Smart Lock Installation in Naperville, IL

Do Naperville doors suit a smart lock?

Many do. Census estimates for 2024 put 49.2 percent of Naperville's homes in buildings from the 1980s and 1990s, and many retrofit smart locks are built to replace a standard deadbolt in the existing hole. Before buying, check the lock's specifications against the hole's diameter and backset, the door's thickness and the clearance to any storm door that closes over the lock.

Historic district and townhouse approvals

Front doors in the Naperville Historic District come under the Historic Preservation Ordinance (Title 6, Chapter 11 of the Municipal Code). Replacing a primary-façade door there needs approval, while work on secondary or rear elevations generally needs no Certificate of Appropriateness, so if a smart lock would mean a new front door, a keypad on a rear entrance may be the easier route. This is general information, not legal advice.

Townhouse communities such as Heritage Place, where construction began in December 2021, and rentals raise a separate question: who approves changing a visible lock? If the townhouse has an association or manager, ask before drilling. Tenants should get the landlord's written agreement and expect to share a code or key if the lease requires access.

Cold, heat and batteries

Batteries lose capacity in hard cold, so expect low-battery warnings in a northeastern Illinois winter and change them in the fall. Summer is the other extreme. During Chicago's July 1995 heat wave the heat index reached 105°F or more for 42 hours, and a keypad on a sunny, dark-painted door runs hotter than the air around it. Check the operating temperature range in the lock's specifications for both ends.

Keep a working mechanical key for every smart lock, stored somewhere other than the car, so a dead battery or a jammed keypad never becomes a lockout.

Photos and details to send

Send photos of the door edge and both sides of the current deadbolt, the smart lock model if you already own one, and a note on whether the home is a townhouse, a rental or in the historic district. If the old lock is worn out, lock replacement covers that step. The Naperville page covers Heritage Place and the historic district.