Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose?

Last Updated on May 26, 2024 by Vincent Zhu

With the development of science and technology, private space safety is a significant point for us.

And with the increasing popularity of smart homes, smart locks have become the first step to protecting our private space.

Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose? 1

Therefore, the latest smart security door locks have two advantages people cannot refuse: safety and convenience.

Because of their lower cost and enhanced functionality, smart locks quickly became popular in homes and businesses worldwide.

It lets you come in and go whenever you choose, but it also keeps track of who enters and exits your residence, even if you’re out.

The most recent intelligent electronic door locks come in various shapes and sizes and have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or Voice Assistance features.

You may create an attractive style statement with new smart locks in front of your guests. You can easily purchase high-tech and keyless digital locks for double-door entry.

You can connect and operate different door latches from one network or smartphone. Since so many other door locks are available, one can easily find one that fits their requirements.

How do smart locks work

Simultaneously, the smart primary door lock can connect to your home’s Wi-Fi and remotely send a password or mobile phone command to help visitors open the door.

Smart locks can be classified according to different situations. There are mainly the following four categories. A picture that I have compiled is straightforward to understand:

smart lock types

Smart Lock Types by Place of Use

1. Smart door lock for the hotel door

Hotel smart door lock is mainly used in hotels, and their functions are relatively single. Generally, an RFID key card hotel smart lock is the only option.

Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose? 2 Hotel door smart locks cost about 40-100/unit.

2, Smart lock for apartment doors:

Apartment smart locks are generally used in rental houses, apartments, Airbnb rooms, and hotels.

The functions are more targeted, including passwords, swiping cards, Bluetooth, temporary passwords, and networking.

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The apartment door smart locks cost about 50-90/unit.

3. Smart locks for the home door:

The home fingerprint smart lock is used in our standard homes. This lock is more common, and many ways exist to unlock it.

Smart locks for home door Home door smart locks cost about 70-200/unit.

4. Smart lock for security door

The smart security door lock is an intelligent lock specially designed for villa security doors.

The most apparent difference between household locks is their appearance. At the same time, its stability will be higher, the material will be better, and the price will be higher.

5. Smart lock for office door

Office smart lock is designed for office glass doors, mainly used in shopping malls and office areas.

Smart lock for office door

The price of an office door smart lock is about 65-90/unit.

6, Smart lock for cabinet doors

is specially used in various storage cabinets, drawers, cupboards, and other places.

The types of cupboard locks available in the market talk about their demand. There are automatic cabinet lock types in which you can adequately keep medicine, cleaning supplies, essential files, or alcohol/drinks in a cabinet with an open door.

The Yale cupboard door lock types have lever locksets for drawers where important things are stored. Different kinds of Yale door locks are available for cabinet or cupboard lock types.

Fingerprint cabinet lock

The price of intelligent cabinet locks is about 20-45/unit.

7, Smart Locks for Front Doors

You can use different door locks for front door lock types from entry lockset types. Although purchasing brilliant lock types, you should remember that there are left-handed and right-handed lever handle sets.

Furthermore, it is essential to ensure that the front door locksets with deadbolts are produced for the exterior side of the door, not for the interior part.

Today, different front door locks are available, and you can choose according to their looks, features, and functionality.

Remember, you will have a range of front door lock styles to choose from, but the best lock for your front door will be the one that suits your taste, budget, and functionality.

Front door smart locks cost about 80-230/unit.

8, Smart Locks for Internal Doors

The internal door smart locks mechanism is used for interior door locks. It’s a simple internal door lock mechanism because it only requires the door handle to be pushed down for the door to open.

The tubular latch is an internal door lock, an easy locking tool installed on different interior door latches that do not require a lock.

These latches are another version of the Mortice Lock known for their ease of operation. Installing them requires little effort or drilling.

Another internal lock for doors is the Yale-type lock. The Yale-type door lock is commonly found on front doors and fixed on the interior face of the door that opens inward or on internal door lock types.

