Digital locks

[derrickgoh]

Just curious how many of you hear use digital locks for your door or gate AND door?

I'm sure its real convenient but if it malfunctions I can imagine its a pain. Firstly I doubt any locksmith knows how to fix it so you'll probably have to contact the supplier. That's already a pain. And when the lock is removed and sent to Samung or whomever to repair, what happens to your door? They T-loan you a replacement? I can't imagine them leaving the door with a huge hole there since the faulty digital lock is removed.

Also, some door locks have a mechanical key in case of malfunction so you can over-ride manually and open the door. Problem is digital locks for gates don't come with such keys. So if something screw up then what? You are locked out?

Due to that very reason I know some people only have digital lock for door and not gate. I don't know but somehow it seems logically to either have both manual lock or both digital lock. Whole idea of digital lock is speed and convenience. IMO its pointless if you can open your door in 1 second when you first have to struggle to manually open the gate.

And does anyone here have experience and know how long a digital lock can last before it conks on you? I know some people said they've been using for 3 years or 5 years and so far so good. But that's a short time. Can it last 10 years? 20 years?

 

[derrickgoh]

Wah seriously? Not a single person using digital lock?

 

[tk]

me still using mechanical locks.. dun wanna face problems when electronics fails (which will happen eventually).. even my safe is dial type..

 

[stemcell]

Problem is digital locks for gates don't come with such keys. So if something screw up then what? You are locked out?


U sure ? Most digital lock have mechanical key in case your digital lock set is out of battery ( where some deaf people can't hear the alarm)

As for last how long ah. Let's say all are made in China

 

[derrickgoh]

Problem is digital locks for gates don't come with such keys. So if something screw up then what? You are locked out?


U sure ? Most digital lock have mechanical key in case your digital lock set is out of battery ( where some deaf people can't hear the alarm)

As for last how long ah. Let's say all are made in China

Not all digital locks can fit on gates. From what I know, in Singapore only certain Gateman and Yale locks can fit on gates and none of the Gateman models have mechanical keys.

I confirmed this with one vendor who kept reassuring me that it wouldn't spoil. Another vendor was more reassuring. Told me that they will fabricate a cover which will prevent people from opening the gate lock from the back. And this cover is secured with a dial lock. And since the dial lock is right at the back and very near to the door, its practically impossible to break it.

 

[derrickgoh]

me still using mechanical locks.. dun wanna face problems when electronics fails (which will happen eventually).. even my safe is dial type..

But I see more and more people using it. I guess with time as a certain technology matures it will become more stable and more reliable.

 

[d3n]

dun be the early adopters.

 

[derrickgoh]

dun be the early adopters.

Early meh? Korea has been using it for ages. Even in s'pore many ppl including hdb dwellers are using. I was surprised to see so many hdb customers on mydigitallock facebook page. And no those are not phantom as they take photo with customer beside the door with lock.

 

[WTS008]

yup, korean homes using it. stayed in 2 apartments thru airbnb in seoul and im thinking about having it also.lol

 

[lyfeforce]

The ones at HomeFix are Yale IIRC. Some have both digital and mechanical mechanisms, more expensive, of course.

 

[peter2883]

Hi All,

I would like to contribute to this thread as I recently installed my digital lock...

First all I thought it would be cheaper to buy my own locks from Qoo & get someone to install it in Singapore...

Therefore I bought 02 gateman locks (Locally it's Yale)... I actually bought the "Hook" version thinking it was more sturdy...

Following is my nightmare...

First of all it is very expensive to get it installed locally... I'm not going to state the prices but what I can say it's actually more or less the same if you bought the lock locally as from what the installer told me (I also went to their website to see) it's actually more or less the same... For me if you want less hassle & get local support you should get it locally even if it's only slightly more... The installer told me prices have gone down locally due to stiff competition from overseas sellers (This is means locally make less now that's all)... So if local companies bring down prices then it's no longer worth it to buy from overseas sellers unless you can get a fantastic price & maybe bring it back yourself... But I personally still wouldn't suggest that as you dun have local support...

