Vivint Smart locks are the locks which doesn’t require a key to open and close your door. You can easily unlock the door remotely or through the keypad that is provided on the smart locks.
We all love our homes, probably more than anything else. Look at the world around you, everything going digital has made things a whole lot easier. What if I told you, you could ditch your keys and digitally access your house! Aside from catching up with the rest of the world, there are a ton of advantages of going keyless including;
- Never having to worry about losing your keys again
- No more carrying a bulky bunch of keys
- No more trips to the hardware to make key copies for your family
- No more cloning of keys by burglars
- The convenience of not having to reach out to your pocket for keys after grocery shopping
Here is the list of best smartlock that we have picked from hundreds of them after an extensive testing.
And many more!
Enter, smart locks. These are electronic locks that replace your ordinary mechanical door lock and are compatible with the majority standard door lock and deadbolt configurations. This means you don’t have to replace your entire door handle. As with any other product, Vivint smart locks are the best smart-locks in their class.
Not only do they have a variety of options, but they also guarantee premium quality for any of your preferences.
Vivint smart locks are hosted and integrated into the company’s smart home ecosystem which allows you to have remote access to the smart-locks, hence the prefix “smart”.
How they work?
The devices use batteries to power a motor that turns the deadbolt to either lock or unlocks your door.
The locks are paired with your home Wi-Fi connection and controlled from a mobile phone app or a laptop software via an active internet connection.
How they are controlled?
The locks feature a numeric keypad from where you can program a 4/8-digit access code to your door. Note, the smart-locks do not require a passcode to lock the house.
Also, you have the liberty to set multiple access codes to the door, up to 30! This allows you to grant friends and family access to your house without you being physically present.
Safety
I’m sure your biggest concern at this point is safety. For that, you don’t need to worry one bit as the locks are way safer than your traditional keys. Here’s why;
- The odds of someone guessing your passcode is very low. For an 8-digit combination it’s 1 in 100,000,000 attempts.
- The flexibility of setting unique passcodes creates multiple virtual keys for any number of people you would like to allow access to your house while still maintaining full control over the validity of the access codes on the keypad.
- Less stress when you lose your keys as no unauthorized person is going to pick them up and access your house.
- The risk of burglars finding your hidden spare keys is eliminated by creating an end-to-end proof against theft.
Now that you feel safe, let’s talk about how you get the product into your door.
You can also go through the review of Kwikset Smart lock deadbolt, I have been using this from quite a long time now and its best that I have got so far.
Installation
It’s surprisingly easy to install these locks with minimal tools and skill level. The entire process is DIY and typically takes less than 30 minutes. The process is clearly outlined in simple language on an instruction manual that comes with the package.
All you need is a screwdriver and you are game! Be sure to check your handle type and size dimensions to guide you on the compatibility of the smart-lock deadbolt configuration. Most packages come with two pairs of AA batteries, but you can always get them cheap on Amazon or from your nearest store.
Trust me this might be a stepping stone towards your home repair career, lol. Anyways, it is time to configure the lock.
The process is straight forward and listed on the package. You just press a button on the inner side of the lock which is meant to initiate the process of entering a new access code. You can add up to 30 of those as we discussed earlier.
Man is prone to error and for whatever reason, you still have the provision to use a mechanical key within the smart-lock although, I doubt you might ever need to. So, does it last?
Practicality and Longevity
Aside from their proper finish and build quality, you have several color options to match your door theme. The battery will serve more than 12 months assuming we maintain a conservative range.
In the event you wish to switch the mechanical key for any reason; maybe you want to move out or you suspect someone has a copy, the process is easy as well. Simply purchase a new key-set and swap with the old one without having to replace the entire smart lock system.
The smart-lock comes with a lot of possibilities and a few drawbacks. Let’s dive deeper on that in the subsequent sections;
PROS
1. The Vivint ecosystem adds an element of intelligence to your door lock. This unlocks several possibilities such as;
- Single touch lock for your entire house: Remember when you were leaving for your last trip and you had to double-check every exterior door? Well, say goodbye to that. The system will do that for you and accurately so.
- Integration with digital voice assistants you might have in your home: For instance, Google Assistant and Alexa lets you lock the door with a single sentence. For example “Hey Google, lock the rear door” or “Alexa, lock the front door”.
- Synchronization with other smart devices in your Vivint smart home ecosystem: For example, let’s assume you have smart lighting in your home. When you lock the door, the Vivint smart home system is going to turn off the lights. Meaning you don’t have to worry about accidentally leaving lights on while going out of the house. This translates to lower power bills.
- Coupling surveillance with security: If you have a smart camera (for example a Vivint doorbell camera) on your front door, you can be able to view who is outside before you open the door. Isn’t that cool though!
2.The smart-lock lets you match a passcode with a person’s identity so you always know exactly who has accessed your house and when.
3. Set custom access codes with expiry; you can create access keys only valid for a specific period before they cannot be authenticated by the smart-lock.
This allows you to allow limited access to your house. This is especially useful for purposes of allowing strangers such as contractors to complete their repair or maintenance works.
4. The locks have mostly positive customer reviews and ratings online.
CONS
- To enjoy the entirety of the Vivint smart home capabilities on your door lock, you need the entire ecosystem installed.
- The initial installation cost is high since Vivint insists on costly professional installation.
- Vivint smart locks have limited versatility when it comes to integration with third-party smart home systems which is restricting.
- The Vivint monitoring package would add a layer of security. This includes services such as calling the police in the event the smart-lock is vandalized. However, this translates to an additional monthly/annual cost. On the flip side, this might not be a necessity in most neighborhoods.
PRICING AND PURCHASING
The locks range in price but typically start from sub $100 to over $200. The cost is slightly higher than similar locks.
However, I highly recommend these locks as their value proposition is also high!
What smart locks work with Vivint?
Vivint is a versatile home security system and therefore, it can work with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home and other Z devices like thermostats, cameras and other smart devices.
