Neither a keypad lock nor a keyed lock is better for all side doors. A keyed lock suits a side door used by a few people who rarely change. A keypad lock suits a side door used by many people, or by people who come and go, because codes change without collecting keys. The door's role and who uses it matter more than the technology.
Start with who uses the side door
A side door is usually a secondary entrance, often opening onto a courtyard or an alley. It also tends to have different users than the front door, such as a cleaner or a contractor who needs in for a few weeks. That group of people should drive the lock choice more than any feature of the hardware.
How visible the side door is matters too. A side door that nobody checks during the day raises different questions than a busy staff entrance, and those questions come before you choose between keys and codes.
The traditional keyed lock on a side door
A keyed lock opens when a metal key turns the cylinder, the part with the keyway that the key slides into. It needs no power, so there is nothing to charge and nothing to go dark. Everyone knows how to use one. When a keyed lock starts to wear, you usually feel it first: a key that sticks, or a cylinder that turns rough.
On a shared side door, the weak point is the key count. Copies can be made, and once a key leaves your hands you cannot see whether it was copied. Taking away someone's access means changing the lock or its cylinder, not just asking for the key back. When a key goes missing, the doubt about who holds one lasts until the lock is changed.
Keyed access gets easier to manage with some organization. Keeping your own count of copies, and having duplicates made in one place, at least tells you how many exist. For a property with several doors and several users, a master key system arranges keys in a hierarchy. One key opens a single door, another opens a group of doors, and a master key opens all of them. A building manager can give a cleaner a key to the side door alone without handing over the office.
Keypad entry on a side door
A keypad lock opens when someone enters a code on a set of buttons. On a side door, the obvious gain is that there is no key to lose. You give someone a code, and when they no longer need the door, you change the code instead of collecting a key. For a door used by rotating staff or a series of contractors, managing access becomes a matter of updating a number.
Codes travel, though. A person can pass the code to a friend or write it near the door, and someone nearby can watch it being entered. You will not notice a shared code the way you notice a missing key, so changing the code has to become routine. The buttons also wear. On a busy door, the most-pressed buttons turn shiny or lose their markings, a visible sign that the code has been in use too long.
The bigger planning question is failure. Many keypad locks run on batteries, and electronics can stop responding. Some keypad locks include a key cylinder as a backup and some do not. Before you commit, decide how someone gets in when the keypad goes dark, and who can be reached to do it.
What decides between a keypad and a keyed lock?
- How many people use the side door? A handful of long-term users points toward keys. A longer list points toward codes.
- How often do those people change? Frequent turnover favors a keypad, because changing a code is simpler than replacing a cylinder.
- How exposed is the door? A side door on a quiet courtyard or alley gets little passing attention, so think about who could see a code entered or a key used there.
- Will you need to cut off access quickly? With a keypad, that is a code change. With keys, it means changing the lock or its cylinder.
- Who handles a failure? Decide in advance who holds the backup key for a keypad, or the spare for a keyed lock.
- How heavy is the daily traffic? A door opened all day wears any lock. Keypads show it in the buttons, and keyed locks show it in a stiff key or a sticking latch.
If the answers pull in different directions, a keypad with a key cylinder as backup gives you codes for daily use and a key for when the electronics fail.
For help with either type of lock on a residential or commercial side door, including one that has started to stick or fail, call Safety Locksmith at (347) 666-4989.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep a keyed backup on a keypad side door?
A keyed backup is possible when the keypad lock includes a key cylinder, though not every model has one. If your keypad side door has a backup cylinder, treat that key like any other key. Know how many copies exist and who holds them, because the backup key opens the door no matter what code is set.
How often should a shared keypad code be changed?
A shared keypad code has no single correct schedule. Change it when someone who knew it no longer needs the side door, or when you suspect it was passed along or seen. Worn, shiny buttons are another cue. On a door with steady turnover, tying code changes to staff or contractor changes is easier to keep up than remembering at random.
What should I do if I'm locked out of a side door with either type of lock?
With a keyed side door, first check for another way in and whether anyone else holds a key. With a keypad, see whether the display responds at all and whether a backup key exists. If neither gets you in, Safety Locksmith offers 24/7 emergency lockout assistance for residential and commercial doors, and lock repair if the lock itself has failed.
Does a side door need the same lock as the front door?
A side door does not have to match the front door. The front door usually serves everyone in a household or business, while a side door often serves a smaller or different group. Choose the side door lock based on who uses that door. If you want one key to open both doors while other keys open only one, a master key system can arrange that.