A smart lock lets you open your door from your phone, a keypad or a fingerprint, share access without copying keys, and see every entry. In Dubai, where many homes are rented, let as holiday homes or left empty for the summer, that convenience quickly becomes essential. Here is what to look at before you buy.
1. Retrofit or full replacement?
There are two kinds of smart lock. Full-replacement locks swap out your existing handle and lock body. They suit new builds and villa doors where you want a new look, but they usually need a carpenter and sometimes changes to the door.
Retrofit locks fit onto the existing cylinder on the inside of the door. Your handle and the outside of the door stay the same, nothing is drilled, and the lock can be removed when you move out. For apartments, rentals and holiday homes, retrofit is usually the better choice. Tedee, which we distribute across the GCC, is a retrofit lock and one of the smallest on the market.
2. Check your cylinder
Most apartment doors in the UAE use a European-profile cylinder. Retrofit locks are matched to the cylinder, so the cylinder length, and whether it has an emergency function, decide which model and adapter you need. If you are not sure, a photo of the door edge and the cylinder is enough for us to tell you.
3. How will you open the door?
- Phone app: works when you are at the door, and from anywhere with a Wi-Fi bridge.
- Keypad: codes for guests, cleaners and family, which can be limited to dates and times.
- Fingerprint: the fastest option for the people who live there.
- Physical key: a retrofit lock keeps your key working as a backup.
4. Wi-Fi bridge and remote access
Bluetooth locks work from your phone at the door. Adding a small bridge connects the lock to Wi-Fi, so you can open the door for a delivery or a guest while you are at the office or abroad, receive entry notifications, and change codes remotely. For rentals and holiday homes, the bridge is essential.
5. Battery life and Dubai heat
Smart locks run on batteries or rechargeable cells. Look for clear low-battery warnings in the app and a keypad with its own power, so you are never locked out. Indoor-mounted retrofit locks are protected from summer heat, which also helps battery life.
6. Holiday homes: Keyless approval and PMS integration
If your unit is licensed as a holiday home in Dubai, check that the lock is on the approved list for Dubai’s Keyless program. Tedee GO, Tedee PRO and the Tedee Keypad PRO are approved. Operators should also check that the lock connects to their property management system, so guest codes are created and expire automatically with each booking. Tedee integrates with Guesty, Smoobu, Hostaway and many more. Read our guide to the Keyless program.
7. Where to buy and who installs
Tedee is sold in Etisalat stores across the UAE and on etisalat.ae, supplied by Metaverse Smart Solutions. For whole buildings, villas and holiday-home portfolios, we supply, install and support the locks directly, and we can brand them with your project logo.
