Opening a right of access, then closing it
The real gain is not doing away with keys, it is cutting off access when you choose. A studio in Le Tenao let by the month, a home help who comes in the morning, a tradesman expected while you are at work in the Principality: a code is opened and then cancelled, with no meeting arranged to collect a keyring. Access can also be limited to set hours, so nothing has to be switched off by hand.
The second gain is the time-stamped log of openings. For a flat let over and over, as many are around the boulevard de la République, knowing who came in and when has practical value, particularly between two inventories. A paper key handover, by contrast, means arranging to meet on a staircase that climbs four levels.
The third is the end of lost duplicates. A fob is deactivated, a code revoked, a stolen phone disconnected from the account. A key dropped on the public stairways climbing towards Les Ligures, on the other hand, means replacing the cylinder. A barrel has to be paid for again every time one goes missing.
What it does not solve in a building here
It adds nothing to mechanical resistance. A motor fitted over an ordinary cylinder leaves the door exactly where it was: convenience and resistance to forced entry are separate subjects, and the second is dealt with on the cylinder, the frame and the locking points. A handier door is not a stronger door.
Nor does it replace the building key. Where the same ring opens the lower entrance, the bin store and the underground car park, the master-key scheme stays mechanical and belongs to the managing agent. The smart lock then covers your landing door alone. Tell the agent if a unit will be visible from the shared landing.
That leaves power and network. Batteries must warn well in advance, and a fallback must exist: a mechanical barrel, or an emergency supply. Check which one before buying. Remote control needs a gateway and a working router, and the thick walls of the pre-war blocks cut the signal more often than people expect. Test the range from the landing before relying on it.
How does this service work?
Techniques, typical situations, standards and things to watch out for: it is all on our smart lock page. This page focuses on what the service involves in Beausoleil.