A smart lock lets you unlock by phone, code or fob, grant temporary access remotely, and see when the door was opened. Fitted well, on the right door, it is genuinely useful. Fitted to a door that binds, or chosen badly, it is a source of daily irritation.
Typical range: $175–$750 CAD. Ranges are typical for the GTA and depend on the door, the hardware and the time of day. We confirm the price before dispatching.
The door matters more than the lock
This is the thing that determines whether you are happy with a smart lock, and it is almost never discussed at the point of sale. A motorised deadbolt has limited torque. If your door needs a shoulder to close, or the bolt needs the door pulled to throw cleanly, the motor will struggle, jam, and drain batteries fast.
We check the door and correct the alignment before fitting. If the strike needs adjusting or the door needs easing, that is part of the job, and it is why an installation from us behaves differently from the same lock fitted out of the box.
Types and trade-offs
- Retrofit units that replace only the interior thumb-turn — your existing deadbolt and exterior keyway stay. The least invasive option and the right one for renters and for keeping a specific exterior finish.
- Full smart deadbolts replacing the entire lock, with keypad, fob or phone entry and usually a key override.
- Keypad-only locks with no connectivity. Cheaper, no app, no network dependency, and for a lot of households entirely sufficient.
- Connected locks over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Zigbee or Matter. Matter support is worth prioritising on a new purchase, since it avoids being tied to one ecosystem.
- Smart locksets with an integrated handle for doors with no separate deadbolt.
The practical caveats
Batteries. A connected lock on an exterior door in a Canadian winter drains faster than the specification implies, because cold reduces battery capacity. Expect to replace them more often than the box says, and choose a lock with a clear low-battery warning and an external jump-start contact.
Keep a physical key. Whatever the lock does, a key override you have actually tested and stored somewhere accessible is not optional.
And keep some perspective on the security model. A smart lock changes how you open the door, not how strong the door is. A connected deadbolt on a door with an unreinforced strike is still opened by one kick. If you are spending on the lock, spend the much smaller additional amount on the strike.
Where smart locks genuinely earn their place
Rental properties and short-term lets, where codes replace key handovers entirely. Households with children who lose keys. Anyone who needs to let in a cleaner, a dog walker or a contractor without being there. And anyone who wants to know when the door was opened and by whom.
If none of those apply to you, a good conventional deadbolt with a reinforced strike is cheaper, needs no batteries and is not less secure. We will say so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are smart locks secure?
Reputable ones are mechanically as strong as conventional deadbolts, and the electronics on established brands are reasonably well hardened. The realistic weak point is not the lock at all — it is the door and frame. A smart lock on a door with an unreinforced strike is defeated by one kick exactly as a conventional lock would be. Fix the strike; then the lock choice is about convenience.
What happens to a smart lock if the batteries die or the power goes out?
Smart locks run on batteries, so a household power cut does not affect them. If the batteries themselves die, nearly all have a physical key override and many have external contacts where a 9V battery jump-starts the lock. Keep the override key somewhere you can actually get to, and expect faster battery drain in winter than the specification suggests.
Can a smart lock be installed on my existing door?
Almost always, though the door needs checking first. Standard deadbolt preps fit most smart locks, but backset matters — many builder doors use 2-3/8 inch where aftermarket locks assume 2-3/4. More importantly, the door has to close and the bolt has to throw freely, because a motorised bolt has limited torque and a binding door will jam it and drain batteries. We correct alignment as part of the fit.
Which smart lock should I buy?
It depends on what you need it to do, and the honest answer for a lot of households is a keypad lock with no connectivity at all — cheaper, no app, nothing to go wrong. If you need remote access, prioritise Matter support so you are not tied to one ecosystem, and pick something with a clear low-battery warning. Tell us how you actually want to use it and we will recommend accordingly rather than fitting whatever we stock most of.
Smart Locks across the GTA
We provide smart lock installation throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Pick your city for local detail, or call and we will tell you straight away whether you are in range.
Related services
Deadbolts
Deadbolts fitted correctly, with the strike reinforcement that actually determines whether the door holds.
Home Rekeying
New home, lost key or a tenancy change — existing locks re-pinned to a new key at a fraction of replacement cost.
Keypad Entry
Standalone and networked keypads — the simplest way to remove keys from a door, with clear limits worth understanding first.
Door Frame Repair
Split jambs, corroded steel frames and torn-out strikes repaired and reinforced — because no lock is stronger than the frame holding it.