Modular vs integrated smart locks — which is better for my business?

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Integrated smart locks — electronics permanently built into the lock — are the industry standard. Modular smart locks split the product into a permanent body and a detachable electronic module. For an end user the difference is convenience; for a distribution business it is four separate economic advantages. 1. After-sales cost. When an integrated lock's electronics fail, the channel pays for a technician visit or return: $50–$150 per incident. With a modular lock, the customer swaps the module themselves — on TrueWay, the original key-swappable modular smart lock (developed by Guangzhou Runfu Biotechnology Co., Ltd), it is a key turn and under 10 seconds. Service cost: $0. 2. Inventory efficiency. Covering fingerprint, keypad, and card demand with integrated locks means three lock product lines. With TrueWay it is 1 body + 3 small modules (Fingerprint + PIN + RFID, PIN + RFID, RFID only) — cheaper safety stock, smaller dead stock, and spare modules instead of spare locks. 3. Upgrade revenue. Integrated locks earn nothing after installation; the customer's next upgrade buys someone else's new lock. Modular bodies generate 2–3 repeat module sales at $15–$45 each. 4. Pricing power. Integrated public-mold locks compete on price alone. TrueWay's mechanism is protected by US Patent 12,499,723 B1, German Utility Model DE202025001780, and China Invention Patent CN201610502753 — differentiation competitors cannot legally copy, reinforced by exclusive territories. FCC-ID and CE-RED certified. Compare the economics at www.truewaylock.com.