Anybody Have a Smart Door Lock--Also Known as a Keyless Entry Door Lock?

[YB88]

I have three Yale locks with Google Home (now Gemini) and they work great. I've had no trouble getting them to work with, and stay connected to, the Connect devices. I replace their batteries quarterly, with a GCal reminder setup.

Interesting --- I've resisted the shift to Gemini so far, reading that there are issues with it in the context of smart home management. I use it on one tablet as it's handy for actual AI stuff, but not yet as a general replacement for Google Assistant.

Are your connections to the Yale locks via wifi, or matter/thread? Does Yale do that yet? I've been thinking I might put a smart lock on our front door once there's a body of experience (with positive results !) at connecting via matter/thread. I doubt that the failed wifi connect on my existing side-door Yale lock will upgrade to matter/thread, but who knows.

 

[threeonesix]

Interesting --- I've resisted the shift to Gemini so far, reading that there are issues with it in the context of smart home management. I use it on one tablet as it's handy for actual AI stuff, but not yet as a general replacement for Google Assistant.

Are your connections to the Yale locks via wifi, or matter/thread? Does Yale do that yet? I've been thinking I might put a smart lock on our front door once there's a body of experience (with positive results !) at connecting via matter/thread. I doubt that the failed wifi connect on my existing side-door Yale lock will upgrade to matter/thread, but who knows.

When my phone updated to the latest OS last month it automatically shifted me to Gemini without my choosing. A couple of automations had to be re-created but so far that's it. My Yale connections are wifi. Not sure that my version of locks, which are around 5 years old, support the Matter option but I don't believe so. I haven't experienced the problem with the Connect devices. Every once in a great while the locks will report that they've been disconnected but the connection always comes right back within a few minutes.

 

[camfused]

Fyi, we just experienced our smart lock opening unexpectedly for the first time (in about 3 years). My wife has a button on her Apple watch home screen to unlock the door. She must have pressed it by mistake. I told her to put an Apple Home button there instead, so two buttons would need to be pressed.

We have it set to lock itself after 5 mins, so not the end of the world.

Btw, I have my smart lock (and other stuff like that) on my IoT wifi network and not my normal one, for security reasons.

 

[Luvtoride]

We have one provided by Vivint our home security system. The door lock runs on batteries and can be opened with a push button code or via an app. This comes in very handy when our cleaning lady is coming when we’re not home. Have had no issues with it.

 

[jrgators]

Does anybody have a smart door lock? These typically have a keypad that you enter the digital code into and that unlocks the door.

Some of them have a built in doorbell or a built in camera, or both.

Some of them have a fingerprint reader. The fancier, more expensive ones have a palm vein reader. You place the palm of your hand on a scanner and it senses the unique "map" of blood vessel in your hand to unlock the door.

Some of them have a digital screen on the side of the device that is inside the house so it can act as a digital camera peephole.

Still others have wifi built in and will sense the proximity of your phone and unlock the door as you are walking up to it.

So, if you have one of these devices, I'd love to hear about it. What are the pros and cons? What feature do you like? etc.

I have a kwikset one. I think it can hold like 100 different codes. You can set it for the days/hours the codes are valid for. For example the code for the cleaning lady only works on fridays. It is not wifi enabled, only bluetooth enabled which is sufficient for my needs. You program it through an app on the phone.

 

[Semi-Retyrd]

When we purchased our house in Las Vegas we replaced all the entrance locks with Medeco locks. These can only be purchased through authorized locksmiths. The locks can't be picked and the keys can't be duplicated except by in-person appointment with your locksmith where you have to prove your identity. Then to prevent the doors from being forced we used steel door bars. This was in a guard gated community with armed guards patrolling at night.
There was no crime in the hood.

Now that I live in Korea all newer residential buildings have smart locks with cameras as standard equipment. My wife added a camera she can check from her phone for any packages delivered while she is out.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

used at so many airbnbs makign self checkin so convenient. Put one in our house so we could slip out early or alte for a run.walk and not have to bring keys. Can set a buncha codes if needed. Easy to use. Can still use key for catsitter etc if needed. 10/10 recommend. I wouldnt get any more sophisticated than touch combo. Mo bells whistles mo problems.

