1Control Blog

Guides, insights and news from the world of Smart Home, access control and 1Control IoT products.

Guides Aug 26, 2026 11 min read

Home Security: An Honest Guide (and Its Blind Spot)

Home security from alarms to cameras: an honest guide to what deters burglars, what monitoring costs — and the blind spot no alarm covers: who holds your keys.

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Guides Aug 26, 2026 10 min read

Protect Your Home from Burglary: A Practical Guide

What actually deters burglars: doors and windows, habits and lighting, alarms — and the keys in circulation, the entry no one has to force. A practical, honest guide.

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Guides Aug 26, 2026 10 min read

Electric Blinds and Shutters: The Complete Guide

Electric blinds vs motorised roller shutters: motors, kits, wired or battery, real costs — an honest guide to choosing, whether it's indoor blinds or shutters.

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Guides Aug 26, 2026 10 min read

Smart Blinds: Motors, Hubs and Integrations

Smart blind motors, hubs, Matter and voice control: an honest guide to making existing blinds and shutters smart — and what each route really involves.

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Guides Aug 25, 2026 10 min read

Video doorbell guide: how to choose one — and when you don't need one at all

Wired, battery or Wi-Fi, cloud plans and local storage: how to choose a video doorbell — and when a smart gate opener is what you actually need instead.

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Guides Aug 25, 2026 11 min read

How to Change a Door Lock: A Complete UK Guide

When and how to change a door lock in the UK: identify your lock type, measure the euro cylinder, swap it in ten minutes, plus costs and rules for tenants.

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Guides Aug 25, 2026 8 min read

The Alexa commands actually worth using at home

The useful Alexa commands list for your home: named timers, reminders, announcements, routines, privacy — and how to open your gate by voice with SOLO.

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Guides Jul 17, 2026 8 min read

Gate remote stolen or lost: what to do right away

Gate remote stolen or lost? Assess the risk, deactivate the code in the receiver and move your gate to your smartphone: the step-by-step security guide.

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Guides Jul 17, 2026 10 min read

Give house keys to a cleaner or dog sitter? Keyless alternatives

Should you give house keys to a cleaner or dog sitter? Why spare keys get out of control and how a personal PIN with schedules keeps access in your hands.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 11 min read

Gate Remote Not Working? 8 Checks to Fix It

Gate remote not working? 8 quick checks by symptom: battery, contacts, rolling code, range and receiver. Plus the plan B: universal remote or smartphone.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 9 min read

Electric Gate Not Opening? Causes and Fixes

Electric gate not opening? A decision tree to check power, remote, photocells, manual release and control board — and when to call a gate engineer.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 8 min read

Gate Remote Battery Replacement: Types and Steps

Which battery your gate remote takes — Nice, CAME, FAAC, BFT, Hörmann — how to open the fob, swap it in 4 steps and what to check if it still won't work.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 9 min read

Gate Receiver Memory Full? How to Add Remotes

Gate receiver memory full? Learn the symptoms, how many remotes receivers store, when a full reset is needed and how to add users without using a single slot.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 11 min read

Open Your Gate with CarPlay — No Hub Needed

Open your gate or garage from the car screen with CarPlay and Android Auto: the hubless route with SOLO AUTO vs SOLO+LINK vs the HomeKit path.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 9 min read

Gate Geofencing: Auto-Open on Arrival Explained

How gate geofencing works, the 4 documented problems of auto-open on arrival, and one-tap alternatives via CarPlay, Android Auto, Siri and Apple Watch.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 12 min read

Communal Gate Remote Control: Phone Access for Your Building

Communal gate remote control for your building: GSM openers, gate-mounted systems or cloning your own remote — no permission needed and no rewiring.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 9 min read

GSM Gate Opener: How It Works, Costs and App Alternatives

How a GSM gate opener works: free rejected call, caller-ID whitelist, the hidden SIM costs, and app alternatives without a dedicated SIM.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 10 min read

Apartment Gate Access Control for Small Buildings & Condos

Apartment gate access control for small buildings: technologies compared, lost fobs revoked in seconds and retrofit without rewiring the block.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 9 min read

Vacation Rental Smart Home: Access-First Setup for Hosts

Vacation rental smart home ranked by real ROI: access first with expiring PIN codes, then climate, noise and security. And what is just a gadget.

