Open sesame...

In the 18^th century French adaptation of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Ali Baba overhears one of the thieves say the phrase ‘open sesame’ before a cliff face, which then, magically opens to reveal a cave full of plundered riches.

Since then, the phrase has become synonymous with the idea of enchanted entry into wondrous places. Some three hundred years later and technology has replaced magic as a means of gaining entry to our homes.

Smart technologies have made it possible to do away with manual practices of locking and unlocking your front door, says Albert Mostert, Senior Product Manager at Allegion.

“Home automation is one of the fastest evolving technologies with new products coming on stream on an almost daily basis. While smart locks have been around for a while now, they too are constantly evolving, taking advantage of wireless technology to offer even more functionality.”

“The Schlage Omnia™ is one such system, offering multiple means of control through various technologies to not only allow for easy entry but also added security, thanks to the notification function.

“Omnia is Latin for everything and this smart lock pretty much delivers on that, offering five options for operation—keypad, RFID swipe tag, fingerprint scanner, standard key and even remote access via smartphone through the Schlage Breeze app.

“You can even connect Schlage Omnia to Amazon Alexa or Google Home for voice-activated control, making it a truly holistic device for home security.”

Once paired with the app, you can schedule access for family and guests and then supply them with individualised pin codes. You can just as easily delete users through the app as well—perfect if you have set your property up as a short-term rental. A Wi-Fi bridge can be purchased separately to connect Schlage Omnia to the internet for full remote access and, even without a Wi-Fi bridge, a user can remotely generate pin codes for the lock.

Another compelling feature of Schlage Omnia is that it is one of only a few smart locks to be fire rated, making it ideal for apartment buildings and other multi-unit applications.

“Schlage Omnia has been specifically designed for the multi-unit market where considerations around safety have a different focus than stand-alone residential applications. In a multi-unit setting, especially the lifestyle village market where accessibility is key, traditional mechanisms such as deadbolts can actually hinder ingress and egress in an emergency situation.

“With Schlage Omnia, the same level of security is assured yet entry and exit are not hindered in any way. Similarly, the handle has been designed to be accessibility compliant for ease of use.”

Albert also says unit/apartment owners can rest assured that ‘ownership and control’ of the lock goes back to the individual, not a body corporate or other association. However, a centrally managed version of Schlage Breeze is also available.

The Schlage Omina fire-rated smart lock can be easily retro-fitted as it has been designed to be compatible with the standard Australasian mortice lock footprint and comes with a two-year warranty. It is available in satin nickel plate and matt black.

“Schlage is a renowned brand with more than a century of expertise in door locking mechanisms and the Schlage Omnia is the latest iteration of the company’s ongoing commitment to research and development to bring the latest advances to the market.”

Learn more about smart locks and which would be the right choice for your next project.