Wireless locks are not just exploding in the commercial market, they are in the home as well.

“I believe wireless technology in locks or locksets will be an avenue into the elusive residential access market,” says Adam Auer, product manager for Securitron, EMS & OEM Group, ASSA ABLOY, Phoenix, Ariz. “The lion’s share of homes are still using lock and key, but as more and more people use access cards or fobs, that will eventually trickle down to the residential side. Personally, I think wireless will lead the way into the home. That is where I see it going and wireless has pretty much taken over everything.”

There has been some headway in this direction. Kwikset, Lake Forest, Calif., uses Z-Wave and ZigBee — two protocols that operate in the 2.4 GHz range and feature mesh networking — on wireless products for their Bluetooth-based home security products, says Keith Brandon, Kwikset’s director of sales and marketing for residential access solutions.

“At its core, wireless is about the convenience of the ability for consumers to interact with their locks in different ways,” he says. “The other aspect is connectivity. With other means of wireless communications, locks are connecting to other devices in the home, whether that is security or home automation; then the lock communicates with the central hub within the home. It allows it to interact with other devices such as the thermostat or lights.”

There is clearly a wireless evolution going on in the residential market, says John LaFond, vice president of integrated systems, Linear LLC, Carlsbad, Calif. “There are more and more companies that have this option. Using Z-Wave to turn security into home automation makes it more ‘sticky’ and the client is less likely to remove it from the home.

 “As wireless touches the residential side more and more, you will find these systems will evolve and create new opportunities for everyone in the future.”