Change or rekey · Woolwich
Smart Lock Installation
Half the evenings someone asks whether the back door got locked, and nobody is sure.
In plain words
Most of the skill in fitting a smart lock goes into the door rather than the electronics. Motors are patient but not strong, so a bolt that has to be shouldered home will stall, chew through batteries and eventually refuse. The locksmith checks that the bolt slides fully into the strike with the door closed and no hand on it, and corrects hinges, strike pocket or weatherstrip until it does. The bore holes are measured against the new lock's needs, the door's thickness is confirmed, and a reinforced strike goes in with long screws. Only then is the lock mounted, calibrated and programmed.
How the visit goesArthritis has made the small house key hard to grip and turn, especially with gloves on in January. Pressing a few buttons, or tapping a fob against the lock, would make coming home in winter far easier.
Smart Lock Installation
How the visit goes
Measuring the door and its holes
Smart locks are built around the standard residential preparation, so the locksmith measures before choosing. Door thickness is usually between 35 and 45 millimetres; thicker doors need an extension kit and very thin ones may need a different model. The large cross bore for the cylinder, the smaller edge bore for the bolt and the backset from the door edge to the centre of the hole are each checked against the new lock's range. A lever set also needs the handing confirmed. Steel and fibreglass doors, doors with a mortise pocket from an older lock, and doors with glass close to the handle each change what will fit and how it is mounted.
Rekeying the override so the old key retires
Most keypad deadbolts keep a small conventional backup cylinder, and leaving it on the old key would undo half the point of the upgrade. The locksmith removes it, slides the plug out with a follower, repins it to a fresh combination, then cuts and tests new keys. Where the household wants one key for everything and the cylinders share a compatible keyway, the back and side doors are rekeyed to the same combination so a single key runs the override and the mechanical locks alike. Some makers reset the cylinder with a tool and the new key rather than by repinning; the method changes, the outcome is the same. The old key no longer opens any cylinder that was rekeyed.
A written record without your secrets in it
The visit closes with a plain note of what was done: the model fitted, the door corrections made, whether the strike was reinforced, which override cylinder was rekeyed and how many keys were cut, and which other doors were brought onto the same key. What the note never contains is a code, a password or a login; those exist only on your account and in your head. For a tenant, that record is the thing to share with a landlord so both sides know what hardware is on the door and that a working way in exists. For an owner, it simply goes in the folder with the house documents.
Smart Lock Installation
In the van
Hinge shims and long hinge screws
Smart deadbolt or smart lever set
Dry PTFE lubricant
Manufacturer-specified batteries
Wi-Fi bridge or home hub
Smart Lock Installation
What affects the quote
Rekeying the override cylinder and other locks
Repinning the smart lock's backup cylinder to a new key, cutting the keys and bringing the remaining mechanical locks onto the same key are each counted per cylinder and per key.
Number of users and codes to program
Setting up two codes for a couple is different from configuring a household of six plus a cleaner's schedule and a landlord's master. The count of codes and schedules is a fair part of the labour.
Retrofit versus full replacement
An interior-only unit that turns your existing deadbolt involves less door work than a complete new deadbolt with a keypad outside, and the two are quoted differently in both hardware and time.
What to have ready
- Roughly how thick is the door?
- Do you own the home, rent it, or manage it for others?
- How strong is the Wi-Fi signal when you stand at that door?
Smart Lock Installation: questions
QuestionsIs a smart lock as secure as a regular deadbolt?
The part that resists force is the same: a steel bolt, a solid strike with long screws and a door that closes true. Smart deadbolts meet the same residential hardware standards as mechanical ones, and a reinforced strike goes in regardless of which you choose. Where a smart lock adds is on the human side: codes that can be revoked and a door that locks itself, plus, on a key-free model, no keys to copy or lose. Good habits, such as unique codes and updates, keep the electronic side tidy.
I rent. Can I have a smart lock installed?
Yes, with your landlord's agreement first. Tenancy rules in this province expect a tenant to have the landlord's consent before changing a lock, and expect the landlord to have a working way in, so the sensible route is a short conversation and a note of what will be fitted. A retrofit model that mounts inside and keeps the existing exterior lock and key is often the easiest thing for a landlord to say yes to, since the door is unchanged from outside.
How does a smart lock cope with our winters?
Well, with a little planning. Cold reduces battery capacity, so the locksmith fits fresh cells of the type the maker specifies and points you to the low-battery alert, and a new set before the first hard frost is a good habit. The bolt is aligned with clearance so a door that swells or shifts with freeze and thaw does not strain the motor. Keep ice off the keypad, and use lock de-icer only in the key cylinder, never on the touch surface.
Related services
- Deadbolt InstallationThe front door has a handsome lever and a keyed knob, and that is all.
- Lock Replacement & UpgradeThe keys the seller handed over came in a sandwich bag: six unlabelled copies for two locks of different makes from different decades.
- Vintage Mortise Lock ServiceSomeone painted the door years ago without removing the hardware.