Neither a key lockbox nor a keypad lock is better in general. A lockbox shares a real key, and that key, or any copy made of it, keeps opening your door after the guest or contractor leaves. A keypad lock shares a code you can change or delete, but it replaces how the door itself opens. Choose by what you want left behind.
Sharing a key or sharing a code
The real difference between a key lockbox and a keypad lock is what you hand over. A lockbox is a small locked container, usually opened with a combination, that holds a regular key to your door. The visitor opens the box, takes out the key, and uses your existing lock. A keypad lock is the lock itself, a deadbolt or lockset with a number pad, so the visitor types a code at the door and no key changes hands.
That difference decides what is left once the visitor goes home. With a lockbox, a working key to your door has been in someone else's hand, and you cannot see whether it was copied before it went back in the box. With a keypad, what is left is a code. A code can be deleted.
What a key lockbox leaves in place
A lockbox leaves your door exactly as it is. The deadbolt, the knob, and the keys you already carry all stay the same, and that is the main appeal. Nothing new goes on the door.
The weak point is the key inside the box. Anyone who opens the box holds a working key for as long as they have it, and a key can be copied and put back with no sign that it happened. Changing the combination on the lockbox keeps the next person out of the box. It does nothing about a copy already made, because that copy opens the door lock, not the box.
Placement counts too. A lockbox has to hang somewhere near the door, on a railing or mounted to a wall, and a box in plain view tells anyone walking past that a key to that door is stored close by.
What a keypad lock asks of the door and of you
A keypad lock trades the key for a code. You can give a contractor one code for the length of a job and a guest another for a weekend, then change or delete each one when the visit ends. Nobody returns anything, and there was never a key to copy.
The catch is the hardware. A keypad lock either replaces the existing deadbolt or knob or goes on as an additional lock, so the door has to suit it. The door's thickness, the holes already bored in it, and how the current deadbolt and handle sit all affect what can go on. A door that already sticks or latches poorly is worth sorting out first.
A keypad also gives you upkeep. Keypad locks usually run on batteries, so someone has to notice when power runs low and replace them. And an old code nobody deleted works just like a key nobody returned. The advantage only holds if you retire codes when people stop needing them.
What decides between them for your door
Four parts of your situation usually settle the choice.
- How many people come and how often the list changes. One cleaner who visits weekly is a different problem from a stream of short-term guests or a rotating crew of contractors. The more often the people change, the more a deletable code is worth.
- Who controls the door. If you own it, the hardware is yours to change. If you rent, or the door is a shared building entrance or a commercial door that other people manage, someone else may decide what lock goes on it, and a lockbox leaves the door alone.
- What an unreturned key would cost you. If one missing lockbox key would mean rekeying, which changes the pins inside the lock so old keys stop working, a code that never leaves the door avoids that step.
- Whether you want to keep your keyed lock. Keeping the existing deadbolt untouched points toward a lockbox, or toward a keypad added as a second lock instead of a replacement.
Nostrand Locksmith handles smart lock installation, lock changes and rekeying, door hardware repair, and commercial and access control work. To talk through which option suits your door, call (516) 644-8976.
Frequently asked questions
If a contractor has used a lockbox key, should I rekey afterward?
Whether to rekey after a contractor used a lockbox key comes down to how well you can account for it. If the key came back, only that contractor knew the box code, and you have no reason for doubt, many people leave the lock as is. If the code was shared around or you cannot say who held the key, rekeying the lock is the step that actually ends that access.
Can a keypad lock and a regular key work on the same door?
A keypad lock and a regular key can share a door in two ways. Many keypad locks include a key cylinder as a backup, so one lock opens either way. A door can also carry a keypad deadbolt alongside a separate keyed lock. Either way, anyone holding a key still gets in, so keys need tracking along with codes.
What should I do about access if I rent and can't change the lock?
When changing the lock is not an option, a lockbox is the approach that leaves the door hardware untouched. Share the box code with as few people as possible, change the combination after each visitor, and keep a note of who held the key and when. If a key goes missing, that record helps whoever controls the lock decide what to do next.
Does a keypad lock work for a shop or office door with several users?
A keypad lock can work on a shop or office door with several users if someone manages the codes. Separate codes for each person let you remove one user without disturbing the rest, while a single shared code has to change for everyone when one person leaves. Doors with many users, or several doors, often call for an access control system instead.