Why Is My Smart Door Lock Out of Power After Changing Batteries? Is it Not Durable or Leaking?

In recent years, the use of door locks has gradually moved towards the direction of smart door locks, replacing traditional keys with electronic technology to enter the home. When it comes to smart door locks, people appreciate its convenience, but also suffer from the headache of occasional malfunctions.

Especially in the case of smart door locks where the battery is dead and cannot be opened, is the lock broken? Or is the battery quality the problem? Let's explore the reasons that cause smart door lock batteries to not last or leak.

Mixing old and new batteries of smart door locks

The electronic circuit (PCB) of a smart door lock is designed to work by a whole set of batteries. If old and new batteries are mixed, it will cause the voltage of the whole set of batteries to decrease. Although the voltage of the whole set of batteries can be maintained above 4.8V in a short period of time, the consumption process of the battery is rapid.

In this case, the voltage of the old battery will be quickly consumed to around 0V. In the Chinese battery standard GB/T 8897.2, the lowest limit of the battery voltage is 0.6V, so batteries in 0V voltage are likely to leak.

When the battery in normal working condition is almost empty, the whole group voltage drops to about 4.2V, and the smart door lock will sound an alarm to prompt battery replacement. After the alarm, the battery can still be used to open and close the smart door lock at least 50 times, leaving enough time to replace the new battery.

Therefore, every time you replace the battery, be sure to remove the whole set of batteries and replace them all with new ones. This is the most efficient and safest way. Do not mix batteries, which will only increase the risk.

Reversing the battery of the smart door lock

Generally, there is a positive and negative polarity mark for inserting the battery into the battery compartment. When installing the battery, be sure to install it correctly according to the polarity mark. Even so, battery reversal still occurs from time to time.

If one of the four batteries is reversed, because the cutoff voltage design of the PCB load of some brand smart door locks is lower, the cutoff working voltage of the whole set of batteries is still above the design value, and the lock can still be opened normally.

This situation will cause the three batteries installed correctly to charge the reversed battery, and then shorten the service life of the whole set of batteries, and the reversed battery will eventually be charged in reverse by the three correctly installed batteries and leak.

If the smart door lock uses eight batteries, reversing one battery will cause three batteries to be charged in reverse and leak.

The battery compartment design of the smart door lock is unreasonable

If the diameter of the battery compartment is too small or too large, the anti-reverse card slot depth is too deep, the negative spring elasticity is insufficient, and the spring tail is outwardly curved, it will cause poor battery contact or short circuit.

If the diameter of the battery compartment is too small, it will make it inconvenient to install the battery and affect the user experience. When the smart door lock is shaken when opening and closing, the battery is difficult to reset, causing poor contact between the positive and negative poles of the battery compartment. If the diameter of the battery compartment is too large or the gap between the backboard of the battery compartment and the battery is too large, it will cause poor contact between the positive and negative poles of the battery and the battery compartment.

To prevent battery reversal and electrical leakage, many smart lock manufacturers choose an interface with a positive pole with a card slot for the battery compartment. When the battery is reversed, it forms a circuit breaker. However, the size of the positive pole head produced by different battery manufacturers is different. If the groove depth of the card slot is too deep, the short positive pole is prone to poor contact or circuit breakage.

When installing the battery, the correct installation method is to install the negative pole first and then the positive pole. The intersection of the positive and negative poles of the alkaline battery is exactly at the negative pole conducive position. When installing the battery, if the springtail of the battery compartment is outwardly curved, it may be inserted into the intersection of the positive and negative poles and cause a short circuit. After the short circuit, the temperature of the battery will rise sharply in a short time, and the battery logo will wrinkle until the battery leaks.

Tenon Smart Lock prioritizes your safety by employing robust encryption protocols and advanced authentication methods. Rest assured that your property is protected against unauthorized access with the reliable security features offered by their smart door lock solutions.