Think about it if you pay (let say) $30 more locally... You have to wait for Qoo to send it to you & that by itself takes up to 07 days... Plus you will need to arrange for an installer so by this fact it will take more than 07 days...

If you get it locally you can call the company, they come over will install it within 1-2 days...

There are some things you wouldn't know unless you have the item physically with you... The doors are designed differently in Korea versus what we have in Singapore... I didn't understand that until I received my digital locks... Due to this problem the brackets might or might not fit your door / gate...

I actually had to fabricate my own bracket to rectify this problem...

For me it was an experience that I want to share with everyone here as over the years I've also had a lot of help from HWZ in terms of feedback that everyone had to make informed choices...

Lastly I just to state that unless you can install this yourself it is actually not worth it to buy this from Qoo...

You can choose to buy this from Qoo if you:

1) Are able to install this yourself on only your Wooden Door if you have the tools...

Tools required:

Basic stuff like screwdrivers etc...

Advanced stuff:

1) Drill

2) Door lock drill bit (To make round holes to install the locks, the dims of the hole is around 25mm)

DO NOT BUY from Qoo if you plan to install this on the gate you are currently using & do not plan to change the gate...

1) You will need to make pilot holes in your gate & be able to screw in the screws onto your gate... You specifically need screws that can screw in metal...

2) You will still need to custom make a box (What you do is to use a number lock to lock this box) to enclose the digital lock from inside your house... The reason for this is because you want to prevent people from outside your house putting their hands through the gaps in your gate to manually unlock your digital lock...

3) You will also need to make a faceplate at the front & back of the gate (This is actually not that difficult as it's just 02 pieces of plywood that is sprayed in a compatible colour of your gate)...

When you add in the installation charges & for the custom box the prices could even exceed the prices you would pay for you to buy this locally...

If you plan to do the following you CAN buy this from Qoo as it will be defintely cheaper...

If you really want to install this on a metal gate you will need to plan for this...

For example you are already planning to change the metal gate then you are able to install this yourself (To make it worthwhile / cheaper)... You will need to get the company / person customising your gate to provision for holes to install your digital lock... You will also need to customise the design of your metal gate in such a way that the there is no way anyone can go through the gaps on your gate to unlock your digital lock...

This way you do not require the customised metal box...

But please note for cases whereby you buy from Qoo you will still need to contact a local company to fix / repair the digital lock in case of any failure...

I was informed by the local company that there are NO replacment parts for the overseas locks... So in the event that there is a failure it will be likely that you will need to purchase a new lock...

I hope this lengthy post will be able to help everyone decide on the pros and cons of buying the digital locks locally or from overseas...

At the end of the day the only reason why it would be cheaper to buy from Qoo versus buying locally is that you can install this yourself without paying someone to install this for you... You are only saving the labour cost which can be a couple hundred dollars (Depending on how many units you are planning to have)...

You can post any questions here & I will try my best to help (Although I'm not an expert)... Please note I might not log in everyday but I will reply you (Even if I do not have the solution)...

 

[derrickgoh]

Confirm will not DIY. Most probably buy from mydigitallockcom.sg as I heard some negative things about interlock.com.sg

I was referring more to the operation of the lock, estimated life span, what you do if the lock malfunctions (door lock ok if it has mechanical key but what about gate lock?), etc.

 

[saggice]

so .... best bet is still keys ya?

 

[lyfeforce]

Some hardware shops include installation if you buy from them. Still many are afraid of electronic malfunction and thus stick to keys.

 

[duriand24]

The ones at HomeFix are Yale IIRC. Some have both digital and mechanical mechanisms, more expensive, of course.

