The Fine Lock Shop - Digital Door Lock & Locksmith Kuching

21/10/2026

Can a thief open your grill lock from outside? Yes, if it opens with a simple inside button.

A normal indoor smart lock opens with a button or handle on the inside. On a grill door, a thief can put a hand through the gaps and press it.

What to look for:
- From inside, it should need a fingerprint, card, key or remote, not just a button any hand can press
- The lock should be one the maker says is for grill doors or gates

Try this today: close your grill door, stand outside and reach through the bars. Can your hand touch where the inside handle is? If yes, you need a lock that won't open from a simple inside button. Better to find out now than after a break-in.

Can you reach your inside handle through your grill? Tell us in the comments.


Full article at finelockshop.com/blog

19/10/2026

Before you buy a smart lock, ask one question: "If the power, the Wi-Fi and the lock batteries are all gone, how do I open this door?"

Then check these 5 points:
1) Runs on its own batteries. Ask which batteries, and how it warns you when they are low.
2) Opens without the app. PIN, fingerprint or card should work with the Wi-Fi off.
3) A backup power point: a USB-C slot for a power bank, or 9V battery points. Ask where it is.
4) A metal key, your last backup if all power fails.
5) Test it in the shop. Ask the seller to switch off the Wi-Fi, then show you each way of opening.

If a seller can't answer these 5 points clearly, look at another lock.

Visit our Kuching showroom and ask us to show you each point on a real lock.

How many of these 5 does your lock pass?


Full article at finelockshop.com/blog

16/10/2026

What if the lock company's servers go down? A good smart lock should still open at the door.

Two real cases:
1) 20 October 2025: Amazon Web Services (AWS) had an outage of about 15 hours (Matter Alpha). Many smart home apps could not reach their servers. Alexa and Ring went offline.
2) August 2017: LockState sent a bad software update to its older 6000i Wi-Fi locks. About 500 keypads stopped working, and owners waited days or weeks for repairs. The normal keys still worked (BleepingComputer).

The lesson: you cannot control the internet. So:
- Choose a lock that opens without the app
- Keep the metal key in a safe place you can reach from outside
- Renting out a unit? Plan how guests get in if the app stops

Try this at home: switch off your Wi-Fi for ten minutes, then open your door every way your family uses. If one way fails, you find out on a calm day, not at midnight in the rain.

Tried the test? Tell us what happened in the comments.


Full article at finelockshop.com/blog

15/10/2026

Myth: no Wi-Fi means you can't get in. Truth: a good smart lock still opens at the door.

Still works without Wi-Fi:
- PIN codes, fingerprints and cards, because many locks save them inside the lock
- The metal key
- Bluetooth, when your phone is near the door (on locks that have it)

Stops without Wi-Fi:
- Opening the door from far away
- App alerts
- Adding or changing codes from far away
- Voice control, such as Alexa or Google Assistant

Lock brands Schlage and August say the same on their own help pages: the remote extras need Wi-Fi. A European guide for smart door locks (ETSI TS 103 815) says a lock must keep working at the door when the internet is lost.

Tip: if you never open the door for anyone from far away, you may not need a Wi-Fi lock at all.

How do you open your door most: PIN, fingerprint, card or phone?


Full article at finelockshop.com/blog

14/10/2026

Power cut. Is your smart lock dead too? No. A smart door lock runs on its own batteries, not on your house power.

On 3 July 2025, a contractor's digging damaged two high-voltage cables and parts of Kuching lost power, including BDC, Stampin, Stutong, Batu Kawa and 3rd Mile (Sarawak Energy).

In a blackout:
- Still works: keypad, fingerprint, card and the metal key
- Stops: your Wi-Fi router runs on house power, so phone alerts, opening from far away and changing codes from far away stop until the power comes back

A European guide for smart door locks (ETSI TS 103 815) also says a locked door should stay locked during a power or internet cut.

Tip: make sure everyone at home can get in without a phone. Give each person their own PIN, fingerprint or card.

Has your smart lock been through a power cut? Tell us in the comments.


Full article at finelockshop.com/blog

14/10/2026

The world's first official Apple Smart Home product range.

LG (which include a smart lock) and Schneider

Apple has unveiled the Home Collection alongside the HomeView. Beyond LG, it looks like Schneider Electric is another brand partner.

12/10/2026

Smart lock battery dead? You are not locked out, if you know your lock's backup.

When the batteries run out, the keypad also dead. But many locks have a backup way in:
1) A USB-C slot for a power bank, like charging a phone
2) Two metal points for a 9V battery
3) A metal key

It depends on your lock, so check its user guide and find the backup point today.

Why it matters: on 28 September 2026 in Yishun, Singapore, two boys got stuck on a ledge after the family's electronic door lock had apparently run out of battery (Mothership, quoting Shin Min Daily News). Firefighters brought them down. Luckily no one was hurt.

Simple habits:
- Change the batteries as soon as the lock warns you
- Use the factory/ supplier recommended batteries, not "heavy duty" ones, which can leak and damage the lock's circuit board
- Keep the metal key somewhere you can reach from outside, not inside the house

Do you know where your lock's backup point is? Tell us in the comments.


Full article at finelockshop.com/blog

11/10/2026

So... dont everything inside house wana buy 'smart' version...

Just thinking, perhaps for something highly important like the main entrace to your home...shouldnt be 'smart'?

That is 1,000GB worth of data, or 250 downloaded movies.

11/10/2026

Prefer a traditional key lock over a smart lock? That's a fair choice. Just remember: the cylinder and bolt decide how secure it is.

Traditional mechanical locks have almost no internet risk. But they can still fail through picking, drilling, worn pins or broken keys, depending on the cylinder and bolt. And if someone copies your key, you can't cancel that copy without rekeying the lock. Many smart locks also hide a backup key cylinder behind a cover, so the same rules apply to them too.

The good news: a quality traditional cylinder on a strong door often beats a no-name "smart" lock with weak cards and no updates.

Smart or traditional, neither wins by default. It depends on the quality of the lock and how well it is installed.

Not sure which suits your door? Visit our Kuching showroom. We won't promise "hack-proof", but we will help you match risk, door and budget honestly.


Full article at finelockshop.com/blog

10/10/2026

Smart safebox malfunction hv to drill it. After that owner stil want to use. We hv to repair it.

A tougher than expected job. Rescus, repair or saving something is always the tougher work. That's why most ppl only sell you new thing and don wan repair, ask u buy new