Best Practices for Choosing a Secure Smart Lock Passcode

News flash. 1234 is NOT a secure password. Neither is password.

Now that you’ve equipped your home with an invaluable smart lock system with keyless entry, it’s time to choose the perfect passcode. Without one, your smart lock technology is easily susceptible to unauthorized users.

Here are some of the best practices for choosing a smart passcode for your smart lock system. And if you haven’t made the switch to smart lock technology quite yet, we’ll also give you some insight that will help you make the best decision for you and your family.

Passwords to absolutely avoid

According to CNN, way too many people are choosing easy, predictable passwords to protect their home, car, computer—you name it. Here’s a glimpse at some of the most popular passwords currently in use:

• 123456 or 123456789
• 111111
• Password
• Password1
• Abc123
• Iloveyou
• Monkey

In addition to these negligent passcodes, sports references, city names, and address numbers also ranked high on the list of common choices. If you use any of these passwords to protect your physical or digital property, it’s time to make a change.

How to set a secure smart lock passcode

So, how can you come up with a completely random password that isn’t crackable, without complicating things for those who need access? Use these best practices:

• Keep it short and simple, so you and your family can easily memorize it.
• Avoid choosing a personal passcode that someone could guess after conducting a small amount of research into your personal life. Examples include birthdates, street numbers, or the year you were born.
• Use an acronym for a password that is easy to remember. For example, your acronym could stand for “Our Smart Lock Password” which would translate to OSLP. Numerically, this would be 6757.
• To help younger family members remember the password, you can also choose a set of numbers and create a little jingle with a catchy tune and a rhyme. Example: 8564 will always get you through the door.
• Combine a set of meaningful numbers in random order. If you have four people in your family, you can throw together the months in which they were born. September, July, August, January: 9781.
• Use a combination of completely random numbers. You can have everyone in your family choose a number at random and throw them all together to create a strong password.

At the end of the day, any of these choices are good options. If you're not sure what to do, simply choose a random combination of numbers on your keypad and avoid personal references that are easy to guess.

How to keep your password secure

Once you’ve agreed on a new password for your smart lock system, it’s imperative you take the necessary measures to ensure your password stays secure. After all, what good is an air-tight passcode if it gets out to the public?

Use these tips to protect your smart lock passcode once you’ve created it:

• Hold a family meeting and express the importance of keeping the password a secret. Make sure all your children are well aware of the terms. You may even want to roleplay with them to make sure they are prepared to keep it safe.
• Don’t leave a paper trail. It may seem wise to write down your password for safekeeping, but that’s just about the worst thing you could do. Choose a password that is simple and memorable so you don’t have to write it down anywhere.
• Change your password regularly. In doing so, you can make sure you keep out unauthorized visitors who may have a good guess as to what your passcode used to be. It's a good idea to set an entirely different passcode on your smart lock system at least once a year, if not more frequently.

The benefits of a smart lock system

Smart home security systems that include smart locks are quickly growing in popularity and demand. These high-tech security systems provide homeowners with advanced security, optimal convenience, and peace of mind.

At Vivint, we offer a wide range of home automation and security devices that integrate together, including state-of-the-art smart locks. Here are a few of the best benefits of a smart lock from Vivint:

• Smart lock systems provide the convenient benefit of keyless entry. No more digging around in your purse for your keys. No more locking yourself out of the house.
• Vivint provides a smart lock system you can easily control with an app on your smartphone. If you forget to lock the back door, no problem; just pull up the app and lock the door remotely.
• You can opt for smartphone notifications anytime the status of your lock changes. If someone unlocks the front door, you’ll know about it immediately. Not only is this comforting for homeowners who spend a lot of time away from home, but it’s also a handy parenting tool to confirm when kids are coming and going.
• Have visitors coming in to town? Don't spend time creating a bunch of spare keys. Instead, with a Vivint smart lock, you can create up to 30 different temporary access codes so your guests can come and go as they please. And when they head back home, you can easily delete the codes to ensure your home's security.

Another benefit of a Vivint security system? Everything works together, meaning that you can control your home's smart locks, security system, cameras, lighting, garage door, and more all from one central app. Plus, you don't have to worry about installing anything. We'll take care of the entire installation process from to start to finish.

And our award-winning professional monitoring team will have eyes and ears on your home 24/7. Any time the alarm sounds, a smoke detector goes off, or a glass break detector is triggered and you aren't there to respond, our team will contact the authorities right away to keep your home protected.

Upgrade your security with Vivint

Take your home's security to the next level with a Vivint security system. We provide a wide selection of smart home technology to improve the safety of your home and give you unbeatable peace of mind no matter where you are.

Upgrade your home security with a powerful Vivint system today. Call one of our security experts at 855.822.1220 for your free quote.