With Smart Homes growing increasingly popular, people are looking for good ways to integrate technology into every aspect of their residence for convenience and security.
Smart locks are just one of the many ways homeowners can better secure the entrances to their properties and keep track of any attempts at unauthorized entry.
However, until recently, there hasn’t really been a good solution for integrating a smart lock onto a sliding glass door, such as the kind many people have leading to their outdoor patios. This limitation posed a problem for people who wanted to integrate these doors into their smart home system.
Luckily, a few companies have noticed this need, and some selections are now available for this specific market. Our testers decided to review the options and provide you with feedback on the best ones currently available and their smart features. Here are our product reviews for the best sliding door smart locks.
What Is A Sliding Door Smart Lock?
A smart lock provides an alternate way to enter your door, using fingerprint access, password, or even a Bluetooth signal via a smart devices. A sliding door smart lock provides this same technology to your glass doors, allowing you to also enter that area without using a key. Some of these can also give you peace of mind when you’re away from home by allowing you to remote access your patio door and also provide you with the ability to see if anyone unauthorized has tried to enter it.
Why You Should Consider Getting a Sliding Door Smart Lock
The primary reason many homeowners choose smart locks is due to the added control and security they provide to the house. However, many reasons exist as to why a sliding door smart lock would make a good addition to your home.
Extra Security
It’s common knowledge that many burglaries occur when the perpetrator enters a home through a patio door. Typically, patio door locks are thought to be less secure, and you often find them in the back of the house, which provides extra cover for suspicious activity away from the main road.
A smart lock on your sliding door will help deter this type of break-in and provide additional security. Not only are smart locks harder to get through than regular sliding door locks, but some of them also alert the homeowner to any suspicious activity, such as someone trying to type in the wrong access codes or using a device to try and bypass the lock. When you couple your smart lock with a security camera in the area, you will see who’s approaching your door and recognize if anyone is trying to bypass your lock.
Some smart locks can also integrate with home security systems, providing you with even more safety by having the lock automatically notify the police if someone tries to break into the door or providing you with alerts on your smartphone.
Peace Of Mind
One of our reviewers mentioned how almost every time she left the house, she questioned whether she left her sliding back door unlocked by accident. Maybe her kids had forgotten to lock it after coming inside from the backyard, or her husband left it unlocked after taking out the dog?
With certain smart locks for your sliding door, you will never have to have worries like those ever again. Some of them allow you to check the “lock” status remotely from your phone and lock it remotely if needed. So even if you’re far from home and realize that you may not have locked the sliding door, you won’t have to ask a neighbor or return home to secure it.
Flexibility
Smart locks often allow you to set temporary passwords that allow visitors to enter during a specified time. You can quickly swap these codes whenever necessary, allowing for almost unlimited combinations. Perhaps you want a neighborhood teenager or pet sitter to enter your home while you’re on vacation. You can simply assign a temporary passcode to give them access to your home when you’re away.
They also allow for recognition of multiple fingerprints so you can assign profiles to family members and anyone else that you authorize to access your home.
This measure eliminates the need to hand over a key (which someone could potentially copy without permission) and allows the person to enter your home during the times you designate. Some models may also allow you to check in to ensure that the person did come to your home when they said they would because you’ll receive a notification when they entered the code and opened the door.
Best Sliding Door Smart Locks
Yale Assure Lock for Andersen Patio Doors
This smart lock is compatible with all types of Andersen patio doors. It allows you to lock, unlock, and monitor your patio door from wherever you are, eliminating the need to carry around a key. Simply use the Yale Access App to control your lock.
You can choose from three colors (black, satin nickel, and white) to best match your door and style. The lock also works with various voice commands, including Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. In addition, it has a 9V battery backup which means you’ll never lose power to it, even during a blackout.
Our reviewer really liked that it was easy to install and has a door position sensor that can tell you if the door is actually opened or closed at any given time. That’s a good feature for people with children who might go in and out of the door frequently throughout the day and neglect closing it all the way.
Yale Assure Lock for Andersen Doors Specs
- Lock Type: Keypad lock
- Dimensions: 1.1 x 1.9 x 12 inches
- Connectivity: WiFi and Bluetooth
- Control Method: App
- Warranty: 1-year electronic warranty, lifetime limited for finish and mechanical operation
AutoSlide Automatic Patio Door Starter Kit
The AutoSlide automatic patio sliding door smart sensor is centered on convenience more than security. It attaches to existing patio doors of all types to provide a way for your sliding doors to open and close automatically to provide easy access into and out of your home.
It comes in both black and white to best blend in with your existing door and your overall aesthetic. This product provides the most basic first step toward automating your sliding door.
You can upgrade to the Autoslide iLock feature to automatically lock the door when it closes, and also a pet door option that only allows your pet to open the door when it wears a special RFID tag. You customize the distance the pet needs to be from the door to open it.
Our tester liked that he could access his patio hands-free from inside the house, which proves helpful when carrying food or drinks outdoors and enhances the ability to entertain seamlessly.
AutoSlide Automatic Patio Doors Specs
- Lock Type: Keypad lock
- Dimensions: 23 x 6 x 5 inches
- Maximum Door Width: 38 inches (with included tracks, optional extension rack available)
- Connectivity: None
- Control Method: Automatic to manual mode with RFID option
- Power Supply: 4 CR2 batteries
Dioche Fingerprint Smart Lock Deadbolt
The Dioche sliding door smart lock not only supports fingerprint unlocking (up to 100) but also works with passwords (up to 50), IC cards (up to 50), and a mechanical key. It works with all kinds of sliding doors (even screen doors) and does not require a specific brand.