It is also known as ‘Night Latch.’ Whenever you close the door, it automatically shuts the latch.

Internal door smart locks cost about 50-88/unit.

9, Smart Locks Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass door smart lock types are known for their smooth texture. Many types of sliding glass door locks in the market do not have specialized glass doors for sliding doors. 

Unfortunately, these stocks are typically installed after the doors have been purchased. Glass doors are often not enormous, massive, or impenetrable because they create a natural ambiance in the home.

Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose? 4

Consequently, these locks don’t interfere with the door’s design or interrupt when someone uses it when it’s unlocked.

It’s crucial to know that installing, repairing, or changing these locks might be challenging for someone not used to working with glass.

Moreover, glass door locks frequently secure patio doors, trophy cases, and other glass cabinets.

Also, if you have a sliding door on your patio, then, in that case, sliding patio door lock types or garden door lock types should be considered to ensure that you have used secure lock systems.

Because patios remain vulnerable and must be secured, your designer can help you choose from a complete range of patio door lock types available on the market.

The price of a sliding glass door smart lock is about 80-140/unit.

10, Smart Locks for Balcony Doors

Like patios, balconies are another vulnerable area of the house. It is an important area of your home that needs extra security.

Hence, they are also available at huge discounts during seasonal sales. They are mostly available in classic black shine, so they suit all interiors and exteriors.

Different exterior door locks are ideal for areas like patios and balconies.

Balcony door smart locks cost about 78-128/unit.

11, Smart Locks for Bedroom Doors

Bedroom smart door lock types function similarly to other smart door locks. The main difference is that you must look for intelligent inside door locks branded “for interior doors” when shopping.

These are also available in various colors and finishes, making them compatible with existing hardware and interior decors.

The bedroom door smart locks price is about 15-55/unit.

12, Smart Locks for Bathroom Doors

Bathroom locks should provide privacy, be dependable, and last a long time. Similarly, they should be reasonably easy to push open if the door automatically locks from the inside to avoid accidents.

The bathroom door smart locks cost about 15-55/unit.

13, Smart Locks for Garage Doors

The installation process of the majority of garage doors is pretty straightforward. Also, one can find a suitable option from the extensive garage door lock types.

However, the majority of garage doors are simple to install. There are different types of smart locks for garage door locks types.

Some of these are compliant to work with centralized techs like Google Assistant or Z-Wave and function with your home’s Wi-Fi signal. The ease of installation depends upon the space’s age.

While some can be installed on regular garage door wall switches, homes come with remote door sensors and temperature meters, most of which work through a smartphone app.

The garage door smart locks price is about 200-600/unit.

15, Cylinder Door Smart Locks

These door locks provide a locking mechanism for a cupboard door and are commonly found in office furniture cabinets.

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The different types of smart cylinder locks can be either fixed core, in which the entire lock is attached with a single key, or latches are separate from the keys.

There are different features and brands of types of cylinder locks.

The cylinder door smart locks price is about 70-120/unit.

16, UPVC Door Locks

Doors are essential to every household’s security, and UPVC Door lock types are also a locking system where multipoint door locks are commonly seen. As the name is different, its features differ from other door locks.

Smart Lock Types by Material

1, Smart zinc alloy smart lock: Zinc alloy is the most widely used material for smart electronic door locks. It has the advantages of hard texture, strong corrosion resistance, easy processing, and easy forming.

2, Smart stainless steel smart lock: Stainless steel generally refers to 304 stainless steel. The smart door lock made of this material is perfect in hardness and durability. It can prevent the intelligent electronic door lock from being damaged by violence to a certain extent.

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3, Reinforced plastic material smart lock: Smart door locks are relatively rare because they are not durable. They are mainly used in some functional locks to avoid signal shielding caused by metal materials.

4, Smart aluminum alloy door lock: The quality of aluminum alloy is fair in all aspects, but its usage is not high, and few merchants make this material.

5. Smart copper door locks: Copper usually refers to brass. Brass is highly hard and durable, but the manufacturing process is complicated, so many intelligent electronic door locks use copper as the shell.

