I’ve been slacking on completing this project. In about 2 weeks, I’ll finally put together all the parts and post a video of my kludge of a solution!
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https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/search?utf8=✓&term=padiolok
Just launched on kickstarter today. They have pledged that all of their locks will eventually be upgradeable to Zwave. If they hit their first stretch goal (150,000 CAD ~$116,000 US) zwave will be available right away!
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Unfortunately padiolok didn’t meet its funding requirements and doesn’t look like it will be coming to market for a long time, if at all.
Device type in Smartthings aside I would probably use a linear actuator or solinoid to push a bolt into and out of a hole in sliding door frame. Kinda like the little security pins you can install so even if unlocked door cannot open. Just need to connect to an esp8266 or some other wifi board.
We always come back to the same issue: can someone inside the house easily open the door in a fire if the power is out without needing a separate code, key, or device? This is required by code in most parts of the US.
And then the flipside of that, does The door still remain locked from the outside during a power outage?
A bolt and actuator is fine as long as there’s a manual override from the inside of the house.
Yeah. I would probably mount the actuator and pin to the door with some atrong magnets. So in the event of power outage you can just pull it free.
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This company has an electric strike plate for sliding doors:
https://www.hafele.com/us/en/product/electric-sliding-door-strike/91168049/
No prices shown.
Add a self-latching lock and a lever on the inside, and you’d be fine for emergency exit needs. The only missing part is how to energize the strike plate, but that can’t be too hard.
But this is a Fail Secure device, it would be closed if power fails
You would need a Fail Safe device for your scenario
Btw.
Do you have any links to a self-latching lock for patio doors? could really use those
The fail safe issue I’m concerned with is the ability to exit in case of a power failure, which the electronic strike plate allows.
Since the electronic strike works with existing door hardware, you still have the ability to open the door from the inside with the existing lever, or from the outside with an existing key.
This site sells a few self-latching sliding door locks, made by Adams Rite:
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Thanks for the link, I have a couple of flush locks in my sliding doors that I hate because they are very hard to use and that of course my Kids ALWAYS leave un-locked
Will see if I can adapt these to my doors
I was thinking on an electronic bolt for this but worried about the Fail Safe leaving door open when power is out
Btw.
I think you have the Fail Safe (FO) and Fail Secure (FC) mixed, a Fail Safe lock = FO (No-Power Open), Fails Secure = FC (No Power Closed)
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There are many “fail secure” locks which can still be manually opened from the inside. This is how almost all smart deadbolts work. If they have no power, they can’t be opened from the outside because the keypad doesn’t work. But there is still a manual turnbolt on the inside that will quickly open the deadbolt so they meet the fire safety codes in United States for buildings where people sleep.
I believe this is what the OP meant – –that they wanted to be able to quickly open the patio door from the inside even if the power was out, it’s still a “fail secure” lock, it’s just that there’s a manual method for opening it from the inside that is quick and easy and doesn’t require an additional device.
Agreed but in this case I think the challenge is to find a small Z-Wave lock for a Sliding Door, which don’t seem to exist.
I like Terry’s idea of the strike plate, but this would probably require more work on the door/wall that I’m really prepared to do. The reality is that my main use case for the Z-Wave lock was to lock the door when my kids slide it close but leave it unlocked, so a Self-latching lock will probably do the job but this gave me the pretext for the next automation project 
This days the WAF is low and always questioning “and we need that because…?”
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I’ve also been looking at installing a self-latching lock and electronic keypad on a sliding door.
The tricky bit is the backset (the distance from the edge of the door to the lever’s pivot point). Locks for sliding doors have really small backsets, leaving very little room to install a keypad and lever.
This Adams Rite self-latching lock has the biggest backset I can find, at 1.25 inches:
That’s still pretty small, only enough space for a 2.5-inch wide keypad (less space than that if your door jamb has a recess).
This is the narrowest electronic keypad lock I’ve found so far, at 1.625" wide, which might just work:
http://www.codelocks.us/downloads/datasheets/CL2000%20tech%20spec_LR.pdf
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Please keep us posted. I too would like one on my sliding door.
Update: Success! I have gotten my self-latching sliding door setup to work.
I used the Codelocks CL2255 electronic keypad:
http://www.codelocks.us/cl2000/cl2255-electronic-tubular-mortise-latch.html
And the Adams Rite 5017-02 self-latching dead latch for sliding wood doors:
Cutting the mortise into the door took some time, not too hard with a plunge router. The only hiccup was that the through hole slots on the dead latch didn’t quite match up with the through bolts on the keypad. I had to enlarge the dead latch’s lower hole slot a bit.
The self-latching feature is pretty clever, the latch retracts when it hits the strike plate.
Please note that the keypad protrudes from the door on both sides, which might interfere with a sliding screen door (if you have one).
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Funny I found this. I have implemented this with two NC deadbolt strikes attached to the side of the inside door, protruding into the edge of the outside door, interlocking them. I used a car charged coiled cable to traverse from the inside door to the threshold of the outside door underneath the foot guard. When opening the door, the cable shrinks, when closing the door the coiled cable expands. Used an Aeon microswitch and an LED driver to connect them and control them from ST. Modified the Aeon Switch device type to make it a lock. Has been working for over 3 months now.
I was upset that http://padiolok.com/ didnt reach its kickstarter funding. @Bruce_PaDIOLOK no longer responds if this project is completely dead.
That’s a lot of work just to lock a door. LOL
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it might be cheaper and easier to change the sliding doors to french doors with a standard schlage century z-wave lock.
i just checked home depot and french doors start at $209.