A building power outage affects DOOR devices differently depending on how each one is powered. Battery-powered locks keep working normally; wired devices and anything that depends on the internet may stop until power and the network come back. This article explains what residents and property teams should expect during an outage and what to check once power is restored.
Will my door still work during a power outage?
Yes, for battery-powered locks. The Latch C, C2, M, M2, M3, and eGenius locks run on their own batteries and do not depend on building power. During a property-wide outage they keep working — you can still unlock with the DOOR App over Bluetooth, with a doorcode, or with a keycard, exactly as you normally would. Stored doorcodes and keycards live on the lock itself, so they work even with no internet in the building.
If your M-series lock is wired for permanent power, it switches to battery power automatically when building power is lost and switches back when power returns.
What about app unlock, remote access, and smart home devices?
Unlocking the lock in front of you over Bluetooth keeps working, because your phone talks to the lock directly. What degrades during an outage is anything that needs the internet:
- Remote actions and live status — remotely unlocking a door, sending new guest access, or seeing up-to-date activity — depend on the building's internet. If the router is down, these pause until it comes back.
- New or changed access may not reach a lock until a Door Sync is performed, which needs your phone to be online.
- DOOR Smart Home devices (sensors, the Thermostat, the Dimmer Switch, the Power Switch) connect only through the DOOR Hub. The Hub has a built-in backup battery that keeps it running for about 4 hours, after which the smart home devices go offline until power and internet return.
Your account, your doorcodes, and your keycards are never lost during an outage — they are restored automatically once devices are back online.
What should property teams expect for wired devices?
Wired devices need a constant power supply, so plan for backup power where continued operation matters:
- Latch R2 needs constant power to function. Without a backup power source, an R2-controlled door stops responding during an outage. How the door behaves when power is lost — fail-safe (unlocked) or fail-secure (locked) — depends on the hardware and how it was wired and programmed. Confirm this behavior with your property installer; it is set at installation, not in software.
- Latch Intercom is wired (2-wire DC or PoE) and loses power in an outage unless it is on backup power. Its cellular backup keeps it on the network, but it still needs power to run.
- Latch Camera is powered over PoE and goes down with the network switch or injector that feeds it.
- DOOR Hub runs about 4 hours on its internal backup battery, then goes offline, taking the connected smart home devices with it.
We recommend a backup power source (such as a UPS) for R2 devices and any door where access must continue through an outage.
What happens when power comes back?
Devices are designed to recover on their own. Battery locks were never interrupted; wired devices power back up, and networked devices reconnect once the internet path is restored.
After power returns, check two things:
- Confirm doors are back online. If a door still shows offline in the DOOR App after the network is back, see My door shows offline in the DOOR App.
- Correct the clock if a device lost all power. A device that lost power entirely may come back with its clock out of sync, which can cause an Out of Schedule error on scheduled access. Perform a Door Sync to reset it. See I'm getting an 'Out of Schedule' error in the DOOR App.
If you cannot get into your unit during or after an outage, see the lockout steps below before contacting your property team.