Smart Lock Types by Locking Method

1, Fully automatic smart lock: As long as the finger is lightly pressed, the door will automatically open, and after the door is closed, it will automatically lock, which is very convenient and fast.

2, Semi-automatic smart lock: After unlocking, the door can be opened by pushing down the handle or pushing and pulling the handle, which is widespread.

Smart Lock types by locking method

Smart Lock types by unlocking method

1. Fingerprint smart door lock

A fingerprint smart door lock is unlocked by verifying the fingerprint, generally divided into an optical fingerprint head and a semiconductor fingerprint head.

Your fingerprint is scanned and converted into a numerical template by a fingerprint or biometric smart lock.

You can’t forget your fingerprint, and no one gets the right to open it unless you are James Bond or Mystique or you don’t share that template.

Purchasing a biometric lock with touchscreen features and mechanical locking is preferable. This feature proves to be an excellent security solution for your door.

  • Optical fingerprint head: Optical recognition is adopted, which is not affected by static electricity, humidity, etc., but the safety is relatively low;
  • Semiconductor fingerprint head: Like our mobile phone fingerprints, it is not affected by temperature and has better security but is easily affected by humidity and fingerprint wear.

The cost of smart fingerprint locks is about $90-$150.

2, Password keypad smart lock

Available smart locks have this function even if the password is used to unlock the lock. Setting and changing passwords/PINs to lock a door in this pattern is simple.

If you are replacing your old door lock types for a new renter, you can easily change a new pin and set a different password for others. If you don’t like touchscreen keypads, you can choose the physical keypad lock options.

A keypad password door lock is about $60-$150.

3, Face smart recognition lock

It opens the lock by recognizing the face.

ace recognition smart lock

  • Advantages: safer and more convenient because everyone is unique.
  • Disadvantages: The recognition and distance will affect the door opening, and the camera will consume more power.

4, Bluetooth smart lock

Unlock the phone by connecting the phone’s Bluetooth to the door lock.

Bluetooth is a little less powerful in terms of network. However, unlike most conventional options, it is still a performing smart lock.

Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose? 7

The one advantage of this lock is it consumes less battery and directly operates with mobile devices. It has an inbuilt sensor and Wi-Fi feature through which you can automatically run the lock system within 30 feet.

  • Advantages: It is safer to unlock the phone because it also has a password or fingerprint lock.
  • Disadvantages: Bluetooth will consume more power. If it is long-distance, it cannot be connected and unlocked.

A Bluetooth smart lock price is about $40-$80.

5, Mobile app smart lock

Mobile app smart lock can open the lock remotely when connected to the network, but there are hidden dangers in security because it will be unlocked as soon as you touch the app.

6, RFID smart lock

RFID Smart lock has a single function; the security is not high. They are generally used in hotels.

Radio Frequency Identification locks are companies’ and offices’ most common lock systems. It enables the use of a key fob or card to open doors.

The RFID components, locking mechanism, and power pack are all placed inside the cabinet, perfect for locker rooms in corporations and schools to boost security and prevent vandalism and theft.

The average price is about $40-$60.

7, Wi-Fi Smart Locks

While there are numerous electronic locking systems, several intelligent locks come with Wi-Fi connectivity and WIFI smart locks can be connected with Amazon Echo, a smart home device.

Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose? 8

The most potent smart lock allows the user to regulate the locking model by Wi-Fi connectivity.

It also tracks your door, allowing you to monitor who enters your house. You can even share e-lock codes with your close ones.

For the continuous working of the lockset, you must remember to change batteries & passwords to access.

The average cost of a Wi-Fi smart door lock is about $80-$130.

8, Z-Waves

Z-waves are primarily equal to Wi-Fi when we consider range or bandwidth.

But it also offers the bonus of being tuned for low energy consumption, which means you don’t have to replace batteries much. Most locks work with a hub and can be directly connected to mobile devices.

