Last Updated on July 22, 2024
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 the smart lock links to a hub or direct to your WIFI and the power is lost, what happens?
- When the batteries in the smart lock die, what happens?
Will a Smart Lock Work When Batteries Die?
- When the smart lock battery dies, the electronic methods to open the smart lock will no longer work.
- Users will not be able to open the lock using their codes, fingerprints, or FOBs.
- The smart lock app will no longer be able to communicate with the smart 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.
Will a Smart Lock Work When the House Loses Power?
- Battery-operated smart locks will work during a power loss.
- Enrolled users will still be able to open the door with their code, fingerprint, or FOB without any issues.
- However, the power to the WIFI or the lock’s hub (which connects to the WIFI) will go out.
- Without power to the WIFI/hub, you will lose offsite control via your phone app 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 be able to control the lock when you are within Bluetooth range.
How to Open a Door When the Smart Lock Batteries Are Dead
Open With Mechanic Key Override
Many smart locks have a mechanic key override and you can open the door with a key. 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 life so you can enter your code or another 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.