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Guides Jul 16, 2026 9 min read

Hotel Pool Access Control: Time-Window PINs for Guests

Hotel pool access control without turnstiles: time-window PINs that only work during opening hours and stay dates. A guide for small hotels and B&Bs.

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Guides Jul 15, 2026 11 min read

How to Run an Unstaffed Coworking Space 24/7

How to run an unstaffed coworking space 24/7: credentials tied to membership plans, instant revocation, access logs and every entrance covered.

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Guides Jul 15, 2026 13 min read

Retrofit Access Control for Coworking Spaces: Full Guide

Retrofit access control for coworking spaces: add users, schedules and logs to the gates and doors you already have, with no monthly software fees.

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Guides Jul 15, 2026 10 min read

Meeting Room Access Control for Rooms Rented by the Hour

Meeting room access control for external clients: one-time PINs tied to the booking window, covering the building door, the room and the parking.

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Guides Jul 15, 2026 10 min read

Coworking Space Technology Checklist: The Missing Chapter

The coworking space technology checklist the how-to-open guides skip: access control, connectivity, booking tools and cameras for a lean launch.

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Guides Jul 15, 2026 9 min read

Shared Office Keyless Entry for Business Centers

Shared office keyless entry for business centers: credentials that expire with the contract, per-company groups and a full log on every entrance.

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Guides Jul 15, 2026 9 min read

Training Room Rental Access With Time-Limited Codes

Training room rental access without staff: time-limited PIN codes for trainers and event organizers, automatic expiry and a log of every entry.

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Guides Jun 10, 2026 7 min read

Cyclist-Friendly Accommodation: Bike Storage

Make your accommodation cyclist-friendly with secure bike storage, self-service access, repair essentials and safer e-bike battery charging.

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Guides Jun 10, 2026 7 min read

Cleaning between check-out and check-in: managing access

Recurring time-window codes for your cleaning crew, entry and exit notifications and a searchable access log: manage turnover access without handing over keys.

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Guides Jun 10, 2026 10 min read

Airbnb Key Exchange: 8 Handover Methods Compared

In-person handover, KeyNest, lockbox, smart lock, PIN keypad or remote opening? Costs, risks and traceability of 8 Airbnb key exchange methods compared.

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Guides Jun 10, 2026 8 min read

Keypad Code Entry for Airbnb Guests: No App, No Keys

How a wireless keypad lets vacation rental guests open the gate, garage or door with a PIN that expires at check-out — no app, no keys, no internet.

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Guides Jun 10, 2026 10 min read

Open the Apartment Building Door Remotely for Guests

Guest stuck at the buzzer while you're miles away? How to open the building door and gate remotely — without rewiring the shared intercom or asking the HOA.

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News Jun 10, 2026 10 min read

Are key lockboxes still allowed? Bans and the alternatives

Paris, Dublin, Milan and Valencia are cracking down on key lockboxes. Where they are banned, what hosts risk, and the smart keyless alternatives.

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Guides Jun 10, 2026 16 min read

Self check-in: legal requirements for hosts

Is self check-in legal? There is no single rule: guest registration, ID checks and lockbox bans vary by country and city. Here is what to check first.

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Guides May 15, 2026 15 min read

Smart Lock for Airbnb & Rental Properties: 2026 Guide

Smart lock for Airbnb rentals: the 6 checks before buying — subscription or one-time purchase, every access point, no-app PIN entry for guests, offline backup.

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Guides May 14, 2026 18 min read

Smart Gate Opener: the complete guide 2026

Smart gate opener: how to choose between Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and hub, install SOLO with no drilling, copy 750+ remotes and make your existing gate smart.

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Guides May 14, 2026 14 min read

Keyless Entry Smart Locks: Methods & Best Picks 2026

Keyless entry smart locks explained: the six unlock methods, what each device does, the best models for UK Euro cylinder doors. CTA: 1Control DORY.

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Guides May 14, 2026 12 min read

Best Smart Locks 2026 (UK): Euro Cylinder Picks Compared

Best smart locks 2026 for UK euro cylinder doors, compared: DORY, Nuki, Yale, August, SwitchBot and Aqara. Fit, battery life, keyless entry — no monthly fees.

