u/Ok_Mention_3011

People in my apartment started installing smart locks last year and I didn’t pay much attention initially. Then one morning our maid came early, parents had gone downstairs for a walk, and the keys were inside the house. We spent almost half an hour figuring it out and that’s when I started looking into smart locks properly.

Checked a bunch of brands over a few weeks. Most of them looked very similar online, but MyGate felt more suited for apartment living compared to some others that felt more like gadgets.

Been using it for a while now and the biggest difference is honestly convenience. I don’t think about keys anymore when stepping out for a walk or going downstairs. Temporary access has also been useful more times than I expected, especially with house help and deliveries.

My parents were also able to get used to it pretty quickly which I was doubtful about at first.

So far the app experience has been smooth and the lock itself has been reliable. No weird issues till now.

Wanted to know from people who’ve been using smart locks for longer, especially in apartments. How do they hold up after a year or two?

We have a flat association and are currently looking at society management apps. After a lot of committee discussions, we have mostly narrowed it down to MyGate, ADDA and NoBrokerHood. But honestly all 3 are very different from each other and it's making it harder to decide than planned.

Mygate seemed pretty comprehensive from a RWA point of view. Maintenance billing, accounting workflows, collections, finance tracking, complaint management, vendor coordination, notices, staff management and resident communication all seemed to be deeply integrated into one system. At the same time, the app still felt simple enough for residents and security teams to use daily without too much confusion.

ADDA also looked strong in terms of committee and communication. Practical feeling in reports, admin controls, maintenance tracking, society operations.. But relative to the others, a few RWAs felt the interface & features looked a little older and less detailed.

On the whole, NoBrokerHood appeared more resident-centric. Visitor management, complaints, staff attendance, communication tools and resident convenience features all worked fairly well and the app seemed straightforward to use. But some committee members found the backend accounting and operational depth of MyGate and ADDA to be comparatively lighter.

The big question for us now is what platform works best long term for both the RWA and the residents. We want something that is strong on accounting, operations and society management but also easy enough that people actually keep using it consistently after the initial setup phase.

And then for societies already using these apps, what’s been your experience after a year or two? Which one actually reduced the operational workload for the committee instead of just digitising the same problems?

I am curious about how different apartments and gated communities in India actually run things on the ground.

In your society:

Do you use any app or software for society management, or is it mostly WhatsApp groups, Excel sheets and manual work?

How are maintenance bills created and collected? Is the process smooth or does it usually need multiple reminders?

How are complaints and service requests tracked and closed?

How is gate security managed for visitors, delivery people, staff and cabs?

If you use any app or system, what do you genuinely like about it?

What still does not work well and ends up being handled outside the system?

Would really like to hear honest experiences from people living in different cities and types of communities.

I’ve been thinking about getting one for a while, but I keep changing my mind. The idea seems convenient. There are no keys, easier access for family, and possibly less hassle overall. However, I’m also curious about how it really performs during daily use.

Concerns like battery life, app issues, and the risk of getting locked out at inconvenient times make me hesitate.

I’d like to hear from those who already use one. Is it really worth it, or does it cause more trouble than it's worth?