Introduction
As more and more homeowners are embracing connected home living, smart home locks have become an incredibly popular alternative to conventional deadbolts and door latches. These high-tech devices allow keyless convenience, along with remote access, and simple integration with almost any smart home architecture. But, with that convenience comes a question it would be irresponsible to avoid: “Are smart locks safe?”.
In this guide, we’ll investigate what, if anything, makes smart locks secure, as well as whether manufacturers can defend against hacking or physical tampering. Not only that, but we’ll look at why it’s important to think about these things, particularly if you’re considering upgrading your own home’s locks to connected smart locks.
First, let’s look at the core security challenges and how those challenges are addressed with built-in security. Then we’ll tackle the most common concerns from consumer and tech standpoints, like attacks and battery failures, while explaining how industry standards and certifications can help ensure ongoing reliability. Before we wrap up, we’ll look at one of the leading types of biometric smart locks available today, the palm-vein smart lock, and why it provides state-of-the-art security and reliability.
1. Security Features of Smart Locks
Smart home locks typically implement multiple layers of defense and security to protect your entryway. First, all wireless communication, across all channels, is encrypted to prevent eavesdropping or malicious command injection.
Smart lock security goes well beyond radio security, though, and many brands also integrate tamper-detection sensors. These include accelerometers that sense shocks or forced movement, and cameras. Some models also include door position sensors that alert you audibly or via a digital device that the door was left open, or opened without authorization.
While a relatively common countermeasure in other digital devices, applying firmware integrity checks to smart home locks ensures that only official firmware updates can be applied. This prevents hackers or unauthorized users from updating the firmware with malicious code that allows entry or bars the authorized users.
On top of all that, biometric locks add another layer of very powerful protection. Fingerprint, facial scan, and palm-vein door locks authenticate legitimate users based on unique and hard-to-replicate biological traits. With Lockin Veno devices, for example, all authorized and enrolled biometric templates are stored in a tamper-resistant enclave, and all matching is done locally, so biometric data never leaves the unit.
Together, encrypted communications, physical‑tamper sensors, firmware safeguards, and state-of-the-art biometrics help create a defence-in-depth that adds multiple layers to your Swiss-cheese model and rivals high-security commercial lock systems.
2. Addressing Common Security Concerns
Replay and Relay Attacks
A replay attack is when someone listens in on your digital communications and eavesdrops on your entry door’s Bluetooth unlock command, recording it to replay later to gain unauthorized entry. This is a common attack for wireless entry systems, but modern smart locks counter this with rolling Bluetooth code algorithms and advanced challenge/response protocols.
Each unlock command uses a one-time nonce, which is a one‑time, random or pseudo‑random value used in cryptography, and the accompanying app or device creates a matching response with a shared secret key. Since the nonce changes each session and the secret key is never transmitted, any replayed messages are automatically rejected as invalid.
Physical Tampering & Attack Protection
A determined attacker may try to drill through or pry off the outside unit. Tamper-detection systems feature accelerometers to sense sudden shocks or unexpected movement, like rotation beyond normal use. When the tramper systems are activated, the lock will typically enter a “lockdown” mode where it locks the deadbolt, sounds an alarm, and sends all connected digital devices a push notification about the breach. Models with video, like the Veno series’ AI-powered 2K camera, will automatically begin recording video in an attempt to document the incident.
Power-Failure Safeguards
One of the biggest concerns for anyone moving to a smart home lock system from a conventional door latch or deadbolt setup is the power-outage or dead-battery scenario. What happens if the batteries go out while you’re out running errands?
Well, in most cases, you’ll know that your batteries are going to die far in advance. Also, firmware monitors the battery voltage, and when the state-of-charge becomes too low for reliable operation, the system will issue a low-power alert via the inside unit or the app, far in advance of performance degradation. In some cases, the lock may have a standby or low-power “hibernation” mode that shuts down extraneous functions to preserve power for a final mechanical or app-based unlock.
If the low-power warnings and battery replacement notifications go unaddressed, eventually the unit will run out of power, as nearly all consumer units on the market require batteries. But any reputable lock manufacturer will include a conventional lock tumbler and key for emergencies. The cylinder is usually hidden behind a hidden panel or accessed with a hidden button push.
By combining dynamic encryption, tamper sensors, and fail‑safe mechanical backups, modern smart locks address the vulnerabilities that once limited electronic access control.
3. Industry Standards and Certifications
Smart lock manufacturers need to align with both mechanical security benchmarks as well as the complex landscape of electronic/data‑privacy regulations to cultivate and retain consumer trust. Here, we’ll look at some of the most important standards and certifications to look for in your home’s potential smart lock choice.
