Right, so you’re sick of keys. Join the club. Lost mine down a drain last Tuesday. Absolute nightmare. Had to climb through the tiny bathroom window like a burglar. Scraped my elbow bad. So yeah, keypad thing sounds good. Punch numbers, door opens. Magic. No more calling Dave the locksmith (seriously, that guy sees me coming).
The Good Stuff (Mostly):
No Keys! Obviously. Biggest win. Can’t lose a code… well, you can forget it, but it’s not physical. Left my keys in the pub once. Never left my PIN in the pub. Small victories.
Handy for Lots of People: Got cleaners? Dog walkers? Annoying in-laws who “pop round”? Give ’em a code! Change it later if they annoy you. Way easier than cutting a zillion keys. Unless you forget you gave the code to Barry from number 42… awkward.
Seems Pretty Secure (Maybe?): Better than that rusty lock your landlord fitted in 1985. Definitely better than hiding a key under the fake rock everyone knows about. Shoulder surfing is a risk – don’t use “1234” or your birthday, obviously. Be smarter! Use your dog’s birthday backwards or something.
Looks Kinda Cool: Feels a bit modern. Less “old shed”, more “slightly futuristic shed”. Shiny buttons!
The Annoying Bits (Oh, There Are Bits):
Forgetting the Stupid Code: This is the big one. You set it to something “easy to remember” like your first pet’s name plus your shoe size, then three months later… blank. Total mind wipe. Standing there in the rain like a lemon, trying every combination involving “Fluffy” and “Size 9”. Happens. More than tech people admit. That little “backup keyhole”? Yeah, hope you know where that key is…
Buttons Get Weird: Ever tried using a public keypad in winter with gloves? Useless. Or after eating sticky pancakes? Syrup + keypad = bad news. Sometimes the buttons just get worn out or mushy, especially the “5” that everyone presses. So you get this door lock with keypad installed, and two years later the “2” button needs a karate chop to work. Annoying.
Batteries Die: It happens. Usually at 2 AM when it’s freezing. That little low-battery beep? Easy to ignore for weeks until silence and a dead lock. Always have spare batteries! Taped inside the fake rock? Maybe not.
Is it Really Safe? Like, a determined thief could maybe brute-force it? Or watch you from a distance with binoculars (creepy!). Or just… kick the door in anyway. A solid door and frame are honestly more important than the lock mechanism half the time. But the keypad feels high-tech, so you think you’re safer. Maybe?
Tech Glitches: Sometimes they just freeze up. Or the display goes wonky. Or it beeps angrily for no reason. Then you gotta Google the manual (if you kept it), find the reset button (tiny, hidden), and reprogram the whole thing. Usually involves holding down “#” while standing on one leg chanting. Okay, maybe not chanting. But it feels like it.
The Weird In-Between Stuff:
Changing Codes: Pro? You can change them easily! Con? You have to remember you changed it. Changed mine after watching a spy movie, felt super secure, then got locked out the next morning. Doh.
Cost: More than a basic lock, less than the fancy fingerprint scanner that hates pizza grease. Is it worth it? Depends how much you hate keys and how good your memory is.
Backup Keys: You need one. Seriously. Don’t let the installer leave without giving you a physical key and HIDING IT SOMEWHERE SAFE (not under the mat!). Defeats the “keyless” bit a little, but essential.
My Verdict? Honestly, I like mine. Mostly. When I remember the code and the batteries are fresh and my fingers aren’t sticky. It’s convenient. Feels more secure than the old lock, even if a pro burglar wouldn’t care. Just… have that backup key handy. And maybe write the code down somewhere not stuck to the doorframe. Like inside your phone case? Or tell your neighbour you trust. Mine knows mine. Hope she doesn’t lose it… or tell Barry.