Technology touches so many areas of our domestic lives. Homes are becoming automated, and increasingly filled with intelligent appliances. When we’re away, we monitor them with smart cameras, connected alarm systems and other sensors. We back up treasured photos, music collections and more with personal cloud devices. Yet until now, most of us have chosen to secure our homes – and their super-smart contents – with a technology invented thousands of years ago. Times are changing, however, as real-world use-cases of smart door locks become more compelling.

For one, the integration of smart door locks and automation enables better domestic service delivery. Different kinds of service providers – telecoms companies, utilities, smart-home specialists, home care providers, holiday rental agencies and more – have already identified this opportunity and the benefits of integrating smart home or ‚home automation‘ technology. For this new generation of service providers, the smart home starts with a smart door lock.

The Rise of Connected Services
In Sweden, customers of a PostNord pilot scheme no longer wait at home for a postal delivery nor do they have a valuable package left on their doorstep. They can have parcels delivered inside their front door, if it is equipped with a Yale Doorman smart lock. This integrated, opt-in service works via a single-use PIN code ‚digital key‘ issued automatically to an authorized PostNord driver. According to Accenture, the parcel delivery services market will grow by $343 billion by 2020. New delivery providers who rethink their service around convenience will grab much of that growth.
In Italy, Home at Hotel holiday rental apartments are secured with an Entr smart door lock. This integrates with the Sclak smartphone-managed cloud key management system, making it possible for guests to enjoy their stay without key hassles. Home at Hotel can now easily deliver value-added services, including grocery shopping and extra cleaning on demand.
Another Entr integration, Hoom Vip, helps holiday lettings landlords save time wasted on key management. They simply send their guest a digital key remotely via the Hoom Vip app, or even an SMS. With no need for a physical key handover at check-in or check-out, it’s easy to offer 24-hour self-check-in – an essential feature of Airbnb’s ‚Business Travel Ready‘ status. An owner can open their Entr lock remotely from the Hoom Vip app, check door status in real time and see who has opened the lock.

Opening Doors to Connected Living
Ecosystem integration, of course, is key to solving the puzzle of home automation. Verisure, Europe’s #1 alarm monitoring company, offers more than just protection against intruders. Its growing smart security solution includes climate control, fire brigade integration, energy, insurance and more, within a single platform. Now in Scandinavia, they add seamless door control with the Yale Doorman smart door lock. Homeowners can issue personal unlock codes for long-term use by residents; short-term codes for daily or one-time unlocking; and scheduled, time-controlled codes for use by regular, occasional visitors – so it’s easy to admit a cleaner, carer or cat-sitter at scheduled times only. „Being able to switch off the alarm when unlocking and locking also creates a seamless experience,“ says Fredrik Ringborg, Sales Development Manager and Head of Alliances at Verisure.
In Turkey, around 1,700 smart door locks are installed at Future Park, a new Istanbul automated apartment development. Residential technology specialists Aypro designed an app-powered home management system with an integrated Yale smart door lock.
Industry analysts IHS Markit suggest smart speakers are becoming a ‚critical entry point‘ to residential IoT. In the UK, Yale Keyfree and keyless smart door locks work with Samsung Smart Things to enable door control via the Amazon Echo smart speaker range. Say, „Alexa, lock my lock“ and your wishes are carried out. Can’t remember if you locked up at night? Ask, „Alexa, is my lock locked?“ By the end of 2021, according to IHS Markit, the installed base for smart speakers globally could be 328 million – a mass portal for connected service delivery.

Easy Third-Party Integration is Critical
Locks meet multiple geographical standards and norms, use multiple door materials and profiles and come in many lock types. Indeed, they are almost as individual as the people who live behind them. To select the right door lock for any smart home system or service, you need a partner who understands door complexity. A global reach is essential because, however smart your lock, it must also be compatible with European, Scandinavian and other relevant door profiles and standards. If you intend to deliver services in more than one country, you may need more than one type of lock hardware to integrate seamlessly with your solutions.
Assa Abloy locks, including the Entr, support various wireless technologies to connect with hubs and other devices. Connectivity options include Z-Wave, ZigBee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Assa Abloy partner’s proprietary technologies and more. An expert team of the