Best Bedroom Door Locks

Your home should be a place that makes you feel safe and protected. Your bedroom even more so. There are multiple little ways to reinforce your home security. One of them is installing appropriate door security devices. We wouldn’t want anyone walking in on – you know – never mind. The point is- Door locks are the primary defense against would-be trespassers and of course, they help maintain privacy.

As with most devices and items, the market has innumerable options that are confusing and time-consuming to sift through. Door Locks now feature impressive new technologies with interesting aesthetic value and functionality. But choosing the right pick for you is still near impossible. I find that narrowing down your options make the choices you have to make much easier. Hopefully, this article makes that decision less of a hassle for you.

Let us look at the different types of Door Locks (and additional Home Security apparatuses) and you can conclude what best fits your requirement.

The Anatomy of a Door Lock

A simple Door Lock can be dismantled into 3 main parts: the Cylinder, the Bolt, and the Box.

The Cylinder is the main body of the lock, the part where the key is inserted. The key disengages a series of spring-loaded pins that keep the cylinder from turning. The Bolt engages from the door into the frame. It is the latch. This holds the door closed. The box holds the bolt in place. It extends from the cylinder into a hole that fits the bolt. It prevents the door from being pulled open.

The key slides into the lock and disengages the lock. Locks are shaped specific to the key so that it unlocks with its unique key. The key acts as a security token, allowing owners to gain access to whatever the lock protects.

In addition to these parts, we have something called a Door Strike Plate, which is a plate of metal attached to the door jamb. This keeps the bolt in place when locked thus reducing friction. It adds an additional layer of security as it is made of metal (which is stronger than wood) and is more resilient against force.

How does one evaluate the Effectiveness of a Door Lock

I found the testing process for these locks quite interesting. (This is how Consumer Reports does their testing.) Strictly mechanically, the locks are tested in three ways- by picking, kicking, and drilling.

The kick-in tests involve a 100-pound battering ram slammed into the lock section of the door at increasing heights, or until the lock gives way. The same process is repeated with a reinforced box strike plate. (Reiterated Spoiler Alert: A Reinforced Box Strike Plate is a worthy upgrade.) Unsurprisingly, Hollywood exaggerates the ease with which handsome hunks kick down doors. You’d be surprised by the actual force required to kick open a door. It is significantly more challenging than it looks.

In the drilling test, each lock is evaluated on its ability to withstand an attack from a cordless drill. The picking test evaluates the internal mechanism of a wave to assess how easy it is to pick. These tests evaluate the lock based on a physical breach.

Smart Locks and Retrofit Locks are evaluated on the same physical factors as well as additional technological ones. Testing factors include ease of access remotely, smartphone alerts, electronic keys, ease of integration with Alexa/Siri/Google Assistant, and overall convenience.

Here are a few metrics by which to evaluate your door lock:

1. Check the Grade of the lock
2. Check the life of the lock (evaluated by number of turns, battery life etc.)
3. Check Customer Reviews, don’t just take my word for it.

How Secure is Your Bedroom Lock?

The security of your bedroom rests in the strength of your door lock. How susceptible is your lock to brute-force attacks? Here are a few good-to-know key pointers to keep in mind:

1. Drills Open Most Locks quite Easily

With most high-security locks, simple cordless drills can easily disable the cylinders in under two minutes. Which means brute force usually wins. A pro tip is buying a lock with hardened cylinders. Drills might ruin this lock but it will still deny access as the lock won’t break.

2. Inadequate or Unsatisfactory Parts

A lock will usually come with a strike plate that attaches to the door jamb and screws for installation. These are usually inadequate for securing your door- the screws are too short. They only catch the jamb (door frame) and not the framing of your house (the wall).

How do you choose a Bedroom Lock?

There is a trade-off between convenience and the level of security. It is also a fact worth accepting that additional security measures obviously come with an additional cost. There is a trade-off between quality and cost. Obviously. Harsh but true. This (obviously) doesn’t mean that the budget-friendly items aren’t secure, or that the most expensive options are the only way to go. You aren’t compromising on security by a lot if you aren’t securing your rooms with heavy-duty grade 1 locks. It is a matter of diminishing returns.

I don’t think it is helpful to guilt yourself into overspending by asking yourself “Is a threat to my life worth the $50-$100 I am saving on this”. Instead, find the best items to fit your budget. There are always workarounds that get you nearly as far at half the price. You don’t have to invest in Grade 1 industrial-level heavy-duty locks just for the extra sense of security. It is a little excessive.

