The Wang family next door was burgled a few days ago! It is said that the thief is quite skilled and can open the old-fashioned pin lock with just a few clicks. Now the whole building was in a panic. My husband was constantly urging me to change the lock, his nagging so much that my ears were calloused: “Who still uses that old antique nowadays?” Not safe! But looking at the various locks, I felt my head spin twice. door lock with keypad, that is, the kind with a keypad for entering passwords, and the extremely popular smart lock nowadays. Which one is more reliable?
To be honest, the kind of password lock like “door lock with keypad” gives a reassuring impression at first glance. There’s no need to bring the key! My habit of being forgetful makes me have to go to a locksmith two or three times a month. Even the old Zhang who makes keys downstairs knows me. Every time he sees me, he smiles. Thinking about going out for a run or taking out the trash in the future, I no longer have to carry the keychain in my pocket with a jingling sound or hide under that flowerpot by the door that’s almost patted. It really makes me feel at ease. Moreover, the structure of this thing looks simple, just a few buttons and a circuit board. Theoretically, the probability of it breaking down is lower? The Li aunt in the neighboring unit has been using it for nearly five years. Apart from the battery running out and giving an alarm once, there’s nothing wrong with it. She praises it every day. Oh, by the way, speaking of batteries, I heard that when the door lock with keypad runs out of power, it’s really a disaster. You have to use a spare mechanical key or connect an external 9V battery for emergency use. It’s troublesome!
Then there are overwhelming advertisements for smart locks. Wow, that feature is so exaggerated! I pressed my fingerprint and it opened with a “swish”. It’s cool, though. For someone like me with shallow fingerprints, my hands are a bit dry in winter and my phone’s fingerprint payment often fails. Can this lock recognize me? My heart is pounding. And that mobile phone APP for remote unlocking sounds high-tech. But what if the phone is lost, infected with a virus, or the network is not good (my Wi-Fi keeps blowing up from time to time), wouldn’t it be impossible to get into the house? What’s even more mysterious is facial recognition. Can it work when the corridor lights are dim at night? Will it recognize wearing a mask and sunglasses? There’s always a joke online that if you take a photo and shake it, the door will open (of course, the manufacturer will definitely say it’s impossible). It sounds so ridiculous. It seems that the more fancy functions there are, the more problems there will be. Take my old microwave oven with Windows system installed at home for example. It keeps freezing and having a blue screen. It’s so annoying! By the way, smart locks are generally much more expensive, enough to buy a lot of pork ribs.
When it comes to safety, this is really a confusing account. The seller of “door lock with keypad” claims that the password lock is highly resistant to technical unlocking, after all, it has no keyhole. The sellers of smart locks also claim that their lock cores are of high grade and that fingerprints are more difficult to replicate than passwords. The lock at Lao Wang’s home is the most common type. It’s estimated that the lock core is of grade A. I checked. Right now, a better lock core should at least be Grade C, right? It seems there are also terms like “Super B grade” and “True C grade”, but I don’t quite understand. Anyway, the lock core is the last line of defense, and this money cannot be saved. By the way, I also heard that someone interfered with an electronic lock with a strong magnet to make it malfunction? I don’t know if it’s true or not. It sounds quite scary.
Oh, I almost forgot. When I left home this morning, my wife asked me to remember to buy milk after work! Look at my memory. Speaking of locking back… One feature of the smart lock really attracts me – it can generate a temporary password. If a relative, friend or cleaning lady comes to your home, there’s no need to come back specially to deliver the keys. Just send a one-time password on your mobile phone. It’s convenient. In this regard, “door lock with keypad” is a bit inflexible. One has to inform others of the fixed password in advance and change it later, which is a bit troublesome. However, do smart locks need to be connected to the Internet? This privacy… The lock has records of who gets home at what time every day. Is this data secure on the manufacturer’s server? On second thought, it feels a bit uncomfortable.
I’ve been torn and torn, and it feels like I’m back in the days when I was a mobile phone. Should I choose Nokia’s drop resistance or Apple’s smart phone? This old-fashioned player, door lock with keypad, is like a simple old buddy. It has a single function but is durable. Even when the power runs out, it can still be pushed with the key. Smart locks are like trendy young people, proficient in all kinds of skills. But if they catch a cold or have a fever (such as system failure, power outage, or poor network), they might just “lie flat” and stop working. After that incident involving Lao Wang, safety must come first. Perhaps… Choose a door lock with keypad but with a top-grade lock core? Or grit your teeth and buy a smart lock from a well-known big brand? After all, no one wants to be the next Old Wang, does they? It seems that a new lock store has opened downstairs. Shall we go and have a look around this weekend? By the way, I bought some milk. Lock, lock! It’s so frustrating!