A cape lived in only part of the year
Many homes on Cap-Martin and at Le Cabbé are occupied for part of the year only. Between two stays come a gardener, a pool company, a caretaker, sometimes the agency handling the holiday letting. Every set of keys handed over is one more copy in circulation, and not always one you get back. A keyring in circulation rarely comes back complete, and nobody knows how many copies were cut.
Revocable access settles that: you open a code for the length of a job and close it the same evening. The timestamped log shows who came in and when, which is worth something real to an owner told from abroad that work has taken place at the house. You keep a record of the visit without having to telephone anyone.
Three set-ups exist. A motor fitted inside over the existing cylinder stays reversible and suits a tenant in Carnolès. A smart cylinder replaces the barrel alone. A full smart lock integrates everything, but cannot be removed without leaving marks on the leaf. The choice therefore follows the tenancy as much as the door itself.
The limits worth checking before you buy
Battery life first. These locks run on cells, and the only question that matters is what happens when they are flat: a mechanical backup barrel, an emergency power contact on the face. Check that point before buying, above all for a house nobody visits for weeks at a time. A flat cell in a house shut for the winter cannot be changed from abroad.
Network second. Under the village vaults, in ground floors backed against the rock and deep inside the wooded plots of the cape, coverage is patchy. Remote control needs a bridge and a working router: a broadband outage must never be what stops you getting into your own home. Coverage is checked on the spot, at the door, before anything is installed.
Mechanics last. A smart motor fitted to an ordinary lock adds nothing to break-in resistance: convenience of access and protection are separate subjects. By the sea, expect electronics exposed to salt air to age faster than the same unit on a sheltered indoor landing. The cylinder and the frame remain what actually resists.
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 Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.