Short answer: on a big entrance door, check five things before you choose a smart lock: how it holds a tall leaf shut, how it is powered, what the backup is, whether it suits your climate, and whether the app works where you live. On a pivot door, also check where the lock sits and how any cable gets into the door. We fit KFV, G-U and Wintech smart locks, and you can filter them by how they open on our locks page.
1. How does the lock hold a tall leaf shut?
A single latch in the middle cannot pull a 3 m leaf tight against its seals along its whole height. Ask how many locking points the lock has and where they engage. On a double or unequal double door, the fixed leaf is held with bolts at the top and bottom, and the lock goes on the leaf you use every day.
2. How is the lock powered?
- Battery locks need no cable, which suits pivot doors and retrofits. Ask how long the batteries last with your expected use, and how you will know when they are low.
- Wired locks need power brought into the leaf. On a hinged door the cable runs through a cable transfer in the frame. On a pivot door it has to come through the pivot: on FritsJurgens System M+, the Class G top pivot has a Ø7.5 mm cable entry for wiring through the door. Ask which top pivot your door’s weight class takes, and plan the cable route before the head and ceiling are finished; see pivot door technical drawings.
3. What is the way in when something fails?
Batteries run flat and electronics fail. Ask whether the lock can be powered from outside in an emergency and whether it has a mechanical key. An entrance door should always have a backup way in.
4. Which opening methods suit your users and climate?
Smart locks open by fingerprint, face, PIN, card or app, often several on one lock. Think about who uses the door: family, staff, cleaners, guests. Then think about the site. A reader that faces strong sun or driving rain needs to be suited to it. Ask about the operating temperature range and how well the reader is sealed, and plan a canopy if the entrance is exposed.
5. Does the app work where you live?
If you will use an app, ask which app the lock uses, whether it is available in your country and in your language, and what happens to access if the phone is lost. For a dealer or contractor, also ask who sets up the lock for the owner after installation.
Which smart locks do we fit?
- KFV, the lock brand of the German SIEGENIA Group. We show the KFV models we fit by style; ask us about any model and we will send its details.
- G-U, including BKS and Werock.
- Wintech smart locks, fitted on many of our doors.
Each door page lists the lock it is usually shown with, and any of these can be discussed for your order. Every door we make has a 2-year warranty from the day it ships.
Sources, checked November 2026: FritsJurgens, System M+ (top pivots and cable entry); our locks and pivots page.
Quick answers
Can you put a smart lock on a pivot door?
Yes. The lock sits in the leaf as on any door. The things to plan are where it is placed, since the pivot is set in from one edge, and how it is powered. A battery lock needs no cable. A wired lock needs its cable brought into the door through the pivot; on FritsJurgens System M+, the Class G top pivot has a Ø7.5 mm cable entry for this.
What happens if a smart lock's battery runs out?
It depends on the lock. Ask whether it warns you when the battery is low, whether it can be powered from outside in an emergency, and whether it has a mechanical key. Do not accept a lock on an entrance door without a backup way in.
Which smart lock brands do you fit?
KFV, the lock brand of the German SIEGENIA Group; G-U, including BKS and Werock; and Wintech smart locks. Facet Light uses a Lockin fingerprint lock. Our locks page lets you filter them by fingerprint, face, PIN, card or app.