Market guide
Compare access, platforms and outages
Keep every feature attached to its dependenciesCodes, fingerprints, home key, auto-unlock, Matter and direct Wi-Fi describe different access and control paths. Compare them under normal use, low battery, internet loss and ownership transfer.
01
Local
Separate local entry from remote control
Key, keypad, biometric, interior thumbturn and local Matter behavior can survive different failures. Record the exact behavior instead of calling the lock simply offline-capable.
- Battery
- Compare cell type, service access, warnings, physical key and emergency-power procedure.
- Door state
- A sensor or auto-lock timer cannot overcome a misaligned strike or prove the bolt fully threw.
02
Platform
Map hubs, radios and accounts
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Thread, Z-Wave and brand hubs are not interchangeable. Matter can expose fewer functions than the maker's app.
- Apple
- Apple Home compatibility is not the same as Apple home key or UWB hands-free entry.
- Voice
- Review voice-unlock, household administrator, remote access and recovery settings deliberately.
03
Data
Plan access history and transfer
Codes, fingerprints, names, logs, presence and lock state can live in several accounts and controllers.
- Household
- Document who can invite users, view history, change automations and reset the lock.
- Turnover
- Remove prior administrators and credentials, factory-reset every linked device and prove the new owner's recovery path.
Evidence used
First-party sources behind this guide
- 01Residential lockset and latch standardsBHMA · checked August 17, 2026Open source
- 02Residential building-planning and egress requirementsICC · checked August 17, 2026Open source
- 03Buying or selling a smart homeFTC · checked August 17, 2026Open source
- 04Current smart-lock supportSchlage · checked August 17, 2026Open source