What Is A Digital Lock?

Mechanical locks are a traditional design involving moving parts and a physical key, which have worked for many, many years. But they are prone to the ingress of dust and dirt and mechanical issues which hamper their performance, and of course we have all lost a key at some time in our lives so this is always a potential issue, as is that key becoming worn and becoming less reliable after a period of time.

So digital locks are thought to be a 21^st century answer to traditional locks, but they have actually been around longer than you think. It has just taken time for their popularity to grow and for smart technology to be developed and combined to offer much greater convenience and functionality. Digital locks – also known as keyless locks – remove the need for physical ways of locking and unlocking a door, and hence have much simpler locking mechanisms, while not compromising on the levels of security you can expect. In certain settings digital locks are the best way to ensure 100% security while also being able to manage your access control.

What types of digital lock are there?

The locking mechanism for a digital lock will still be a latch or a bolt, but it is activated to allow or restrict access by a simple digital signal rather than a turn of a physical key. So the mechanism is much simpler and how the digital signal is activated provides the greatest degree of flexibility.

Activation of the lock can be controlled by:

Keypad – a push button keypad allows the user to enter a unique code or number to unlock the door.
Keycard/fob – a physical keycard or fob sends a digital signal to the lock, and while this is a physical item like a key, it won’t get worn so is always 100% reliable and is easier to keep about your person (in a wallet or attached to car keys etc) so it doesn’t get lost.
Biometrics – the lock is activated by a biometric feature, such as a person’s fingerprint, eye scan or face scan., offering the highest level of security possible.
Smartphone – a smartphone app is paired with the locking system and entry is activated by simply scanning your phone like a contactless payment in a shop or restaurant.

Where are digital locks used?

There are a number of places where digital locks are more practical than a traditional lock using a physical key. These include:

Front door entrances to commercial buildings
Lockers
Cabinets
Safes
Warehouse doors for deliveries
Internal doors between restricted areas

When digital locks become smart locks

It is a common mistake to assume that all digital locks are smart locks. This is not correct. A push button keypad has no smart technology involved in it, because a smart lock is a type of digital lock that can be controlled by a smartphone and provides far more functionality. Much like we can now control our front door security, lights, heating, music and TV from one smart source at home, we can now integrate a number of functions in the workplace through a central smart hub. So a system can control security through a digital lock, and this can work alongside HR attendance registers, security and fire alarms and CCTV. A smart digital lock will also:

Offer several options for authentication
Offer custom programming options
Be smartphone or tablet-operated
Offer troubleshooting options

What are the benefits of digital locks?

Digital locks offer a number of practical and economic benefits for commercial businesses, including:

Doors can be accessed easily by a high volume of people in much less time, as there is no slow process of finding and using a key. So entry is controlled and restricted but can be much more efficient. This also removes the need for a high number of keys to be purchased, issued and tracked.
Reduces the need for front-of-house security or receptionists.
More secure because keys don’t get lost or stolen.
Many digital locks don’t require any kind of power source.
Allows 24/7 access as there is no need to monitor or manually control the system.
Less mechanical parts means a digital lock will last longer.
There is more scope to be flexible with authorisation because you are not handing out physical keys, which will suit many businesses of different sizes.
Can be integrated with alarms, HR attendance/pay systems and give visibility of who is on site for safety and insurance reasons.