Smart Locks

As smart home adoption accelerates, smart access solutions are no longer just for tech enthusiasts but a trusted part of daily life for all types of households. Despite growing popularity, misconceptions continue to influence consumer perception – from fears of dead smartphone batteries to hacked locks. Here’s a look at the five most common smart lock myths – and the facts that debunk them.

Smart locks are designed above all to make everyday life easier: no more key handovers, frantic bag searches, or costly replacements for lost keys. Spontaneous visits from friends or relatives become stress-free. Yet despite these advantages, many people are still hesitant to switch to keyless access. According to Martin Pansy, Co-Founder and CEO of Nuki, this hesitation is understandable: “After all, it’s about access to a particularly sensitive place – your own home.” Ten years ago, Nuki established the smart lock category in Europe and has played a leading role in shaping it ever since. The company sees its responsibility not only in innovation but also in education: “We take our pioneering role seriously – including addressing the remaining doubts people may still have.”

So, what are the most common myths that continue to surround smart locks?

1. A smart lock can be easily stolen
That’s a misconception: smart locks that operate like Nuki’s are installed on the inside of the door, making it impossible to simply remove them from the outside. To steal a Nuki Smart Lock, someone would first have to gain physical access to the home or force the door open. From the outside, it isn’t even visible that a smart lock is installed.

2. Criminals can easily hack the smart lock
This is one of the most persistent myths – and it’s simply not true. With strong encryption algorithms, similar to those used in online banking, and the so-called challenge-response procedure, it’s impossible to eavesdrop on or copy and replay lock commands. In addition, every new Nuki Smart Lock undergoes rigorous testing by AV-TEST laboratories, as has been the case since the first product generation. The current product lineup – Smart Lock Go, Smart Lock Pro, and Smart Lock Ultra – all carry the “Approved IoT Product” seal from the independent IT security research organization.

3. A smartphone is absolutely necessary to use a smart lock
Not true: you can also use accessories such as a keypad (with fingerprint or access code) or the small Fob remote. It’s also always possible to open the door with a physical key – provided the cylinder has an emergency function. This means the door can be locked or unlocked from the outside even if a key is inserted on the inside. Using a physical key also ensures that the household’s entire access doesn’t depend solely on the electronic lock. Not everyone has to use the Smart Lock – whether it’s an older person who doesn’t use electronic devices, a child without a smartphone, or a pet sitter who doesn’t want to deal with access permissions. Thanks to the variety of opening methods, even a dead phone battery isn’t an issue.

4. I’m afraid to change the cylinder
No need to worry: in many cases, it’s not necessary to change the cylinder at all – for example, if a cylinder with an emergency function is already installed and a fully retrofittable lock such as the Smart Lock Pro is used. Even with the Smart Lock Ultra, where the cylinder does need to be replaced, the entire setup takes less than 15 minutes. The Nuki app provides a visual step-by-step guide. No drilling, special tools, or technical expertise are required.

5. You need Wi-Fi and your data ends up in the cloud – just to open the door
A widespread misconception: many people don’t realize that Nuki Smart Locks can be used exclusively via Bluetooth if desired. Protecting customer data is extremely important to the Austrian company, and no data ends up in the cloud. According to Nuki, the safest data is the data you never have to give away. That’s why Nuki Smart Locks – unlike those of other providers – are designed so that no user account is required, and no data is stored on Nuki servers.

“The fact that these myths persist so stubbornly shows that education is still needed. It would be great if we could help skeptical people take the step toward a smart lock and make their everyday lives easier and more convenient. Once someone has experienced the benefits of an electronic door lock, they usually can’t imagine going back to a physical key,” says Martin Pansy. The potential is enormous: in Europe alone, there are more than 200 million retrofittable doors – doors that can be upgraded into a keyless access solution within minutes. Nuki has already made over 400,000 doors smart. The electronic locks from Europe’s leading provider of smart, retrofittable access solutions are now used by more than one million people worldwide.

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