Ask yourself a few questions about what you want and need for your doors:

1. What Kind of lock do you want? (Mechanical Lock, Electronic Lock, SmartLock, Retrofit Smart Lock) Do you want a SmartLock?
2. What is your budget?
3. How can I maximize the safety provided by this lock? What can I do to make this lock as effective as possible?
4. How often will I need to replace this lock?
5. (Might seem irrelevant but I’m still going to say it anyway) Does the design match the interiors of my space? Does it fit the aesthetic of my living space?

You are going to be using this lock multiple times a day, everyday, for years at a time. Make sure it feels right and you can get behind the design and aesthetic of your lock.

What are the different Types of Door Locks?

I think you can broadly divide locks into three main categories-Mechanical Locks, Smart Locks, and Retrofit Locks. There are way too many subcategories of locks under each broad type and seemingly infinite options to choose from, here is a narrowed down list of well reviewed, popular locks of each type. (Disclaimer: This is a non exhaustive list, a cherry picking)

Conventional Mechanical Locks

Conventional Locks are your everyday go-to Normal Locks. No fancy features, just reliable old-school locks. They are usually single cylinder locks. Front line soldiers to all brute force attacks. They are affordable and sometimes rekeyable.

1. KNOB LOCKS

Knob locks are perhaps the most common type of locks available and used today. There is a cylinder and spring in the Knob with a push button locking system.

Product Name: Copper Creek BK2040SS Ball Door Knob

Price: ~$15

2. DEADBOLTS

Deadbolts are perhaps the strongest protection against physical assaults. They do not have springs, and the locking mechanism is a simple bolt running from door to door frame. These are preferable over knob locks, and provide more protection.

Product: Baldwin 93800-008 Prestige 380 Round Single Cylinder Deadbolt

Price: ~$40

3. LEVER LOCKS

Lever locks are popular for residential use as well as commercial doorware. The mechanism features multiple levers and a stump that maneuvers the bolt, thus opening and closing the door. These locks come in two types- ones with 3 levers and ones with 5 levers. Intuitively obvious- The lock with the greater number of levers provide more protection as they are harder to pick.

Price: ~$65

I’ve chosen to group Electronic Door Locks in the category as well. These are Regular keyless locks. Password protected locks. You would typically enter your passcode into a keypad to unlock your door.

4. KEYPAD ELECTRONIC LOCK

Instead of needing a key, this lock requires a passcode to be punched in to grant access to the room. It is a mechanical deadlock with a keypad. I find an added benefit to having a keypad lock is you can give people access to the room with a password, without having to go through the hassle of giving them a physical key. The password is easily changeable when required. FYI, these are battery operated locks and will require you to change the battery every year or so.

Product Name: Schlage BE365 V CAM 619 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt, Electronic Keyless Entry Lock

Price: ~$125

Product Name: Amazon Basics Electronic Keypad Entry Lever Door Lock

Price: ~$80

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SMART LOCK AND AN ELECTRONIC LOCK?

This is a common question with a very easy answer. Smart locks integrate with modern technology. Smart Locks allow you to enter your room by unlocking your room through wifi, or bluetooth. It allows integrations with Alexa/Google Assistant/Siri etc. Electronic Locks are usually much more basic locks that have keypads that unlock your door with a passcode.

Smart Locks

Smart locks are a hyper upgraded version of a regular door lock. These technologies integrate with Alexa/Siri?Google Assistant. They can be remotely controlled on your phone, connect to wifi and bluetooth. They even offer voice recognition and fingerprint scanners. The lock also creates access logs along with other interesting smart features. This is obviously placed at a far higher price point, but if you can afford it, these are so fun and convenient.

Product Name: U-Bolt Pro Z-Wave

Price: ~$250

Product Name: Wyze Lock Smart Door Lock

Price: ~$130

Retrofit Locks

Retrofit locks are a sort of hybrid lock. It has all the regular features of a smart lock. Instead of having you replace your original deadbolt, it allows you to replace parts of your already existing deadbolt lock. This is super convenient, easy to install, especially if you already have a strong deadbolt in place and are looking to upgrade your house doors.