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Guides May 14, 2026 10 min read

Smart Lock No Drilling: Reversible Install Guide 2026

Smart lock no drilling: how DORY retrofits a UK Euro cylinder door in 10 minutes with no holes and no wiring. Fully reversible, landlord-friendly, 1-year battery.

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Guides May 10, 2026 9 min read

How to open gate with smartphone: practical guide 2026

How to open the gate with your smartphone: set up 1Control SOLO in 6 steps, share access from the app and add remote control with LINK.

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Guides Apr 19, 2026 11 min read

Nuki vs DORY: smart lock comparison

Nuki or 1Control DORY? Honest smart lock comparison: one-year battery, silent operation, mechanical backup key, remote opening. Pick the right one.

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Guides Apr 19, 2026 19 min read

Smart Home Without Home Automation: 2026 Complete Guide

Smart home without wiring or building work: gate, garage, front door and lock become smart with Bluetooth devices that work locally even without internet.

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Guides Apr 18, 2026 11 min read

Smart Lock for Security Door: Complete Guide 2026

Smart lock for front door and security door: choose without compromising the Euro cylinder, cylinder guard or mechanical key. 2026 DORY guide.

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Guides Mar 12, 2026 9 min read

Copy garage remote to phone: SOLO vs WHY guide

How to copy a garage or gate remote to your phone: 1Control SOLO turns the smartphone into an opener, WHY stays the physical universal remote choice.

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Guides Feb 10, 2026 14 min read

Smart Lock and Keyless Entry: the Complete 2026 Buyer's Guide

Smart lock and keyless entry buyer's guide: compare security, battery life, Euro cylinder fit, remote access, ecosystems and total cost.

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Guides Feb 09, 2026 9 min read

Voice assistants and gates: Alexa, Google Home

Open the gate with Alexa or Google Home: what 1Control SOLO and LINK do, how to set up the voice integrations, limits and common errors to avoid.

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Guides Feb 05, 2026 11 min read

Smart Home for Beginners: Where to Start in 2026

Smart home for beginners: no rewiring, no hub, no builders. Start with the gate or front door using Bluetooth devices that work even without the internet.

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Guides Jan 27, 2026 10 min read

Smart Home vs Home Automation: Differences and How to Choose

Smart home and home automation are not the same: one starts from the wiring, the other from a single device. The difference in plain English — and how to choose.

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Guides Jan 24, 2026 10 min read

Make gate and door smart without installation

Make gate, garage and front door smart with no drilling, no wiring and no installer: SOLO, DORY and LINK build a modular smart home, one access at a time.

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Guides Jan 24, 2026 13 min read

Smart Garage Door Control Without Wi-Fi: How-To

Smart garage door opener without Wi-Fi: how Bluetooth remote cloning works, why 433/868 MHz doors beat myQ retrofits, and when a wired relay makes sense.

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Guides Jan 23, 2026 10 min read

Universal gate remote: how to choose the right one

How to choose a universal gate remote: model compatibility, 433-868 MHz vs quartz frequencies, fixed vs rolling code, and where 1Control WHY and QZERO fit.

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Guides Jan 09, 2026 10 min read

Gate remote programming: step-by-step guide

How to program a gate remote: classic procedure on the controller, copy with the 1Control WHY universal remote, or switch to your smartphone with SOLO. Complete 2026 guide.

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Guides Jan 08, 2026 10 min read

Electronic vs Traditional Door Lock: Pros, Cons and the Hybrid Approach

Electronic vs traditional door locks compared: security, battery life, access, total cost and the hybrid option with a mechanical key backup.

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Guides Jan 07, 2026 8 min read

How to open your gate with your phone without a remote

Open your automatic gate without the remote: turn your smartphone into a gate opener with 1Control SOLO, or use the WHY universal remote as a backup.

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Guides Jan 02, 2026 17 min read

Universal Gate Remote: the Complete 2026 Guide

Universal gate remote: 433-868 MHz frequencies, fixed code vs rolling code, programming and choosing between 1Control WHY, QZERO and smart gate opener SOLO.

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