The good hotel locks will not allow you to climb the window or have a chance to break the door. But the bad will.
Because they have a feature name External Power Supply!
What is External Power Supply on hotel door locks?
To know what’s external power supply, let’s have a idea of the hotel door lock using environment.
Following picture shows the normal and usual environment.
The space is divided into two parts.
External-outside space, don’t need open door to reach.the white color above.
Internal-inside space, need open door to reach.the gray color above.
Therefore the External Power Supply is supply power to lock from room outside(not open the door)
If a hotel door lock has the external power supply feature, when its battery run out user can re-power the lock immediately ,without need open the door or get a mechanical key.
Why External Power Supply(EPS)?
To know why need external power supply on hotel locks, you should know the power of the lock firstly.
*Hotel locks power need been replace.
As we all knows, the modern hotel use electronic door locks are almost powered by AA batteries or a AA battery pack.
When it run out hotel should replace a new one full of power.
And the sooner the replacement is done, the better. Because the room rental is the economic source of the hotel
*Usually when power run out the hotel door is closed.
If we split one day according to the hotel doors status, we can see the result as follows.
0.5hours-door will be in opening status, likes hotel guest go room, or go out room, and plus the cleanning time when housekeeping stay in room. The total time is about 30minutes per day.
23.5hours-door will be in closing status, likes hotel guest in closing status-people stay in room
0.5 VS 23.5 means the only 2% probability when battery run out the door is opened. And in 98% probability(most time in whole day) when battery power run out the door is closed.
Considering all hotel locks have a low battery alarm.The alarm will try remind people change battery when open the door.
However forget replace battery when door in opening still usually happen and the probability can not be less than 80%.
There is only 2 brands hotel locks don’t need open door to replace the batteries.(in the last you will know which 2)
*Always need mechanical key to open door is a problem.
If you ever read one of my article about the hotel door lock’s battery(here), you will realize one fact.
In maybe thousands brands hotel locks(marketing sales, online and offline) about 80% power position is inside room(internal).
Your hotel locks are probably one of the two types below.
But that’s not the point.
The point is in 95% of them, there is no external power supply feature at all. That means always hotel need use mechanical key to open the door while battery power used up!
So, the story is as follows
When the battery run out the hotel door is probablely in closing status.
>Open door is necessary(for most batteries behind door or in door type hotel locks)
>Must find mechanical keys to open door (hotel locks without EPS)
When the ‘No EPS’ hotel lock power used up and meets the ‘Door Closed’ , there is a problem like follows.
This is just like a trap. A trap full of uncourteous and shameful.
Many hotels must face the troubles about mechanical keys, including
Need to store and manage all room mechanical keys very carefully.
Must replace the lock battery much earlier, long before the lock runs out of power.
The good hotel locks’ EPS will totally solve the hotels concern because
- EPS save time searching mechanical keys.
EPS ready hotel lock allow hotel staff give a short time power to lock immediately, without need go to a security cage to get the key.
Once upon the door is opened, regular replace batteries can be started immediately. There is no need use key anymore for power issues. - EPS avoid mechanical keys missing.
It will reduce the usage rate of mechanical keys.Less used, less likely to lose.
The Mechanical keys if been lost, the lock cylinder/lock simith may need change to a new one.
This can cause rooms to stop being rented and incur high installation and maintenance costs.
Why it is a sign of a good hotel lock?
Good hotel locks normally has good details. But not everyone want make ‘Good things’.
- Many locks comes from trading companies and they care about only sales more.
Generally, EPS is not a advanced technology.It doesn’t require deep technical likes make a roket or automobile.
However it involves circuit design and structural design.Not every company can do industrial design.
There are a large number of trading companies they have only the ablity to do marketing and sales!
They have no ability of ‘Desgin’. - It is a very small feature.Only great product companies pay attention to detail.
Trading companies not really use the product.The all elements of the lock are made by the guys who don’t really use it at all.
No EPS does not effect use the basic Keycard lock features and don’t effect sales more(they think).
For example you can not expect get it on cheap hotel door locks. Because the cheap hotel door locks don’t have any good details.
There is no desgin, no science and no concerned about users.
The only target of make cheap hotel door locks is win in the price campaign.The apple ceo Steve Jobs paid attention to every detail of the MAC, down to the corners of the font.Their competitors IBM or Microsoft never care that before. - Changing is hard
External power supply is not widely existed when the hotel lock born in the world(for most hotel locks. not 100%).
It is a feedback comes from people who really use it.But many locks ignoring user needs or pretended not to hear.Because they don’t want Changing any thing.
Changing means denying who you used to be.This is very hard.
If a hotel lock don’t consider it at the beginning, it is hard to add after complete the product.
It’s not a technical problem.
The arrogance is a great impediment to progress.When everything done, it usually takes a lot of courage to revise the past results.
So if a hotel lock considered the needs of EPS, they are probably wonderful in many ways.
For example they have ability do desgin.They take the user experience very seriously and they will change.
And my conclusion is, external power supply is like a filter. It filtering out trading companies and those unwilling to make changes.
What types of External Power Supply there are?
There are many ways of giving power to the lock.
Different company have different ideas. But totally the solution should be quickly and safety.
DC 6V
Miwa and Digi hotel lock uses a similar design.
There is a DC jack on the lock panel outside room. Miwa’s is on the bottom and Digi’s is on the side left or right(some models).
Even though their batteries are inside the room, hotel can open the door immediately by give a external power from outside room.This reduce the mechanical key use rates.
External Battery design
Onity and Dormakaba put the battery pack directly external.It does not require open door to replace battery.
I think this is another kinds of EPS because it’s effect is equal with a separate power supply port, likes MIWA and Digi. It reduce the using rates of mechanical keys too.
5V USB
KAHN Hotel lock Pro put the EPS together with the mechanical key. It is a 2 in 1 design.
It doesn’t like Miwa and Digi need a power adapter and plug to 220v. KAHN Hotel lock pro can support directly use a power bank.
Power bank is popular together with the smartphone, in the past 10 years.
Even though the batteries are inside the room, hotel can open the door immediately by give a power from outside room and use a key card open door as usual.This reduce the mechanical key use rates.
9V battery
Locstar model has a 9V interface. It is called External power interface.
Behind a cover on the panel, there are positive and negative contacts
Do like follows
In my 16 years hotel lock industrial experience i found the above four ways of external power supply.The locks which provide external power supply is certainly better then the locks none of it.
EPS on some models may in different position.It depends on the lock’s hardware design.
It is just like a life ring on boart. When everthhing fine you feel it is uselss.
But once emergency happens it will save your life and you will appreciate for it existing.
The good hotel locks should have external power supply.
