Lock Upgrades in Phoenix
New deadbolts, keypad locks and smart locks fitted to the door you have, and what to measure and check before choosing one.
Deadbolts, Keypads and Smart Locks on an Existing Door
An upgrade replaces a lock with a better or different one: a heavier deadbolt with a full-length bolt, a keypad deadbolt that opens with a code, or a smart lock that can be locked, opened and checked from a phone. We fit them to the doors you already have, in place of a worn deadbolt or a knob that has been the only lock on the door.
On most doors, the lock is not the weak point. When a door is forced, it is usually the frame that gives way at the strike, where the bolt sits in a thin strip of trim held by short screws. So a good upgrade covers the strike as well as the lock: a heavier strike plate, fastened with screws long enough to reach the framing behind the trim. If you are still deciding between types, the people using the door and whether you want a key or a code settle most of the choice.
Doors That Are Due for a Better Lock
These signs usually mean a door would do better with a new lock:
- The knob is the only lock on the door, so a spring latch is all that holds it shut.
- The deadbolt’s bolt barely reaches into the frame, or the strike is held by short screws in soft trim.
- The lock is loose, its finish is worn through, or the key turns hard.
- Keys have gone out over the years to family, cleaners and contractors, and nobody is sure how many there are.
- Someone in the house keeps getting locked out.
- There is glass in or beside the door within reach of the inside thumb turn.
A door that takes the full afternoon sun is worth a little thought before you choose: in a Phoenix summer a dark metal finish gets hot to the touch, and heat is hard on the batteries in keypads and smart locks.
What Fitting a New Lock Involves
Locksmith- The Door PrepBackset, bore hole and door thickness, measured against the new lock.
- The Strike and ScrewsA strike set with long screws through the trim into the framing.
- The Door’s FitWhether the door closes square, so the bolt slides home without a push.
- Keys, Codes and BatteriesKeys tried, codes set, batteries fitted, and the app paired where there is one.
- AfterwardsThe lock worked from both sides, with the door open and then closed.
Upgrades and the Doors They Suit
Each kind of upgrade suits some doors better than others:
| Upgrade | Suits which door | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy-duty deadbolt and strike | Front, back and side doors of a house, older ones most of all | Whether the wood at the strike is sound, and how far its screws can reach |
| Keypad deadbolt | Doors used by several people: a family, a rental, guests or a dog walker | Room above the handle for the keypad, the backup key, and how the battery is changed |
| Smart lock | Owners who want to lock, open and check the door from a phone | Wi-Fi or Bluetooth reach at the door, the door’s thickness, and the battery |
| Double-cylinder deadbolt | A door with glass within reach of the inside thumb turn | Whether a key will always hang near the door, since one is needed to get out |
| Handleset with a deadbolt | Front doors where the handle and the deadbolt are one matching set | The spacing between the two holes, which differs from one handleset to the next |
Is a smart lock easier to break into than a keyed deadbolt?
Against force, no: a smart deadbolt throws the same kind of bolt, so the strike and the frame matter just as much. The difference is the codes and the app, which need the same care as any account. Remove the users and codes you no longer need, and keep the app updated.
Can a keypad code be changed when someone no longer needs it?
Yes. Most keypads let you add and delete codes at the lock or in the app, using a master or programming code. That is much of why keypads suit rentals and busy households: a code can be deleted, where a lost key would mean a rekey.
How to Measure a Door for a New Lock
A few measurements tell you whether a new lock will fit the holes already in the door. Take them with the door open:
- Door thickness: measure across the edge of the door. Most house locks fit doors from 1 3/8 to 1 3/4 inch thick, and a thicker door needs a lock made or adapted for it.
- Backset: measure from the edge of the door to the center of the large round hole. It is almost always 2 3/8 or 2 3/4 inch, and many latches adjust to fit either.
- Bore hole: measure across the large hole through the face of the door. The standard size is 2 1/8 inch.
- Edge bore: measure the hole in the door edge where the latch or bolt comes through, usually 1 inch.
- Faceplate: look at the plate around the latch or bolt on the door edge. It may have square corners or round ones, or there may be no plate at all, only a round collar pressed into the hole.
- Spacing: on a door with a knob and a deadbolt, measure from the center of one hole to the center of the other, which matters most for a handleset.
If a measurement does not match the new lock, the door can often still take it: a hole can be bored larger, a latch with a different backset fitted, or a cover plate used over old holes. A door that sticks, or has to be lifted to latch, needs adjusting before any new deadbolt goes on, or the new bolt will bind just as the old one did.
Can a keypad or smart lock use the holes my old deadbolt left?
Usually, yes. Most keypad and smart deadbolts are made for the standard bore and backset, so they fit the holes a standard deadbolt leaves. An unusual backset or a thick door may call for a different model or an adapter kit.
Does a new deadbolt need a new strike plate?
It is worth fitting the one that comes with it. A new strike fastened with long screws that reach the framing does more against a kicked door than the lock alone. If the old strike hole is chewed or the wood is split, that is repaired first, so the new strike has something solid to hold.
Door Details to Write Down First
Before you book a visit, a few notes about the door help match the right lock to it:
- Which door it is: the front, the back, a side door or the door from the garage
- What is on it now: a knob, a lever, a handleset, a deadbolt, or a deadbolt over a knob
- The measurements: thickness, backset, bore hole and the spacing between holes
- What the door is made of: wood, steel or fiberglass, and whether there is glass in or beside it
- Whether a porch roof or an overhang shelters it from monsoon rain and blowing dust
- Who uses it: how many people need a key or a code, and whether you want an app
- The finish you would like to match, such as satin nickel, bronze or black
- Whether the door closes and latches easily now, or has to be pushed or lifted