Keyless entry is a high priority for many Airstream trailer owners. The Airstream factory hasn't offered a keyless entry option for its new travel trailers, so owners have been forced to look to aftermarket solutions.
Unfortunately, the cut-out for the entry lock on an Airstream is larger than the RV industry standard size. This means that smart locks and other keyless entry products from Lippert, Bauer, RVLock, Kohree, RecPro, AV Products, and other companies won't fit, unless an aluminum patch is fabricated to cover the remainder of the hole. Most Airstream owners don't find this to be an acceptable solution. It certainly won't look "factory".
There are other options that work better. The leading examples is the unique AIRLoq system, made by Bigweld Design. This solution leaves the entry door handle alone, and instead replaces the separate deadbolt lock that is found on most 2008-2024 Airstream trailers. As such, it is a "purpose built" solution made exclusively for Airstream owners.
Some others have tried to retrofit residential deadbolt "smart locks" made by Philips, Yale (August lock), and others, to Airstream trailers. Those products fit over the deadbolt's manual locking handle.
The problems with "smart lock" keyless entry systems, of the type made by Philips and Yale, are many:
- They have WiFi and Bluetooth, which dramatically shortens battery life. Smart locks have background high power drains, resulting in the need to frequently recharge. This is a nuisance for RV owners, especially because most RVs are used only occasionally. By the time the owners needs the RV, the battery in the lock may be dead.
- The "smart lock" features require a phone app. While these features are useful in a residential environment, they mostly get in the way for RV owners. RVs, by their nature, travel to different locations where Internet access is often spotty or unavailable.
- The app also requires setup and updates, as well as reliable cellular service. This is often a challenge when RV owners travel to remote areas.
- Residential locks aren't built for rough road use. The Philips and Yale products in particular are designed to be installed on a door that doesn't go anywhere.
In contrast, RV doors are subject to rough roads and constant vibrations. Household products aren't made to survive this sort of treatment. - Installation of a household keyless entry lock requires some sort of keypad to be mounted on the outside of the trailer. This requires adhering or bolting a box to the outside of the trailer. For Airstream owners, this box is visually unappealing and may even come off on a rough road.
Purpose-designed products like AIRLoq are designed for installation on an RV. Long battery life (over a year from 4 AA batteries), no need to recharge, simple setup, durable construction, and perfect fit are some of the advantages of installing a keyless entry system that is designed for RV use.