Yale are introducing electronic door locks to the UK market, but are keen to find out if Britons will fall in love with the dream of central locking their houses.
The lock maker points out that Asia has quickly embraced the idea of having a battery powered lock, giving people keyless secure entry to their homes.
However, the success of the project leans upon us trusting the technology enough to rid ourselves of our traditional keys.
Convenient
"Digital door locks are the newest and most convenient way of securing your home," Yale's Matt Eastham told TechRadar.
"They have been hugely successful in Asia, where they can be found on the front doors of thousands of homes and Yale are now introducing an electronic door lock for residential properties here in the UK. Keyless and easy to install, it offers real convenience.
"The battery-powered lock is operated with an electronic iButton key fob or your own personal numerical code of 4-12 digits, and comes with a mechanical key override in the extreme event of electronic failure."
It aint broke
Of course, many people's response may be that a normal lock has provided security for many years and won't suffer from the glitches that electonric equipment often succumbs to, but Eastham insists that there are key benefits to the change.
"Electronic locks have benefits for all kinds of different people," added Eastham.
"Residential landlords can 'change' the locks between tenants by simply changing the access code or reprogramming the iButtons, rather than replacing the existing mechanical lock.
Lost keys - no problem
"Elderly people can share their code with relatives and carers, making access easier, and for families, an electronic lock means they no longer have to worry about teenagers losing their keys – instead, all they need to do is remember a code, similar to their cash card pin number."
The prospect of locking all doors and windows with a flourish over our shoulder like we do with our ca, or getting into our properties with a fingerprint inevitably appeal –and this appears to be the first stage in that dream.
Of course, as committed technophiles we at TechRadar welcome the arrival of electronic locks – even if we remain scared of someone 'hacking' into our house, like someone in a Michael Marshall Smith novel.