This hub will collect the Z-Wave signal from the lock, modify it according to the router’s language, and quickly connect you.

By connecting the intelligent lock system to the smart hub, you can easily access the door lock from anywhere through your mobile device.

9, Magnetic Door Locks

Magnetic ones are much more efficient and user-friendly than complex industrial high-security commercial door locks.

Each lock contains an anode shield plate on the door and an electromagnet linked to the door handle. An electric current flows through the magnet, causing the two to lock together.

10, Electric bolt locks

These locks are as sturdy as deadbolt locks and are commonly used on the interior face of doors, especially sliding glass doors. They offer an extra layer of security to sliding glass door lock types, and installation is super simple.

11, Deadbolt Locks

Most outdoor doors are secured using deadbolt door lock types and styles, which are popular, effective, and inexpensive.

In the torched entry, these door lock styles help keep the bolt secure and safe because when the door is used or any force is exerted, the striking plate helps keep the bolt closed and safe.

The plate is a rectangular metal piece presented in your doorframe. The locking mechanism revolves around a cylinder with a keyhole on the outside that runs straight through your door.

How to choose smart locks?

A suitable smart key door lock is mainly compared and purchased from the following points:

1. Smart Lock Cylinder

A C-grade stainless steel smart lock cylinder is better.

The smart security door lock cylinder is the soul of a lock, and its importance is self-evident.

The standard lock cylinder can be divided into A, B, and C levels.

The A-level has the lowest safety performance in anti-drilling, anti-prying, and anti-technical opening.

The smart lock cylinder has an anti-drilling sheet, which is the best.

Secondly, the fingerprint lock purchased must have a spare mechanical key to prevent particular circumstances.

C-grade stainless steel lock cylinder

The C-level lock cylinder adopts a double row, computer, compound curve groove, and general technology that can reach 270 minutes!

It can be said that it is the lock core with the highest safety factor at present.

Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose? 9

A lock core mixed with copper, iron, and steel

Qualified lock cylinder: The safety function is passed, and the stability and the feeling of use are not good enough, such as immediate power consumption, loud sound, and easy to break.

High-quality lock cylinder: sufficient safety factor, right materials, stable structure, not easy to break, excellent related performance.

If the original anti-theft door is not such a big lock, it is unnecessary to change it deliberately.

The reason is similar to the heaven and earth hook; it was initially an Overlord lock, so you must confirm whether it can be used and how expensive it is before buying.

2. Smart Lock Material

The material of smart door locks has been introduced in the above classification.

For example, although copper has strong comprehensive performance, it is the most expensive because of the complicated manufacturing process; stainless steel has good hardness and durability, but its style and color are relatively simple;

The alloy material is easy to process and shape, so there are many high usability styles, generally zinc alloy.

Therefore, stainless steel or zinc alloy materials are generally selected, most of which are produced on the market.

stainless steel smart lock mortise

3. Fingerprint head

The semiconductor recognition fingerprint head is better.

Fingerprint locks’ identification technology includes optical and semiconductor fingerprint heads. Both have advantages and disadvantages.

However, it is recommended that semiconductor fingerprint heads be chosen over optical fingerprint heads in terms of recognition speed and recognition rate. The semiconductor fingerprint head is not affected by temperature.

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Optical fingerprint heads are generally used for company clocks.

Optical recognition fingerprint head: The type commonly used by units to punch cards can only record fingerprints’ surface patterns.

It has a high error rate and is easily fooled by fake fingerprints. It is low-cost and has been gradually eliminated.

Semiconductor identification, with high safety factors, records fingerprints through temperature, pressure, electric field, etc. It has become the mainstream in recent years, just like unlocking mobile phone fingerprints.

4. Smart Lock Battery

There are two types of batteries for smart room locks: dry and lithium.

  • Although lithium batteries are relatively high-end, if the quality is not good, there is a risk of explosion and leakage;
  • Although dry batteries are ordinary, there are no safety risks. Under normal circumstances, a past battery life of half a year is OK.