I am using a digital lock that comes with keys, meaning, I can use either the access card or the keys to open the door. Kept the keys in my car and I use the access card all the time. I can also open the door via a password. All I have to do is to key the preset password and the door will open automatically. So far so good.

 

[derrickgoh]

I am using a digital lock that comes with keys, meaning, I can use either the access card or the keys to open the door. Kept the keys in my car and I use the access card all the time. I can also open the door via a password. All I have to do is to key the preset password and the door will open automatically. So far so good.

IMO models with mechanical key are safer e.g. Samsung SHS H705. If the fingerprint scanner or PIN pad corks up, you have a manual override.

I think I'm pretty much set on a digital door lock but its the gate I'm still unsure about. Some have said its meaningless to have one digital but not the other. Which I agree. The whole idea of digital lock is no hassle with keys and faster access. So IMO its either you have digital lock for both door and gate or none at all.

However I still have concerns about a digital gate lock. None of them come with mechanical keys so if the card reader/fingerprint scanner/PIN pad corks up, you are screwed.

From what I gather digital locks used on gates are basically rim lock type digital locks e.g. Gateman F10 or Yale YDR4110 which can be used on doors or gates.

No issues it these rim locks are used on doors as the manual unlock switch is located on the inside of the door i.e. no one outside has access to it. But when you use a rim lock on the gate you need to beware as the unlock switch is accessible to anyone.

That is why companies like mydigitallock.com and interlock.com will fabricate a metal cover for you. I don't know about interlock but mydigitallock's cover comes with a small combination lock similar to the one below.

This is the cover I am referring to:

So this way if someone wants to reach the rim lock's unlock switch, they need to break the combination lock first which is not easy as its hidden behind the cover AND its very near the door i.e. not much space to stick a hammer or screwdriver.

While all that is great in terms of keeping out intruders, its also a problem for the home owner. Since rim locks have no mechanical keys, the only way to open the lock if the reader/PIN pad spoils is the unlock switch.

And to gain access to said switch you need to unlock the small combination lock. But as said above, its hard to reach it since its hidden behind the cover. So there is where the problem lies.

If the combination lock is easily accessed, its good for you in the event you need to manually open. But its also bad because intruders can easily break it open. The combination lock is small & flimsy and if I'm the intruder I will not waste time figuring out the code, I will just grab a screwdriver and hammer and whack it off.

So its great that its hidden behind the cover and near the door as its harder for anyone to reach it with a screwdriver or whatever. But good luck if you need to manually open. The advantage is also a disadvantage.

Only way I can think of is to open the door first. That will give you more space to access the combination lock as the door is now out of the way and hopefully you can reach the combination lock more easily and turn the correct combinations for the lock to open. Then you remove the cover and try to press the rim lock's unlock switch.

Good luck doing all that if you are in urgent need to sh*t!

Sure you can buy a remote such as this:
Yale Remote Control

But firstly do the rim lock models meant for gates have a remote? Or are these meant only for door locks? Also, in the event that BOTH the fingerprint reader and PIN pad doesn't work, I would think even the remote may not work.

 

[IcehOt]

I'm on Samsung Lock. Being using over a year. So far so good.

 

[luckygal]

Actually digital lock not a good idea if one is renting the house right. The tenant would change the code and the owner will not know. Thus the tenant default on payment, the owner can't enter the house. Am I right?

 

[carlover76]

Actually digital lock not a good idea if one is renting the house right. The tenant would change the code and the owner will not know. Thus the tenant default on payment, the owner can't enter the house. Am I right?

I don't think so as you will need a Master Password in order to change the settings etc, correct me if I am wrong.

However, I have compared the prices if I buy from Qoo10 and engage a local installer versus buying locally, the price gap is quite big of about $200-$300, guess I will buy from Qoo10 then ask local installer like Interlock to do the installation.

Any similar experience or feedback, care to share?

 

[luckygal]

For F10, you can change the passcode anytime you want. There is no need for master code. I have tried. Not sure about the higher end models though.