 

[Nightcap]

August deadbolt. It just replaces the inside knob on the deadbolt. The mechanism and the outside lock remain the same. When both of us leave the house, it locks. When one of our phones is detected outside, it unlocks. It’s worked flawlessly for several years now. We can set up access for others and unlock it remotely if, say, the cleaners come by when we’re out. But the same key still unlocks it if necessary. NB: I haven’t upgraded to the newer model. It uses smaller batteries that have to be replaced more often. Mine uses four AAs, that last about a year.

 

[meleana]

We don’t have one but our HOA clubhouse has one that all 85 homes use. Plus we can still use the key if we want.

They change the code once per year.

At our house we most often come in and out via the garage door so we use the remote or the app on our phones.

 

[Scuba]

So, you can program in more than one code to open the door? That is, you can have your (mostly) permanent personal entry code and then program in another for temporary use by someone else?

Can you do this programming remotely?

Yes you can program multiple codes and you can do it remotely. We love it. We have a house sitter stop by and check on our house when we do longer trips. They have a code, our housekeeping service has a code, and a couple of close friends have codes too. Plus, we never have to worry about losing our key or locking ourselves out of the house! We put one on our front door and another on the door from our garage into the house.

 

[yclipse]

Does anybody have a smart door lock? These typically have a keypad that you enter the digital code into and that unlocks the door.

Some of them have a built in doorbell or a built in camera, or both.

Some of them have a fingerprint reader. The fancier, more expensive ones have a palm vein reader. You place the palm of your hand on a scanner and it senses the unique "map" of blood vessel in your hand to unlock the door.

Some of them have a digital screen on the side of the device that is inside the house so it can act as a digital camera peephole.

Still others have wifi built in and will sense the proximity of your phone and unlock the door as you are walking up to it.

So, if you have one of these devices, I'd love to hear about it. What are the pros and cons? What feature do you like? etc.

The key (sorry) is to ensure that the batteries are changed regularly, say new Everloop rechargeables on the first of each month.

 

[PaulNolin]

Does anybody have a smart door lock? These typically have a keypad that you enter the digital code into and that unlocks the door.

Some of them have a built in doorbell or a built in camera, or both.

Some of them have a fingerprint reader. The fancier, more expensive ones have a palm vein reader. You place the palm of your hand on a scanner and it senses the unique "map" of blood vessel in your hand to unlock the door.

Some of them have a digital screen on the side of the device that is inside the house so it can act as a digital camera peephole.

Still others have wifi built in and will sense the proximity of your phone and unlock the door as you are walking up to it.

So, if you have one of these devices, I'd love to hear about it. What are the pros and cons? What feature do you like? etc.

Yes, I have the Phillips brand and like it. Has the keypad, the fingerprint option, and it connects to my WiFi so I can unlock it from anywhere in the world.

 

[Retired Expat]

We use them on our AirBnB rental. We can set a code for each guest that is only active during their scheduled occupancy and can do it well in advance. No more last minute guest arriving scramble. And it very helpful to know that the guest got it and locked up properly or that I can lock or unlock remotely if needed!

 

[Sanbenito1]

I have a Schladge Encode recommended by NY Times Wirecutter, I recall. It can be opened by code or Key. I recall it can be coded for other users but I haven’t done that yet. Battery life has been good (it’s on the back garage door which isn’t opened that much). There is an app so I can check remotely to see if I remembered to lock it, or open it for friends to get in. The app will send me an alert if the door is opened. I have replaced many regular door knobs but I used a YouTube video to install this one-wasn’t too hard. It’s pretty similar to installing a regular knob but you do need to get the battery connection wire pushed through correctly. I didn’t get one of the video- type locks because it just seemed like too much complication, given I have solar security cameras already. I did not put one on my front door because even though the keypad is lit, my eyes are not what they were and I don’t want to be typing in a code with my hands full of groceries. These days I’m reluctant to hand over my fingerprints to a door app, either. The Schladge Encore smart lock is $230, so I only put it where I needed it, which is my garage side door because I don’t carry keys working in the back yard and got tired of having to walk back into the house with dirty shoes to enter the garage. Someday when the battery life is better and the keypad easier, I may put one on the front door, but price and battery life is a barrier to that now.

My friend bought a Yale, which she likes but she has had a couple connection issues- not sure if it was her fault or the lock’s, but they did have good 24 hour customer service for her. I’d avoid Kwikset if you can afford better. My experience as a landlord and homeowner has taught me that Schladge (regular) locks last twice as long, hence the price difference.


