Tips for calling a locksmith: how to avoid scams on the Costa del Sol
On the Costa del Sol fake locksmiths abound.
Read article →More and more people in Mijas want to get rid of their keys. The solution I install and recommend is the Tedee PRO electronic lock: open with your phone, a fingerprint or a PIN. Here is everything it can do for you.
More and more neighbours in Mijas and the Costa del Sol ask me for the same thing: to get rid of their keys. And I completely understand it. Keys get lost, get left inside, you have to make copies for the cleaner or the family, and when you rent your flat to tourists they become a real headache. The solution I install and recommend is the Tedee PRO electronic lock, and in this article I'll tell you, calmly, everything it can do for you.
Let me flag one important thing up front so you don't read the brochure half way: the fingerprint and the numeric keypad are not in the lock, but in an accessory called the Tedee Keypad PRO. Together they make up the full system, and below I explain exactly what each one does.
An electronic lock is, basically, a small motor fitted on the inside of your door, over the cylinder you already have, that turns the key for you. There's no need to drill the door, change the handle or do any building work. It's what's called a retrofit installation: it mounts over your current lock.
The Tedee PRO is only 45 mm in diameter, so it's one of the most discreet and compact you'll find. It has a silent motor, is made of aluminium and, once fitted, you barely notice it. On the inside you keep your usual key for whenever you want to use it; on the outside, you open however you like. It does need a compatible Tedee cylinder (or an adapter), because it's designed so the key can be turned even if there's another one in the other side.
This is the part people like most, because the Tedee PRO doesn't tie you to a single way in. You can combine whichever you want:
With your phone. You open from the Tedee app with one tap. It works over Bluetooth, so you don't need signal or data to open when you're in front of the door.
Hands-free (auto-unlock). If you enable it, the lock detects your phone as you approach and opens by itself when you enter Bluetooth range. You arrive with the shopping bags and the door is already open.
With your watch. It works with Apple Watch and WearOS watches, so you can open from your wrist without taking the phone out of your pocket.
With your voice. It works with Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so an "open the door" is enough (this needs the Tedee Bridge, explained below).
With a PIN or your fingerprint. This is where the Tedee Keypad PRO comes in, which deserves its own section.
With your usual key. It still works. If one day your phone runs out of battery or you prefer the key, no problem.
Auto-lock. You leave home and it locks by itself after a few seconds. No more turning back half way down the street wondering if you locked up.
This is the accessory that turns the Tedee PRO into a complete system, and the one most people want. The Keypad PRO is a biometric keypad fitted on the outside of the door, connected wirelessly to the lock. With it you get in two ways, with no app, no account and no phone:
By fingerprint. You rest your finger on the reader and it opens. It supports up to 100 different fingerprints, each with its own permissions. It's the most convenient and also the most secure: a fingerprint can't be lost or forgotten and is practically impossible to fake.
By PIN code. If you prefer a number, you can create up to 100 different PINs, of 5 to 8 digits. The system won't allow obvious combinations like "12345" or repeated numbers, so it already pushes you to stay safe. And the advantage of a PIN over a fingerprint is that you can generate it remotely from the app and send it to someone by message without being there yourself.
Each fingerprint and PIN can have custom permissions: permanent access for the family, temporary for someone staying a few days, or limited to certain hours. And everything is logged, so you know who came in and when.
A couple of practical details: the keypad has backlit buttons (visible at night), is water- and dust-resistant with an IP65 rating, so it copes perfectly outdoors — well worth bearing in mind with the weather here. It runs on four AAA batteries that last over a year, or wired to mains. You can also lock the door from outside with a button, without entering the PIN.
The lock on its own is controlled over Bluetooth, which is short range. If you want to control it from anywhere — from work, from the beach or from another country — you need the Tedee Bridge, a small device you connect to your WiFi.
With the Bridge in place you can open remotely (for example, to let in a courier or the cleaner while you're out), get alerts on your phone every time the lock is used, and connect it to your smart home: Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, Homey, Loxone, FIBARO and more. From there you can set up routines: the lights come on when you open, everything turns off when you lock — whatever you can think of.
If you have a holiday rental apartment, this will be of special interest, because here the Tedee PRO with the Keypad PRO becomes a working tool.
You can give each guest their own PIN that expires by itself when their stay ends, with no need to meet to hand over and collect keys. The guest arrives whenever they want, enters their code and walks in. You can see in the history what time they arrived. And if you work with booking-management platforms, the system can generate and send codes automatically for self check-in. For anyone managing several flats, this saves a huge amount of time and travel.
The lock has a rechargeable lithium battery that lasts, in normal use, between 6 and 10 months, and up to 14 months if you open it around eight times a day. It recharges with a magnetic USB cable and the app warns you well in advance when it's running low, so you'll never be caught out. The keypad, as I said, runs on batteries that last over a year.
The installation is quick and doesn't damage the door, but it pays to do it properly: you have to choose the right cylinder or adapter for your type of lock and calibrate the motor. That's exactly what I do when you call me: I leave the system fitted, configured and working, and show you how to use the app, add fingerprints and create codes.
It's the question I'm asked most about the fingerprint, and the answer is reassuring. The Keypad PRO does not store your fingerprint as an image. What it does is turn it into an encrypted code that can't be reversed or reused anywhere else. It complies with the GDPR, which treats a fingerprint as sensitive personal data, precisely because it only stores that secure code and never the real fingerprint.
The same goes for PINs: they aren't stored in the keypad, so they can't be extracted from the device. And if someone stole the keypad off the wall, it would be useless to them: it can't be paired with another lock until you delete it from your account. Communications are encrypted and any unauthorised access attempt is logged in the history.
I work with electronic locks every day and, after trying several, the Tedee PRO is the one I install and the one I have at home. It convinces me for three reasons: it's small and discreet, it gives you plenty of ways to open without giving up your usual key, and with the Keypad PRO you add fingerprint and code at a level of security and convenience almost no one else has. For a family fed up with key copies, for an older person who struggles with the lock, or for someone renting their flat to tourists, it's the option that works best.
Not directly. The lock opens with your phone, watch, voice or key. To open with a fingerprint or a PIN you need to add the Tedee Keypad PRO accessory, which connects wirelessly to the lock.
No. The Tedee PRO mounts on the inside over your cylinder, with no drilling and no handle change. You only need a compatible Tedee cylinder or an adapter.
Yes. The physical key keeps working normally, so you're never locked out even if your phone or batteries fail.
The lock's, between 6 and 10 months per charge (up to 14 with light use). The keypad runs on batteries that last over a year. In both cases the app warns you in good time.
Yes. The Keypad PRO doesn't store your real fingerprint, only an encrypted code that can't be reused, and it complies with the GDPR.
It's ideal. You can give each guest a temporary code that expires by itself, with no key handover, and keep track of who comes in and when.
Interested in installing a Tedee PRO in your home or your rental apartment in Mijas or nearby? Call me on 663 225 104 and we'll look at it. I'll advise you with no obligation on the setup that fits you best and leave it all installed and working.
Damage-free opening, cylinder replacement and security locks. Fixed price over the phone, 8am to midnight.
Call — 663 225 104On the Costa del Sol fake locksmiths abound.
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