Smart Lock Installation, Fitted to the Door Properly
A smart lock is still a lock. It has to line up with the frame, throw a bolt cleanly and hold up to a Missouri winter. Most of the smart lock complaints we get called out to are not software problems at all: the lock was fitted to a door that had dropped, or the motor is fighting a misaligned strike plate and chewing through batteries because of it.
We install keypad and app-controlled locks across West St. Louis County, for homeowners, landlords and small businesses. We check the door before anything is fitted, install the hardware, set up the physical side so it operates correctly, and hand it over working. If the door needs adjusting first, we will tell you that rather than bolting a new lock onto an old problem.
Thinking about a smart lock? Call (636) 628-7803. We are out seven days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM.
Before You Buy a Smart Lock
Five minutes of checking saves a lot of disappointment. If you are buying the lock yourself, look at these before you order:
- Door thickness. Most smart locks fit standard doors, but thicker or older doors may need an extension kit that is not in the box.
- Backset. The distance from the edge of the door to the centre of the hole. It is usually 2 3/8 or 2 3/4 inches, and the lock has to match.
- Deadbolt or handle. Some smart locks replace only the deadbolt and leave your handle alone. Others replace both. Decide which you actually want.
- How the door sits now. If you currently have to lift or push the door to lock it, a motor will have to do the same thing every single time. Fix the alignment first.
- How it connects. Bluetooth-only locks work from your phone at the door. Remote access from anywhere needs Wi-Fi or a hub, and that is a different product at a different price.
- Keyed override. Some models have no keyhole at all. That is a real decision, not a detail. Think about how you would get in with a flat phone and a flat battery.
Send us a photo of your door and the existing lock and we will tell you what fits before you spend anything.
Service Feature Highlights
- Locally owned and operated
- Licensed, bonded and insured
- Open every day, 8 AM to 10 PM
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Upfront pricing
- Door checked before fitting
- Homes, rentals and businesses
Smart Lock Questions
Will a smart lock fit my door?
Usually, but it is worth checking rather than assuming. The three things that decide it are the thickness of the door, the backset, and whether the existing hole was drilled to the standard size.
Older doors, storm doors, narrow-stile aluminium doors and anything custom-built are the ones that catch people out. Send a photo when you call and we will tell you what will work before you buy.
What happens when the batteries die?
They rarely die without warning. Most locks flash, beep or send a notification for weeks beforehand, and batteries typically last several months to a year depending on how often the door is used.
If they do go flat, it depends on the model: many have a keyed override, and some have contacts on the outside that let you hold a 9-volt battery against them to get one more turn. This is exactly why we ask whether you want a keyed override before you buy. Keep a physical key somewhere off the property regardless.
Do I need Wi-Fi for a smart lock to work?
Not for the lock itself. A keypad lock works entirely on its own. You type a code and the bolt turns, with no network involved at all. For a lot of households that is all they actually wanted.
Wi-Fi or a hub is only needed for the remote features: unlocking from somewhere else, checking whether the door is locked while you are out, or getting an alert when somebody comes in. If you do not need those, a simpler lock is cheaper, has better battery life and has less to go wrong.
Are smart locks actually secure?
A good one, fitted properly, is as strong as a good deadbolt, because underneath the electronics that is what it is. The bolt, the strike plate and the screws going into the frame are still what stops a door being kicked in.
The honest risks are ordinary ones: a code you gave a contractor and never removed, a code somebody watched you type, or a cheap lock with a flimsy bolt. We fit the hardware and set up the physical side; the account and password side is yours to keep sensible, and we will walk you through it before we leave.
Can you fit a lock I have already bought?
Yes, that is a normal job for us and there is no markup on hardware you have already paid for.
Tell us the make and model when you book so we can check it suits your door before we arrive. If it turns out to be the wrong fit, we would rather find that out on the phone than have you standing there with an opened box you now cannot return.
I have a rental property. Are smart locks worth it?
For a lot of landlords, yes. Changing a code between tenants takes seconds and costs nothing, where rekeying means booking a visit. You can also give a contractor a code that works for one afternoon.
Two things to weigh up. Tenants have to be comfortable with it, and somebody has to own the account, so decide up front whether that is you or them, because sorting it out later is awkward. If you would rather keep it simple, rekeying between tenants is still a perfectly good answer and we do plenty of it.