Mechanical and Durability Ratings
ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 Certification
The American National Standards Institute and the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association both rate locks according to mechanical security, cycle-life expectancy, and finish durability. Grade 1 is the top tier of residential & commercial performance and requires 250,000 cycles of bolt extension/retraction and resists 800 lb‑ft of torque on levers and deadbolts.
UL 294 Access‑Control Standard
The UL 294 standard from the Underwriters Laboratories directly evaluates electrically‑controlled locking assemblies for resistance to forced-entry, fire and smoke exposure, and emergency egress ability. All devices with this certification must perform under extreme mechanical and environmental stress, reliably.
Data Protection and Privacy Standards
GDPR and CCPA Compliance
Many brands of smart locks are available in both the US and Europe, which means they need to abide by or align with a long and complex array of regulations that dictate how biometric data and similar privacy information are to be handled. In the EU, this means adhering to the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which creates a strict framework for the collection and storage of biometric data.
Security Evaluation Frameworks
ISO/IEC 15408 Common Criteria
Typically referred to as the “common criteria,” ISO/IEC 15408 is an international framework for evaluating the security of various IT products. It assesses development practices, measures taken for threat mitigation, and other assurance measures. For example, a smart home lock assessed at level 2 or 3 demonstrates robust development controls and resistance to common attack vectors.
Biometric Performance Standards
As a relatively new digital standard, biometric modules undergo specialized testing, like ISO/IEC 19794‑5 for facial recognition or ISO/IEC 15415 for fingerprint image quality. Palm-vein smart door locks, like the Veno series from Lockin, follow ISO/IEC 24745 for general biometric information protection. This results in reduced false rejection and false-authorization rates across various environmental conditions.
By delivering smart home locks that meet and exceed these mechanical, electronic, privacy, and security evaluation standards, Lockin’s Veno Pro and Veno Plus deliver a trusted, future‑proof smart‑lock solution. Proper certification not only validates the product’s design but also gives homeowners the peace of mind and documented assurance that their front‑door security aligns with the highest global benchmarks.
4. Why is the Lockin Palm Vein Recognition Video Smart Lock more secure?
Lockin’s Veno Pro and Veno Plus stand apart by pairing vein‑pattern biometrics with continuous video verification. Traditional biometric locks rely on surface traits—fingerprints or facial features—that can be spoofed with high‑resolution prints or 3D masks. In contrast, palm‑vein recognition reads subdermal vascular patterns invisible to the naked eye.
Near‑infrared LEDs illuminate the veins, and a dedicated AI-based image processor matches the scan in a fraction of a second with 99.9 percent accuracy. Because the pattern lies beneath the skin, it resists forgery, dirt, and minor injuries that foil surface sensors.
The integrated LockinCam™ then records a 10‑second, 2K, 180° video clip of every authentication event. Where most smart locks log only a timestamp or user ID, Veno gives you visual proof of who approached your door, capturing full‑body context.
This means you’ll see what they carried, how they dressed, and even environmental cues. This dual record of vascular match plus video creates a tamper‑resistant audit trail. If someone attempts unauthorized access with an invalid palm or PIN, the camera still records the event and issues an instant push notification, enabling you to respond in real time.
Firmware and network security reinforce these biometric and video layers. Veno’s secure‑boot routine validates firmware signatures at every startup, blocking any unauthorized code. All communications from BLE for setup to HTTPS for remote commands use industry‑standard AES and TLS encryption.
Biometric templates never leave the lock’s secure enclave, and video streams pass through end‑to‑end–encrypted channels before storage on your private cloud folder. In head‑to‑head penetration tests by AV‑Test, Veno’s combination of vein biometrics and video logging resisted every simulated attack, from replay exploits to firmware tampering.
Conclusion
Just over a decade ago, smart locks were a novelty gadget, but they’ve since grown into a solid platform of security solutions, with the Lockin Veno series paving the way with unmatched innovation. By integrating subdermal palm-vein biometrics, motorized deadbolts, and a 2K AI-powered camera, the entire Veno series offers in-depth defense that can radically outperform other smart locks just as easily as traditional mechanical deadbolts.
Either way, you benefit from lightning-fast, touchless entry, indisputable video audit, and fail-safe mechanical backups. When properly installed and configured, Lockin Veno Pro and Veno Plus stand up to independent lab tests, real‑world use, and expert penetration trials, while prioritizing convenience, auditability, and the highest level of biometric security. Upgrade to the Lockin Veno series and become part of the future of intelligent security.
