Installing and Commissioning a Smart Lock
Seven steps to fit it, six to commission it, and five things to check every year after that.
Read the guide →Knowledge base
Smart Lock Guides and Case Studies
39 guides on choosing, installing and running smart locks, written for buyers rather than for search engines. Every one ends with the conditions attached, not with a claim.
Swipe the table sideways to see the full specification →
| Guides published | 39 |
|---|---|
| Topics covered | App ecosystems, door fit, protection, project planning, buying, compliance |
| Also on this site | Six buyer guides by buyer type, and a seven-concern page |
| Written for | Importers, distributors, contractors, integrators, hotels, door makers, brands |
| Reply time to a question | Within 12 working hours |
Recently Added
The three most recent guides. Everything else is grouped by topic below.
Smart Lock After-Sales: Response, Claims and Spares
A claim is answered with a cause and a remedy. What matters is how fast, and whether parts follow.
Read the guide →Comparing Smart Lock Suppliers on the Same Basis
Two quotations are only comparable when they are on the same specification, the same trade term and the same quantity.
Read the guide →Find a Guide by Buyer Type
Six guides, one per buyer group, each covering the five usual questions and the four common mistakes.
Distributors and wholesalers
Buying to resell, and what the second order needs.
Read the guide →Project contractors
Working from a door schedule and a completion date.
Read the guide →Smart home integrators
Making the lock behave the way the ecosystem promised.
Read the guide →Hotel and serviced apartments
Locks, cards, encoder and software as one delivery.
Read the guide →Door manufacturers
The lock as a line component, not a shelf product.
Read the guide →OEM and private-label brands
Marking, coding, packaging and change control.
Read the guide →Active Unlock and App Ecosystems
How the lock behaves from the phone, and which hardware generation you are actually buying.
Tuya vs TTLock: Which Smart Lock Ecosystem Should You Sell?
Both ecosystems work. They suit different buyers, and choosing wrongly costs a lot of after-sales time.
Active Unlock vs Request-Based Unlock in Smart Locks
The single most expensive misunderstanding in app-connected locks, and how to avoid it.
Gateway Range and Bluetooth Distance for Smart Locks
Bluetooth reaches the phone in your hand. A gateway is what lets you manage the lock from somewhere else.
Door Selection and Installation
The measurements and checks that decide whether a lock installs, explained without jargon.
Deadbolt or Mortise Lock: Which One Fits the Door
The door decides which body you need. Bore prep, backset and thickness sort it in five minutes.
Choosing a Mortise Body and Door Thickness for a Smart Lock
The four measurements that decide whether a smart door lock order works.
How to Measure a Door for a Smart Lock: A Photo Guide
Five photos and three numbers are usually enough to confirm the fit.
Using a Smart Lock Installation Template and Cut-Out Drawing
What the template contains, how to read it against the door, and why the joiner should see it before drilling.
Confirming Door Fit Before Production
Fit is decided by four measurements and one photograph. Confirm them before production, not after delivery.
Protection, Battery and Hardware
Ratings, power and the mechanical questions that come up after the electrical ones.
IP65 vs IP67: Choosing a Waterproof Smart Padlock
The rating protects the electronics, but it does not cover everything buyers assume it covers.
Smart Lock Battery Life: What Actually Drains It
Battery drain is the second most expensive smart lock complaint after app behaviour.
Fingerprint Padlocks vs Keyed Padlocks for Shared Facilities
The purchase price is not the deciding number. The key-cutting and lost-key cost is.
Hotel and Project Planning
What changes when the buyer is fitting out a building rather than stocking a shelf.
How a Hotel Lock Card System Fits Together
A hotel lock is a system of locks, cards, an encoder and software. It has to arrive as one delivery.
Standardising Smart Lock Specs Across Projects
Six recorded values turn a repeat order into a repeat, and turn a supplier change into a comparison.
Working With Hotel and Serviced Apartment Projects
A hospitality project is a system delivery. The opening date decides the sequence, not the order date.
Working With Project Contractors on Smart Locks
A project is read from the door schedule and the programme, not from a catalogue.
Buying, Price and Supplier Comparison
How to compare quotations, phase a first order and work out what actually lands.
How to Evaluate a Smart Lock Supplier: Nine Questions
Nine questions, asked in this order, tell you more than any catalogue or price list.
Landed Cost for Smart Locks: EXW to DDP
The unit price is not the cost. Five terms put the boundary in five different places.
MOQ and How to Phase a First Smart Lock Order
The product minimum is rarely the real minimum. Packaging and print runs usually set the floor.
How to Evaluate a Smart Lock Sample Before Bulk
A sample on a desk proves the box arrived. A sample on a door proves the product.
How to Place a First Smart Lock Order Without Wasting a Quarter
The sequence that turns a first order into a repeat programme.
Compliance, Packaging and Aftercare
The paperwork and packing that decide whether goods clear and whether a claim is settled.
Compliance Documents for Smart Lock Projects
Compliance is market by market. A CE mark does not answer a question asked in another jurisdiction.
OEM Packaging for Smart Locks: From Artwork to Sealed Carton
The packaging is the part buyers underestimate, and the part that cannot be changed once it is printed.
What You Receive Before the Goods Ship
Six things arrive before the container does. Each one is a chance to catch a problem while it is still cheap.
Smart Lock Warranty and How a Claim Runs
A claim is answered with a cause before it is answered with a remedy, and batch records are what make that possible.
Project Experience
Real orders written as problem, action and result, with the customer details removed.
Case Study: Holding a Padlock Programme When a Rival Undercut Our Cost
A rival quoted below our landed cost. The order was held by adding delivery certainty instead of cutting the price.
Read the case →Case Study: From an App Complaint to a Non-Standard Mortise Project
Active unlock was the real problem, not the price. Fixing it opened a larger project.
Read the case →Case Study: A Very Small First Order That Became a Bulk Contract
The first order was small enough that a mistake would not hurt. It was handled as if it were the bulk order.
Read the case →The Buyer FAQ
The questions buyers ask before a first order, in the order they come up.
Eight Questions That Decide a First Smart Lock Order
The eight questions that decide whether an order succeeds, answered in full.
The Complete Buyer FAQ
Eighteen questions grouped by ordering, product, customization and shipping.
Reference Numbers
The figures buyers ask for most often, in one table.
Swipe the table sideways to see the full specification →
| Door thickness | 35-55 mm; 40-120 mm on mortise models |
|---|---|
| Mortise bodies | 5050 / 5845 / 6860 / 7255 / 8545 / 8560, or lock-only |
| Door lock MOQ | 30 sets |
| Padlock MOQ | 1 carton (20 pcs) |
| Sample lead time | 3-7 days |
| Trial order lead time | 10-15 days |
| Bulk order lead time | 20-35 days |
| Warranty | 12-month warranty on electronic parts |
| Certification | ISO 9001:2015, SGS verification, CE, FCC, RoHS, REACH, ISO 9227 salt spray |