Smart locks are an increasingly common sight around neighborhoods. These gadgets bring some modern amenities to your front door, letting you eschew your traditional key to operate your deadbolt with a password, fingerprint, or Bluetooth. If you’re curious to learn more about smart locks before adding one to your home, here’s everything you could want to know.

At its most basic, a smart lock is an electronic lock that connects to your home and lets you open your door without needing a traditional key. This can be done using a keypad, smartphone app, and sometimes a fingerprint scanner.

There are a variety of reasons for adding one to your home, but one of the main reasons why homeowners prefer smart locks over traditional locks is their versatility — letting them give temporary passwords to visitors, removing the need to make copies of keys for family members, and providing peace of mind when away from home.

If you’re not ready for an all-digital door, you’ll be glad to know that many smart locks include a traditional keyhole in their design. This means you’ll benefit from all the smart home features while still being able to access your home with a key (a great option if the lock’s batteries die).

If you are using a keyless model and the battery dies, most offer some sort of way to manually power the lock (such as with a 9-volt battery), giving you enough juice to get into your home.

You’ll also be happy to know that smart locks are just as secure as traditional locks, and you won’t have to trade safety for convenience when adding one to your front door. Keyless smart locks are increasingly popular, as they’re often more challenging for a burglar to crack than a standard lock since there’s no keyhole to pick. Some obscure models might be susceptible to hacking, although models from trusted brands are typically ironclad.

Smart locks bring a myriad of features to the table. These vary based on the exact model you’ve purchased, with premium locks typically offering more than their budget counterparts. Here’s a quick look at some of the tasks smart locks can perform.

If you’re ready to upgrade, we’ve compiled a detailed list of the best smart locks of 2023. But if you don’t want to wade through all the options, here are three standouts that are among the best on the market.

Clocking in at $230, this smart lock brings heaps of functionality to the table — and looks good doing it. The Buy at Amazon connects directly to your home network without the need for a bridge or extra hardware, making setup a breeze. Once it’s done, you’ll benefit from a powerful smartphone app, an option to automatically lock/unlock based on your location, and compatibility with all of today’s hottest smart home ecosystems.

There’s no need to break the bank to install a smart lock, and nowhere is that more apparent than with the $130 Buy at Amazon . Easy to install, stylish, and with a smartphone app that lets you remotely control the deadbolt, few products offer this sort of bang for your buck.

It’s not cheap, but the Yale Assure Lock 2 is one of the best smart locks available. Several different formats are up for grabs (including touchscreen and keyless options), and if you spring for a Wi-Fi-enabled model, you’ll gain access to your front door while away from home. Toss in the ability to create temporary profiles and monitor activities, plussupport for Apple Home, Alexa, and Google Home, and you’ve got a well-rounded smart lock that’s a great fit for most households.