Granting access without handing over a key
A house in Plascassier with its annexe and its store, a flat in the centre let by the week, a workshop set up in a former perfumery: in each case several people need to get in without holding the full set of keys. A code is issued for a period, then revoked. A key handed over, by contrast, is copied without anyone knowing.
The second gain is the time-stamped access log. For business premises or a let property, knowing which identity opened the door and when has real value. It is also personal data: it reveals when people are home, and consulting it assumes that those concerned have been told. In a Magagnosc house let by the week, that log mostly answers whether the cleaner has been in between two arrivals.
There are three families. The motor fitted over the existing cylinder on the inside, reversible, leaving the key working from outside. The smart cylinder, which replaces the barrel alone. And the complete smart lock, which replaces the whole mechanism, but an installation that cannot be undone. The choice therefore rests on the door as much as on the app: a solid timber leaf in the old town will not take everything.
What to check before buying, here in particular
Battery life first. These locks run on cells, and the cold of a Grasse winter night eats into their capacity faster than people expect on an exposed external door. Check exactly what backup is provided — a mechanical barrel, an emergency power contact — before buying: that is what keeps you from standing outside.
Connectivity next. Remote control assumes a gateway and a network that works. In the valleys and along the hamlet tracks, coverage is uneven and the line does not reach everywhere: an outage must never stop you getting into your own home. Here too, the mechanical or local backup is the thing to check. A code sent the night before is worth nothing if the gateway lost the network during an autumn storm.
Finally, mechanical resistance remains that of the door and the mechanism. A smart motor fitted to an ordinary lock does nothing for resistance to forced entry: it is convenience in managing access, not reinforcement. On an old door in the old town, the question of the frame comes before the question of the electronics.
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 Grasse.