So dry batteries are better.

  • Dry battery: Easy to buy, no safety risk, generally no problem with battery life for more than half a year.
  • Lithium battery: It needs to be charged, which is inconvenient; if the quality is not good, there is a risk of explosion and leakage.

For more information about smart lock batteries, please read this article: How are Smart Locks Powered? All About Smart Lock Batteries

5. Unlocking method

According to the first shopping misunderstanding mentioned above, the more functions, the better; generally, four unlocking functions exist.

There are many ways to unlock; the most basic and mainstream are three kinds: fingerprint, password, RFID card, and a key.

Different Types of Smart Locks, Price and How to Choose? 11

Don’t be greedy; first, ensure the necessary skills are good and consider other fancy functions.

The key is extra, and the bottom supports, and the keyhole is usually arranged at the bottom of the cover.

6. Budget smart lock

Don’t buy fully automatic smart lock models if your budget is low

  • Semi-automatic: You must twist the handle to reverse the lock after closing the door.
  • Fully automatic: Put the door on the mechanical lock.

From a practical point of view, you don’t worry if you forget to lock it.

However, the automatic lock body has technical barriers after closing the doors.

The best silent electronically controlled automated technology is not famous yet, and the cost is high. It is lithium battery-driven and mechanical, not stable enough, not quite enough, but low cost.

A good automatic is very expensive, and a low-priced automatic is very poor.

For more information about the price of smart locks, you can check this article: What are The Different Types of Smart Locks and Price?

7. Has a virtual password

Virtual password technology means adding any number of digits before and after the correct password.

The door can be opened as long as the entered numbers contain consecutive, valid passwords, effectively preventing the password from leaking.

Smart lock has a virtual password

8. Adapt the thickness of the door

Before purchasing a smart house lock, you must understand whether your door is suitable for installation. If it can, what is the door’s thickness? Then, you can choose the right thickness.

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Generally, the thickness of the wooden door needs to be greater than 4 cm. If it is an iron door, there must be a gap greater than 3 cm between it.

9. The service must be good! !!

The smart house lock is a service-heavy product, and the mobile phone can survive a day without it.

Smart lock after-sales service must be good

According to industry data in 2019, offline sales of smart home door locks accounted for more than 80%. One big reason is service. If you have problems, you can find a more efficient dealer than Taobao customer service.

Where to buy smart locks?

Answer: With the rapid development of the Internet economy, there are more and more channels for commodity circulation. Therefore, there are more and more channels for purchasing smart door locks. There are online channels, including Amazon, eBay, and many other home appliances.

Many well-known brands of smart door locks are on sale, which is a critical purchase channel.

Many brands sell in offline home furnishing stores, building materials markets, specialty stores, community shops, and other channels, and smart door lock products can also be purchased, which is another important purchase channel.

Users can buy smart lock products according to their consumption habits in the most convenient way.

How to buy smart locks?

The following are the recommended steps to buy smart locks:

  • Make a budget and budget the smart door lock price.
  • Look at the smart door lock appearance and choose the one you like;
  • Look at the smart lock brands and select the brand that suits you;
  • Look at the function; look at whether the product function can meet the needs of users;
  • Select the purchase channel, which channel you think is convenient;
  • Look at the quality. If you have the conditions, it is best to experience the experience and quality of the product on the spot;
  • Look at the service; determine the installation requirements and after-sales service response time with the sales staff;
  • Look at the evaluation, online and online reviews, and offline to read the reputation of the people who have used it;
  • Look at the smart lock installation service; look at the installation after purchasing. Good smart door lock installers are critical in user experience and product quality assurance.

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About Author

  • Vincent Zhu

    Vincent Zhu has 10 years of smart lock system experience and specializes in offering hotel door lock systems and home door lock system solutions from design, configuration, installation, and troubleshooting. Whether you want to install an RFID keyless door lock for your hotel, a keyless keypad door lock for your home door, or have any other questions and troubleshooting requests about smart door locks, don't hesitate to contact me at any time.