Differences in Electronical Hotel Room Door Locks and Household Door Locks


There are many differences between the electronical hotel room door locks and household door locks.
But I’ve never found an article on the Internet that compares the two.
If no one else is doing it, let me try.

In end of 20 century and beginning of 21 century, With the development of science and technology and the progress of human demand, the electronic door locks appeared.

At the end of the 20th century, pincode locks had appeared and begun to be used in homes, and magnetic card locks were becoming popular in hotels.
What they all have in common is that the mechanical keys no longer used.

Technologies different

There is no doubt that technology serves demand.
People buy a door lock to get the function they want.

Hotel Room door locks uses key card

Although the key card looks a bit old today, it still works in the hospitality industry.Since hotel guests are normally not long term staying, the cards are the best medium to replace traditional keys.

The hotel room door lock’s keycards uses Magnetic or RFID technology.They are both very cheap cost, and they are not seen as a burden on people who living for a short period of time(1-10days).


Household door locks uses pincode/fingerprint/bluetooth/Face.

Modern people are becoming more lazy than ever before, they don’t want to bring anything extra, even the key to their own house.
So various ‘Keyless’ methods were invented in past 20 years, such as the Pincode,fingerprint,bluetooth or face.
All these technologies can free people’s hands,pockets and bags, because they are free of door opening media(any card, key, keyfob,remote).


 Pincode is the earlist ‘Keyless’ technology, which is widely used on various household door locks in the past 15 years.
An available open door pincode normally contain arbitrary 6-8 digits. It looks primitive, but it’s still a useful solution.

Passwords are peeked at, guessed out, and passwords are too simple/complex, are the issues of pincode technology door locks.
It requires the user to study master better skills.


In about 2008-2010, electronic fingerprint door locks have been introduced in large numbers.

The early days of fingerprint(bio) technology were optical fingerprint identification(about 2010-2017).
Now semiconductor recognition is the main trend (2018-2020).
It doesn’t require user remember the password and there is no risk exposure.
However fingerprint technology’s biggest problem is that its identify the child and old man no good enough.

Bluetooth is actually the smartphone app mobile key(or called digital key/virtual key).
Almost all mobile key uses bluetooth technology. This is because bluetooth provide a cheap and stable solution on smart phones.

There is no need extra hardware to be added or used on this solution.
From the Bluetooth 4.0 Ready smart phones slowly become more, with Bluetooth function household door locks.(earlist in 2013-2015)

After that, many smartphones have used 4.0 as a standard feature.


Face is a new technology appeared on the household electronical door locks in 2018-2019.
In China, where smart home door locks are growing rapidly, there are already door locks with facial recognition.

a facial recognition door lock made by china brand ‘Dessmann’

It doesn’t have a fingerprint recognition issues for children and elderly people, nor does it have to carry a phone like bluetooth and keep it power on.

What’s more, it’s very friendly for older people to use,no matter they know how to use smartphone or not, no matter their fingerprint texture gone or not.

China has the largest population of elderly people in the world, so this product should be very promising.It’s real usefull for all ages users.


Product Form Different

The form of a product ususally depends on its functions.
There are replacement markets and new adding markets in the door lock market.
In world of room door locks there is a very simple and important logic-People always change the lock but not the door.

Although in theory, the door can be replaced, but few people really do that, in my career for more than a decade, people would rather not install electronic door locks than to replace the right door.

This logic is also an important factor affecting the door lock forms.

Hotel room door locks are mostly Mortise lock

Mortise type door locks is a very classic and long history lockset style.
It has full functions, including more than one latches, square latch, handles,double lock turn.
That’s why it makes people feel secure.
To explaine how it looks like, I made the drawing like following.

To install it, you have to drill a pocket on the door, to put in the lock part.

Overall, the door locks of mortise type are formal, beautiful and security enough.
Also its manufacture cost and sell price is higher (compare with cylinderical locks)

a classic mechanical mortise lock



Household door locks are in various forms.

Compared with hotel door locks, household door locks are very different.

Families in different parts of the world, and at different economic levels in the same region, have different needs for room door locks.

Asia, for example, has higher security requirements, Europe and the americas require greater ease of use, and the Middle East may value luxury.

Cylindrical lock

This is a cheap and fast install door lock type.
It is widely used on interior  doors due to it provides a very basic solution for any door that requires a lock.
You can see it in many homes or in public places
It is the much more simple door lock style, against the mortise lock.


It is made up of lever handle(or knob) ,key hole, and latch.


Deadbolt is just a bolt.  It is not a real full lockset. It is simple, strong and useful.

That’s why recently years there are so many locks uses this type, Including add-on device or the complete product.

Deadbolt can be used together with a cylindrical lock

Rim lock

Rim lock is a very old style door lock.
The biggest difference with other styles is that the lockbody (lock latch) is not inside the door.

Rim lock doesn’t has a rear panel

Add-On devices
Add-On solution is a solution that match the logic –People always change the lock but not the door.

The add-on device is not a real and complete lockset. It just a core part that make the new ideal open way could happen.
For example, smart lock AUGUST brought bluetooth technology to common household non-electronic door locks.

August smart lock is not a real lockset.

AUGUST is actually a device turning the lock bolt, controlled by bluetooth.
Sherlock is the ‘China version august’.
It is designed for Chinese household entry mortise lock’s double lock turn.

Add on the double lock turn of a normal mortise lock

Add-On solution was not first invented and applied to door locks. Actually in 1994 it already happened in the field of electronic technology- the console.
SEGA Super 32X is an upgrade device that enhance the performance of the 16 bit console.

SEGA SUPER 32X is a device add-on to enhance the performance

Add-on solutions are usually welcomed because they don’t require reinstalling a full new lockset.
The familiy users just add a few accessories and hanging up the original and previous lockset.
Therefore, the use cost is relatively low.

For aesthetic reasons, hotel door locks rarely use add-on solutions.
Only a few additional features will be added to the existing locks in this way.
The vingcard mobile access module is one of the few add-on solutions on hotel room door locks.

vingcard mobile access module(B) adds on the normal RFID reader(A) to allow normal RFID hotel room door lock gain the mobile access ability

Mortise lock

In Asia, full-featured mortise locks style is the mainstream of the market.
This is mainly due to the social credit and security system is not good enough.
The full-featured mortise locks feels people safty more.

Asia family chooses mortise type lock


Electronical Hotel Room Door LocksElectronical Household Door Locks
TypeMortiseMortise, cylindrical
TechnologyRFID, bluetoothOne or multi from the RFID,Bluetooth,Fingerprint, facial recognition
PowerAA/AAA batteriesAA/AAA batteries or lithium battery
PackingCarton box several piecesGift box per unit
Buying wayHotel lock brand distributorsSupermarket, lock store, online store
Fault rateLow, simple functions low faultHigh, more functions more fault



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