Lutec Electronics has launched its new intelligent door lock system in Jamaica, offering homeowners enhanced security and greater control over property access as it aims to position itself at the forefront of growing demand for smart home technology locally and in the region.

Lutec’s Sentinel Intelligent Door Locks feature advanced biometric and remote access systems for enhanced security and convenience, eliminating the need for a traditional key.

“Your home must be as intelligent as you, because we’re in that age,” Duane Lue-Fung, chairman and founder of Lutec Electronics, told Observer Online at a soft launch for the product held at Creative Building Finishes in St Andrew on Saturday.

“So we’re encouraging people to stop and think about smart technology,” he said, “to open and to access your house in a particular way that’s more convenient to you and more secure and have the peace of mind of understanding that keys are not the safest anymore.”

Lue-Fung said the remote access feature has especially generated a lot of interest in the local market.

“This remote opening is what a lot of people are fascinated by – anywhere in the world you are and you want somebody to get access – a housekeeper or a friend – you’ll be able to give them a temporary password or you say to them, ‘ring the doorbell’, and the doorbell automatically dials your phone so you see the person on the phone in front of you and you allow them to enter,” the entrepreneur said.

“So we’re not really selling locks, we’re selling control… it’s a level of convenience and comfort,” he added.

Lutec has so far partnered with Creative Building Finish, Home Up Jamaica and Quantum Concepts for the distribution of the product locally.

“We’re going to select a handful of partners to get this through while we focus on the service and support,” Lue-Fung said.

Meanwhile, one major player in the local real estate industry, Virtuoso Architect Limited, is already a customer of Lutec’s Sentinel Intelligent Door Locks, and is recommending the product after testing it.

“We went through and tested the features – tested the automatic opening feature, tested the finger lock feature, we tested the facial recognition feature,” Principal and Co-Founder of Virtuoso Architect, Hugo Matthews, said.

“So we did a proper stress test to make sure that this product is something good,” he continued. “And from there, it’s an easy thing for me to recommend.”

For Matthews, one of the best features of the smart lock is the dead bolt system.

“So, somebody can’t just break your system and come in when you are inside,” he said. “There’s a dead bolt system, once you get inside and you turn that, not even the fingerprint on the outside will open it, so you have to be inside and turn that lock manually.”

Lutec plans to introduce the product to regional and international markets as it sets its sights on being a leader in smart home technology.

“We wanted to be the first to lead the market because that’s what we do as Lutec. We wanted to bring cutting-edge technology to the region and the world as a global brand,” Lue-Fung said.

– Julian Richardson