Biometric Smart Locks: Are Physical Keys Going Extinct?

One of the most exciting recent trends in the smart home is the proliferation of biometric smart locks — those that use fingerprints, palm veins, and even facial recognition to manage owner and visitor access. While keypads still dominate the smart lock category, according to a January 2026 report by SNS Insider, the seamless user experience of biometric features makes them the fastest-growing segment of the market.

As the smart lock market expands beyond traditional keypads and app controls, could biometrics turn physical keys into an endangered species?

Fortunately, retailers can rest easy that even as some smart locks skip physical keys, they remain as integral to smart locks as a backup method when batteries die. Likewise, there will always be a place for traditional keyed locks in locations that don’t require smart home connections, like sheds. They’re here to stay.

That said, a healthy inventory of biometric smart locks — with or without physical keys — can improve security for customers looking for the convenience of a fingerprint sensor. Let’s explore some common biometric options, how they reduce reliance on apps and keypads, and the measures they take to address privacy concerns about sensitive biometric data.

More than fingerprints

Biometric smart locks come in three major variants: fingerprint, facial recognition and palm vein scanner. Among these, fingerprints are the most common biometric method, owing to the broad availability of relatively affordable fingerprint sensor components. Perhaps the best example of this is the Wyze Lock Bolt v2, which sells for around $80, firmly within the budget smart lock category.

Palm vein scanners are also gaining notoriety, with products like the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max, Lockin Veno, TCL D2 and Wyze Palm Lock covering different price points. The key difference between fingerprint and palm vein biometrics is that the latter doesn’t require physical contact to unlock—users need only hold their palm within a few inches of the scanner. Palm veins are also harder to duplicate than fingerprints, leading to a more secure system.

Finally, facial recognition often appears in smart locks with built-in cameras, particularly those that double as video doorbells like the Lockin Veno Pro and Lockly Visage. The biggest challenge for facial recognition is privacy, where users and visitors alike may not feel comfortable with technology that tracks these characteristics, even if for security purposes.

Superior convenience

According to a 2025 market assessment by Parks Associates, owners typically use a smart lock’s fingerprint sensor more frequently than other access methods — 73% of users report using the feature daily, and 92% use it at least once a week. This report suggests that retailers ought to focus on the strengths of fingerprint sensors, such as increased speed, convenience and reliability when marketing the products to consumers.

The beauty of biometric authentication is that most everyday users don’t need passwords, PIN codes or apps to unlock the door. For an example of how significant this is, look no further than busy families. In this case, especially with young children present, biometrics help parents feel less like IT departments when managing access for the household.

While relying exclusively on biometrics can work for many customers, visitors and contractors are easier to manage with temporary key codes or scheduled app access. This means that retailers could emphasize biometric locks with keypads for home businesses or short-term rentals to give owners ease of access and flexible guest management.

Privacy and biometrics: The secret handshake

Assuring your customers that their biometric data is safe means training your salespeople on smart lock security. Better yet, invite a cybersecurity expert to your business to explain how smart locks — and other connected products you sell — store and encrypt data. This can give your team a solid foundation for answering customer concerns and resolving misconceptions.

For example, the best balance of privacy and convenience comes from fingerprint and palm vein smart locks, which are more likely to store and analyze data locally. Historically, facial recognition algorithms required more computing power, so cloud video services were more common. But that is changing with recent facial-recognition products like the SwitchBot Keypad Vision Pro, which allow for local storage and processing.

Crucially, smart home retailers should provide non-biometric keypad smart lock options for customers who don’t want the feature. A healthy retail smart home offering always keeps alternatives up its sleeve, rather than locking into a single product type or ecosystem.

This is surprisingly easy because many contemporary smart home brands work to anticipate users who seek different levels of smart lock functionality. Likewise, you can reduce complexity by stocking a more compatible, more complete inventory of a few curated devices that support multiple ecosystems rather than single-ecosystem brands.

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