Miah Betz

Purpose: To inform the audience about the new technology of smart locks.
Thesis: I am going to explain what a smart lock is, how it works, and the pros and cons
of having a smart lock in your home.
Organizational Pattern: Topical
I. Introduction
A. Attention getter: College is a crazy time where objects can easily be
misplaced, stolen, or simply forgotten. Keys are definitely in that category.
B. Refer to Audience: How many of you have been locked out of your room this
year? How many of you happened to have your phone with you?
C. Introduction Topic/State Thesis: I am going to explain what a smart lock is,
how different products work, and the pros and cons of having a smart lock in your
home.
D. Establish Credibility: I have been interested in the science behind smart
homes and devices for two years now. After studying smart locks for almost three
week, I have gotten to know the ins and outs of these little devices, and according
to a study conducted by CEA and Parks Associates in October of 2014, 20% of
households will have smart devices within the next year, and 38% will be smart
door locks (Consumer).
E. Preview of Main Points: Lets unlock this new gadget called a smart lock,
break into the varieties, and decode the pros and cons of owning one.
Transition: You may be asking yourself, What exactly is a smart lock?
II. Body
A. What is a smart lock?
1. According to Errett Kroeter of Appliance Design Magazine in his 2014
article titled Bringing the smart Home to Life, smart locks have been
around for a while, but have not been available for non-commercial use
until recent years. Today, companies are coming out with smart locks that
can be purchased at a reasonable price for security and convenience.
2. Based on many articles, I found that smart locks range from deadbolts
that only open when your palm is pressed to it and a code is enter, when

your phone is nearby, if you have your phone and a passcode, or just the
swipe of an icon on your phones screen. They also come with cameras!
Here is an example of one smart lock (play short video).
Transition: Now that you know what a smart lock is, lets look at the varieties.

B. Varieties of smart locks (Show pictures of each)

1. Yale Real Living Electronic Deadbolts for $200 has one master code &
250 4-8 digit codes. Push palm to screen and enter code (Glenn Derene of
Popular Mechanics, Are we ready for Smart Locks 2013).
2. Goji Lock for $299, as seen in the video, uses Bluetooth connectivity to
let the lock know a person is near and, if it is a resident or someone w/ a
digital key, takes a picture & sends to smartphone (Glenn Chapman of
Phys.org in Jan. 2014 Smartphones replace keys in smart door locks).
3. Kwickset Kevo costs $199, and also senses when a residents smart
phone is near, but only opens when the person touches deadbolt (Glenn
Chapman of Phys.org in Jan. 2014 Smartphones replace keys in smart
door locks).
4. Schlages touch-screen deadbolt is also $199, uses phone & unlocks the
door and requires a passcode. Includes alarms (Glenn Chapman of
Phys.org in Jan. 2014 Smartphones replace keys in smart door locks).

Transition: Even with the modern technology behind smart locks, you still may
be wondering if this is a good purchase. Lets decode the pros and cons of
owning one.

C. Pros and cons of owning a smart lock

1

There are many benefits to having a smart lock.

a. convenience of a landlord from 1,500 miles away,
temporary eKey for workers (Jennings Brown from a 2014
article in Esquire titled The insanely smart Home)

b. no keys/ no hassle (Glenn Derene of Popular

Mechanics, Are we ready for Smart Locks 2013)
2

Even with all those positive reasons to own a smart lock, there are
still some drawbacks to consider.
a. device/ maintenance issues such as human error and lack
of internet connection (Jennings Brown of Esquire). More
specifically, signal transfer if moved (Glenn Derene of
Popular Mechanics, Are we ready for Smart Locks 2013)
b. easily hacked in 15 seconds if connected to the internet
through WiFi (Glenn Derene of Popular Mechanics, Are
we ready for Smart Locks 2013).

III. Conclusion
A. Brakelight: We have taken a look into the future today by investigating smart
locks.
B. Restate Thesis/Review: I explained what a smart lock is, how different
products work, and the pros and cons of having a smart lock in your home.
C. Refer to Audience: Next time you get to your dorm room and realize you dont
have your keys, think about how easy it will be for your kids in the future to enter
their room with a smart lock on their door.
D. Closure/Clincher: By the way, do you know where your key is?

References:
Brown, J. (2014). The insanely smart home. Esquire, 162(2), 82
Chapman, G. (Jan. 10, 2014). Smartphones replace keys in smart door locks. Phys.org.
Retrieved from http://phys.org/news/2014-01-smartphones-keys-smart-door.html
Consumer Electronics Association. (10). CEA and parks associates find twenty percent of
U.S. Broadband households to acquire one or more smart home devices within the
next year. Business Wire (English).
Derene, G. (2013). Are we ready for smart locks? Popular mechanics, 190(11), 120.
Kroeter, E. (2014). Bringing the smart home to life. Appliance Design, 62(9), 28-32.