SCHLAGE BE489WB GRW 716 Encode WiFi Deadbolt Smart Lock, Keyless Entry Touchscreen Door Lock with Greenwich Trim, Aged Bronze Amazon.com

 

[zinger1457]

My Yale smartlocks don't have a key backup, if it happens that the batteries die then you can use a 9V battery for a backup. There are two metal terminals on the bottom of the lock that you make contact with the 9V battery and that will give you temporary power to unlock the door. The Yale app gives battery status and warnings when low, I've only had to use the 9V battery once in about 5 years and it was my fault for ignoring the warning. Best to get into a routine and change the batteries on a schedule.

 

[Big Jim]

Does anybody have a smart door lock? These typically have a keypad that you enter the digital code into and that unlocks the door.

Some of them have a built in doorbell or a built in camera, or both.

Some of them have a fingerprint reader. The fancier, more expensive ones have a palm vein reader. You place the palm of your hand on a scanner and it senses the unique "map" of blood vessel in your hand to unlock the door.

Some of them have a digital screen on the side of the device that is inside the house so it can act as a digital camera peephole.

Still others have wifi built in and will sense the proximity of your phone and unlock the door as you are walking up to it.

So, if you have one of these devices, I'd love to hear about it. What are the pros and cons? What feature do you like? etc.

 

[Big Jim]

Does anybody have a smart door lock? These typically have a keypad that you enter the digital code into and that unlocks the door.

Some of them have a built in doorbell or a built in camera, or both.

Some of them have a fingerprint reader. The fancier, more expensive ones have a palm vein reader. You place the palm of your hand on a scanner and it senses the unique "map" of blood vessel in your hand to unlock the door.

Some of them have a digital screen on the side of the device that is inside the house so it can act as a digital camera peephole.

Still others have wifi built in and will sense the proximity of your phone and unlock the door as you are walking up to it.

So, if you have one of these devices, I'd love to hear about it. What are the pros and cons? What feature do you like? etc.

We have a lock on our interior garage door. We did not want to have it on our front door.

It is a company called August lock and can be found on the Internet. We have had it for two years. We’ve changed the battery three times it works perfectly.

You can set a lock time for 10 or 30 minutes after you leave the house Automatic lock and you can open it remotely with your cell phone or a push button system on the outside of your door or molding.

You can set up two I think 30 different codes for yourself your housekeeper, your daughter and it will notify you when the door is used or opened and whose code was being used therefore you know when they arrive and when they leave.

Furthermore, you can open it remotely from almost anywhere in the United States so if you have an unexpected visitor, you can let them in or you could let in the emergency medical service personnel.

 

[Tracer]

I have a Schlage that requires a separately purchased "hub" to work remotely. An added expense for something that I, in my situation would rarely if ever use. So I just use it for the keyless keypad entry. It has a key as a backup in case the battery or motor craps out. It also self locks after 30 seconds. Was simple to install.

 

[Out of Steam]

We don't have any electronic locks, but it is on my to-do list to add one to the side door of the garage.

 

[Luvtoride]

We have one provided by Vivint our home security system. The door lock runs on batteries and can be opened with a push button code or via an app. This comes in very handy when our cleaning lady is coming when we’re not home. Have had no issues with it.

Had a Vivint service tech at our home today to upgrade our master panel. While there and trying to upsell us to more Vivint features i.e. replace our Ring doorbell with one from Vivint (we didn’t do it) he advised me of a simple new feature. We could add our My Q garage door opener to our Vivint app. How easy and useful that is! We Can now open our front door or garage door from the Home Screen on ONE App!

 

[triangle]

SwitchBot has an interesting smart lock, what they are calling "SwitchBot Lock Ultra" and " SwitchBot Keypad Vision" which uses face recognition to unlock the door.

I first heard about this product from the the "Hibbert Home Tech" youtube channel. I enjoy his videos but if you are just looking for technical information you might find his presentation style annoying as it is filled with running jokes and innuendo.

A written review here:

Switchbot’s latest lock can unlock with a look

Look at me!

www.theverge.com

 

[Sunset]

Battery life is probably the main reason I haven't installed any. We're gone from our condo longer than that.

Ours has a keypad and normal keyhole, does not connect to wifi. It answers your issue as it has a usb plug to plug in a battery in case the lock batteries are dead.

Of course with the keyhole, I just take a key on the trip with me.
We have found our batteries last over a year, so I just change them before going on long trips if I think they are getting time to change.

In general I like it, as easy to go outside for a walk or garden in back of the house, and can lock the door without carrying a key.