limited support windows provided for by e-commerce platforms.

“You go back to the platform, (the) platform will not entertain you. You have to go back to the brand,” he said.

It is not just about buying cheap, off-the-shelf smart locks. There are many other factors that have to be considered as well, Mr Heng added.