Get ready, "Key Guy" might be out of a job soon.

The era of smartphones and smart homes has arrived, and many traditional household items and facilities are facing obsolescence or replacement. As the smart home sector gains market attention, smart locks, as the gateway to smart homes, are also receiving widespread focus.

Rome wasn't built in a day, and the development of smart door locks has naturally undergone rapid progress as well.

Smart locks offer enhanced security. They utilize motor-controlled electric unlocking, and some even eliminate the need for a spare keyhole. Unless subjected to forced entry, common lock-picking methods pose little threat to smart locks. Even in the event of forced entry, many locks will automatically sound an alarm with a piercing blast. Some can even connect to a mobile app to alert residents. If the community's smart hardware infrastructure allows, they can also connect to security cameras to notify the property management monitoring room and security guards.

Television often depicts thieves breaking into doors by sequencing fingerprints on locks. This isn't a problem for many modern smart locks. Some smart locks have digital dials on their LCD screens that can randomly change the position of each digit, making it more effective at preventing password exposure.

Of course, most smart locks will automatically lock and sound an alarm after a few incorrect password or fingerprint attempts to prevent thieves from cracking the code. Some locks may also be set to allow further attempts only after a few minutes. Some high-end fingerprint locks also have a duress alarm function. This function involves adding a specific location for fingerprint recognition; if someone is forced to open the door, pressing a specific finger on this location will trigger an alarm upon fingerprint matching.

Smart door locks not only integrate common unlocking methods such as access cards, passwords, and fingerprint recognition, but also network-based unlocking methods like Bluetooth and mobile apps. If an access card is lost, it only needs to be reset, and the other access cards can still be used, while the lost card is disabled. There's no need to change the lock, making it both secure and convenient.

Smart door locks have essentially freed up our pockets. Just like how we can now go out without cash, smart door locks don't require keys or access cards, making them extremely convenient.

Some smart locks also allow you to set specific access cards or fingerprints to unlock during designated time periods, as well as remote unlocking, ensuring security after get off work hours or during holidays. For landlords of rental properties, using smart locks eliminates the need to replace the lock each time a tenant changes; they can simply be reset. Even if the tenant doesn't have their key, the landlord can remotely unlock the lock to address any unforeseen needs.

Some smart locks can be set to notify the owner via SMS and app when the door is opened, providing timely reminders. This can be helpful for households with young children, dogs that can pull door handles, elderly people with dementia, or those suffering from depression. Smart locks can also record door opening and closing information, which can be used via the app to determine if children have returned home on time after school or to detect elderly people who have been out for extended periods without supervision.

In addition, some high-end residential communities in China have adopted smart door locks with facial recognition for access control systems, including access control for each unit. This is very convenient for people who like to exercise or take walks. They don't need to carry keys or access cards when they go out. They can simply scan their face to enter and exit the community and unit, and scan their fingerprint or use a password to enter their home.

In the field of smart locks, other recognition technologies have also begun to be applied, such as contactless recognition, which collects fingerprint data by taking a photo. It is not affected by whether the fingers are dry or wet and leaves no trace. However, its application is not yet widespread. Some smart locks even use vein recognition, which is more reliable than fingerprint recognition. However, its development is still in its infancy, and it is unknown whether it will have a place in the future. Complete live fingerprint recognition and iris recognition are only used in specific situations, such as customs and security, due to cost and response speed considerations.

Some smart locks come with cameras and network capabilities, allowing for remote monitoring and viewing of your front door. Smart locks without cameras can still be used with various smart home products, such as smart doorbells, for remote monitoring and unlocking. Other smart locks can connect to WeChat, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and the cloud. Some even support NFC functionality, allowing smartphones and smartwatches to be used as keys and communicate with the lock.

Therefore, the integration of smart door locks with smart homes will generate many new applications and functions, and its future is limitless.

Abroad, on the one hand, smart locks enable convenient delivery of packages to the door when no one is home, as Amazon has already implemented; on the other hand, the labor costs for the last mile of delivery are very high overseas, and some companies are planning to use drones and robots for delivery, which can easily communicate with smart locks, allowing packages to be delivered even when no one is home.

The homestay industry, including Airbnb, is developing very rapidly. If smart homestays also implement smart door locks, then homeowners can easily receive batches of guests without worrying about the risks associated with reusing traditional lock keys and passwords.

Of course, high-tech products still carry certain risks, especially smart products like smart door locks, which involve home security and are fraught with controversy.

• First, smart locks that retain a keyhole still pose a risk of being pried open . However, smart locks that eliminate the keyhole are extremely difficult to open if the circuitry or system malfunctions or the battery runs out. Therefore, security and convenience are a trade-off.

• Secondly, smart door locks need to strictly control power consumption . Although the motor works for a very short time when the door is opened, smart door locks still consume power when in standby mode. It is necessary to reduce standby power consumption and manage the power well to ensure a sufficient number of openings and a long enough usage time. Smart reminders are also needed to manage power consumption to ensure that the battery life of the smart door lock is not too short and to remind the homeowner to replace the battery in a timely manner.

• Finally, while smart locks offer convenience, it's also important to consider adding security chips , especially when connecting to networks and the cloud, to ensure secure communication.

Avnet's GDS (Global Design Solution) division has also developed a smart lock solution based on the ST platform, which includes the following basic functions:

• Mobile app unlocking via Bluetooth Low Energy, password input via touch keyboard, fingerprint unlocking, NFC unlocking, and one-time temporary password unlocking;

• The system features voice prompts, has a cloud-based interface (the current demo uses a Raspberry Pi 3 as the cloud), and includes a security chip.

This solution provides a development platform for smart lock controller manufacturers, and Avnet's engineers have also done a lot of work on software optimization for standby power consumption, hoping to better serve customers and also optimistic about the rapidly developing and high-potential emerging market of smart locks.