How many spare front door keys do you own right now? One? Two, if you count the rusty one under the planter? No idea, because your kids keep losing them?

Once a spare key is out of your hands, you can’t stop it getting into the wrong hands. Even a trustworthy key holder, like your teen, can lose it. A dishonest key holder, meanwhile, could make a copy, return the original, and leave you none the wiser. And that ‘emergency’ key you cleverly hid by the front door? It’s easier to find than you think.

How does smart home security with remote lock safeguard you?

Safeguard 1: No more keys!

With a CWS Security installed Alarm.com-powered smart lock you can unlock your door in many ways, none requiring a key. You can open the lock with your smartphone app, or as part of an automated Scene, activated from your driveway. You can also use the lock’s keypad, which requires a four-digit user code.

These codes are easy to create and customize, and you can set up different codes for different people: your spouse; your kids; trusted visitors. Unlike a spare key, you can delete a user code: you can set a code to expire after a given date (useful for contractors) or you can delete it manually anytime.

Safeguard 2: Alerts give you awareness

User codes also help you keep track of who’s opening your front door. When someone uses their code, Alarm.com logs the event and can also generate a real-time alert that appears on your phone.
You can set up an alert for every time the door is unlocked, or for specific users only, avoiding ‘alert overload’. As well as enhancing your security, it’s a great way to keep tabs on important things like your kids arriving home safely after school.

Safeguard 3: Front door video verification

If you want to really see who’s coming and going, CWS Security can install a video doorbell alongside your smart lock. With motion-triggered recording, Alarm.com’s doorbell camera can generate a video alert when the door is opened, or when a specific user enters their code.

It also has live video and two-way voice chat, letting you see and talk to whoever’s at your door. If you prefer not to give a user code to a visitor, you can have them ring the doorbell instead, and let them in using the “unlock” icon on your app’s video chat screen.