The uses that genuinely hold up here
The main gain is not doing away with keys, it is granting and withdrawing access remotely. When the trade fairs and film shoots fill Cannes, part of the housing stock in Le Cannet goes out on short lets: a code opened for the length of the stay and revoked afterwards spares you the key handover and the copies that never come back.
The second gain is traceability. A time-stamped log of openings is genuinely useful to a landlord managing from elsewhere, or to a shop by the Rocheville market where several people raise the shutter in the morning. You know who came in and when, without having to ask. A badge is deactivated and a code deleted; a lost key is neither.
The third case is the villas of Serra and Les Bréguières, where a gate, a side door, a garage and a plant room all add up. Temporary access given to a gardener or to a contractor working on the restanques is closed again with one action, whereas a lent key stays lent until somebody asks for it back.
Batteries, signal and resistance: three things to check
Battery life first. These locks run on cells, and serious models provide a fallback: a mechanical barrel kept in place, or emergency power from an external cell or a front connector. Ask exactly which one is provided before buying. That point, not the specification sheet, decides whether you ever end up standing outside. Note where the mechanical spare key is kept, too.
Signal next. Bluetooth means being close by, and remote control means a gateway and a working router. Underground garages and cellars in the Rocheville blocks pick up almost nothing, and the stone walls of the village houses cut the signal badly. Check coverage at the exact spot where the lock will go.
Mechanical resistance last: it does not change. A motor fitted to an ordinary cylinder adds nothing against a break-in. On a thick old village leaf, that reversible unit on the inside face is often the only fitting possible without touching the joinery — handy for access, neutral for security. Convenience and burglary resistance remain two separate subjects.
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 Le Cannet.