Last Updated on October 5, 2023
What Happens When Smart Locks Lose Power?
Smart locks need power in order to operate fully and completely. There are two situations where a smart lock may lose power.
- When power is lost in the home
- When power is lost at the smart lock (the battery dies)
Will a Smart Lock Work Without Power in the House?
Battery operated smart locks will work during a power loss. Enrolled users will still be able to open the door without issue. However, the WIFI will go out when the power goes out, and you will lose offsite control until power is restored. Many smart locks sync with Bluetooth as a backup, so if you are within Bluetooth range, the lock’s app may still control the lock.
Read our review of Our Favorite Smart Locks.
Will a Smart Lock Work if the Battery is Dead?
When a smart lock’s battery dies, the electronic methods to open the smart lock no longer work. Users will not be able to use their codes, fingerprints or FOBs to open the lock. However, every smart lock on the market comes with an override method that allows the smart lock to be opened in case the battery dies.
Open With Mechanic Key Override
Many smart locks have a mechanic key override. In some cases, the key location will not be obvious, as it may be hidden by a cover plate.
Open With Electronic Jump Start
Nearly all battery operated locks now have a method to ‘jump start’ them if the lock’s batteries die. Similar to jumping a car’s battery, the jump start will give the lock enough juice to open so that the owner can get into the home or business to access and replace the batteries.
If you see two round metal tabs on the smart lock, the battery jump start is a 9v battery. Push the 9v battery terminals onto these two metal tabs and the lock with come to live so you can enter you code or other credential.
Alternatively, other smart locks are coming with USB, type-c or other ports that allow you to do the same thing.
Read our review of Our Favorite Smart Locks.