Product Name:Shepherd Lock – Touch Entry Smart Lock Bluetooth Keyless Entry | Easy Install Retrofit Deadbolt Lock

Price: ~$200

Product Name: August Wi-Fi, (4th Generation) Smart Lock

Price: ~$190

5 Key Takeaways on Home Security (aka the Most Important part of this Article)

Here are a few extra precautions you can take whilst choosing a door lock that go an extra mile in terms of ensuring your security:

1. Use Locks with Hardened Brass or Steel

Hardened steel has been specially treated to improve strength and hardness. It increases the durability and the resilience of your lock. Using hardened metals provides significant protection against physical breaches and attacks on the lock by brute force. Hammers and drills will have trouble getting through it.

2. Keyless Reinforcements

I find that adding a simple additional lock to your door makes a huge difference without emptying your pockets. These greatly decrease the likelihood of a successful security breach. An inexpensive addition for door security.

(As you will read in ‘6.’, it is recommended to install these with long, good-quality screws)

Note: These appliances are to be used in addition to your standard door lock, and not as a substitute for your main door lock.

3. Swing Bar Door Guard

The Swing Bar Door Guard is probably the best on the market for keyless, affordable reinforcements. It is impressively sturdy and immune to brute force. It holds its ground against physical breaches.

4. Slide Bolt Latch with Chain

The Slide Bar Latch with a chain is another affordable security reinforcement. Watch out for the length of the chain when locked and the distance of the two installed parts from each other.. If you install the two parts too close together, the chain won’t be taut enough and will allow you to partially open the door enough to unchain the lock from the outside.

5. Hook and Eye Door Lock

This Hook and Eye Door Lock is yet another neat and easy reinforcement lock. These are typically used outdoors for sheds but can always be repurposed for a bedroom door. Especially if you have a rustic vibe going. It has an old-school aesthetic to it. A fact worth noting is, if the hook is too loose there is a possibility of it getting dislodged from the lock eye with the vibrations of a banging door. Which means if an intruder were to repeatedly use force on a door, it might just unhook. Very low possibility but a possibility nonetheless. Install it right and you will be fine.

6. Use a Reinforced Box Strike Plate

A reinforced Box Strike Plate is proven to provide substantial additional protection against physical breaches. It is a simple do-it-yourself security upgrade that exponentially increases protection. It sells at nearly three times the price of a simple box strike plate, but for the sturdiness it provides, it is no doubt worth it.

7. Check the Grade evaluation of your locks

Locks are evaluated on the basis of multiple categories like strength, materials used, security, operation life etc. Based on the tests they are categorized as- Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3.

A Grade 1 lock is the highest quality lock available on the market. These are often used for industrial and commercial locks. They are heavy duty locks and are typically on the more expensive side.. Grade 1 locks provide the bare minimum security. They are better than no lock at all but it is not the most secure and isn’t recommended if you can afford better. Most residential home locks are Grade 2. These are your Goldi-locks :) They provide a reasonable amount of security and protection without making too large a dent in your pocket.

8. Secure all the Points of Entry/Exit- All Doors and Windows

Impenetrable doors are completely useless if your windows are easily breachable. Burglar proofing your windows with simple-to-install, inexpensive locks that keep your windows secure and safe from intrusion. There is always the possibility of adding grills and bars to prevent entry. These would be attached to your window frame.

9. Beef Up your Door Frames and Use Good quality Screws

This may be the most inexpensive but invaluable choice you might make with regard to home security. Most screws that are given to you when you purchase a lock are fragile and not very long. Short screws mean they screw into the doorframe and not the drywall. The door frame is made of wood and is soft. This means the screws are easily dislodged and the parts of the lock screwed to the door will come off without much difficulty. We do not want that.

Buy 3”- 4” screws instead. These attach right into the drywall, past the door frame, and keep your lock securely in place and immune to forced dislodging.

Beefing up your Doorframe entails reinforcing it with a layer of steel and would prevent your doorframe from splitting on repeated application of force (incessant kicking, for example). This makes your door kick-in proof. Excessive? I don’t know. You decide.

Conclusion

Who would have thought a door lock choice would justify reading through a 3000 word article, yet here you are. In all seriousness though, security is not a joke and preparing for the worst is a good idea. I would ask the right questions and evaluate which locks best suit your needs and desires. Then make an informed decision. The choices out there will make your head spin. So just go with tried and tested successes that are reliable and fit your needs.

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Last update on 2023-06-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API