Many people find it useful on apartment balconies and condos, where they want added security but cannot make extensive modifications to the door. It also has a phantom password feature that allows you to input any random numbers before or after the correct password to prevent someone from watching the numbers you type to open the door.
The downside of this product is that it does not have Bluetooth or WiFi capabilities, so you cannot monitor it remotely via an app. Therefore, although it does provide enhanced security, it does not have the added capabilities to lock the doors remotely or receive alerts when someone attempts to open the door.
Dioche Fingerprint Smart Lock Specs
- Lock Type: Fingerprint/Keypad/ Card Reader Digital Lock
- Dimensions: 1.5 inches (40 mm wide)
- Connectivity: None
- Power Supply: 4 x AAA batteries
- Warranty: None noted. Contact seller
Gateman G-Swipe Fingerprint Biometrics Vertibolt
This biometric lock has two options for access, a PIN code or a fingerprint. The keypad is invisible for aesthetics and added security. You can only see the keypad when you touch the screen with your palm.
This bolt lock has the added security features of a double-action open/close button that helps prevent break-ins and an auto-locking feature that automatically locks the door after checking that it’s properly closed. Also, an alarm will go off anytime some attempts to damage or disengage the lock or if it detects high temperatures from a fire.
The Gateman is one of the few types of this lock that will work with sliding patio doors.
Gateman G-Swipe Fingerprint Lock Specs
- Lock Type: Fingerprint/Keypad
- Dimensions: 2.36 x 1.18 x 0.04 inches
- Connectivity: None
- Power Supply: 4 x AAA batteries
- Warranty: None noted. Contact seller
Things To Consider Before Buying A Sliding Door Smart Lock
Since sliding door smart locks are relatively new to the market, there aren’t as many overall reviews or feedback on the existing models as you will see for smart locks that fit on regular front doors. Hopefully, the market will continue to expand as manufacturers realize the need for this type of product.
In the meantime, our reviewers were pleased with the features of the ones we tested out and had some recommendations for things you might want to consider when shopping for a smart door lock.
How Much Security Do You Need?
As you can see from the products we reviewed here, different smart locks provide different levels of security. If you’re looking more for the convenience of not carrying a key or for features like a door opening for your pet to go outside, you may not need a model with the most security features.
However, suppose you’re looking to integrate it with your home’s security system and receive various alerts regardless of your location. In that case, you will likely need a system with advanced security features.
For a sliding door, since you likely won’t have a video doorbell as an extra form of security, you may want to consider adding a few motion sensors or video cameras to complement your smart lock.
What Technology Do You Want Or Need?
Similar to the amount of security you require, the type of technology you need plays a similar role in the sliding door smart lock you choose. However, since the market doesn’t currently have a lot of options with advanced technology features, you are somewhat limited in the amount of technology available for your sliding door. Front door smart locks currently have many more options.
However, if you have an Anderson sliding door and technology is essential to you, the Yale Assure Lock for Andersen® provides you with basically everything that you need. It integrates with your voice control assistants and has a compatible app that allows you to monitor your door remotely.
None of the other options for sliding doors on our list provided this much technology and management ability. So, if technology is very important to you, and you don’t have an Anderson sliding door, you may want to consider holding off a bit longer until the market demand forces companies to create better options.
What’s Your Budget
Of course, you should always consider how much you want to spend on these added features for your home, whether it’s a smart lock for your sliding or front door. Locks with more technology and features will undoubtedly cost you more money upfront. However, options also exist for a more limited budget, providing an extra layer of security or convenience without breaking the bank.
Are You Willing To Replace Your Door To Install A Smart Lock
Most of the smart locks we reviewed and discussed here will work with various types of sliding doors, sometimes even screen doors. However, the one smart lock with the most technological and security features only works with Anderson brand sliding doors.
Again, if having all of those added features is essential to you, you’re only option right now may be to replace your existing sliding door with an Anderson one that’s compatible with the Assure Lock.
Of course, that will cost a lot more money. However, if you’re in the market for new sliding patio doors, you may consider the options that work with that lock.
Is A Sliding Door Smart Lock Worth It?
We think it’s worth investing in things that bring us extra peace of mind about our homes and provide added security to our families, so in general, we are big fans of smart locks. We also like the convenience of allowing multiple people access without providing a physical key. It works well for pet sitters, house cleaners, or anyone who may need to access your home while you’re away.
However, we will point out that currently, the available smart lock options for sliding doors are not that extensive, and it’s a market that doesn’t have much selection. Likely it has to do with the fact that so many different sliding doors exist, and they don’t use a deadbolt, which makes it harder to create a universal lock that will work with all of them.
We think a smart lock for your sliding door is worth it if you have children that run in and out of the sliding patio doors frequently or that need to enter through that door to get in the house after school. We also like the added security they provide in better protecting the door against a break-in since it’s harder to tamper with a smart lock than a regular lock.
Wrapping It Up
The smart lock for the sliding door market is still very small, and few high-tech products exist yet in this niche. However, a couple of strong contenders can help you feel more secure about your sliding patio door.
Based on their research, our reviewers seem to think that more brands and manufacturers will start to create products to meet this need, so in the coming months and years, you’ll find even more options with improved features.
In the meantime, the presented options should help fill the gap in finding a smart locking solution for your sliding door.
We hope you enjoyed reading about the best sliding door smart locks for your home. If you want the latest reviews, sign up for our newsletter!
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