Trying to get some recommendations on door locks. What are some pros and cons?
Iāve had the Kwikset 914 for over a year but I have never been able to integrate with Smartthings. Tried a number of times but no luck. As a stand along lock, it works fine, but you have to take off the face with an Allen wrench to make any changes. I am now looking at the Schlage locks and will replace the Kwikset lock soon.
Check noke https://www.smarthomegeeks.co.uk/smart-locks/noke-bluetooth-padlock-review/ bluetooth, encryption and quite cheap
Iāve been using Kwikset 910ās for almost a year and recently put in a 914 when they went on sale at Lowes. Installation is easy if youāre mildly handy and even easier if you already have Kwikset locks installed. Pairing at first was challenging but after re-reading the instructions and resetting the hub it went kwik and smooth. They have worked fine ever since I installed them and never failed to fire when asked. Mine auto lock at night and when I leave as well.
Before you install one though check your current door lock striker combination. When you turn the deadbolt does it lock and unlock smooth with little to no effort? This is important because often the striker hole or plate is not centered perfect on the bolt and it can catch the edge of the bolt when itās locking. Most newer bolts have a tapered leading edge to help with this but its better if it works without contact from the get go. The reason is when you do it manually that little bit of extra force isnāt to hard for you to do but for a small DC 6V motor it might be to much and it will either struggle or not work at all. Here in SC the humidity can go through the roof and cause doors and jambs to swell and contract. My new back doors struggled with the 910 because of this. A quick hit with a dremel on the striker plate was all it needed and it never hesitate on locking or unlocking after that.
Since this forum is for people who are using SmartThings Devices, the Noke wonāt typically be a good candidate since it does not work with SmartThings.
Itās also a padlock, when most people in this thread were looking for an installed door lock.
In most cases if you are responding to a post which is over a year old, it will be newer threads with newer information. In this case, see the following:
I have a Schlage Connect, and it works really well. Supposedly there is a way to set codes in ST, but I havenāt seen it, nor have I taken the time to really research it.
http://www.schlage.com/en/home/keyless-deadbolt-locks/connect.html
The official features donāt at present support setting user codes, but there are two good community created options that do. In order to use these you have to use what is called ācustom code.ā Thatās pretty straightforward, it just means that you copy the authorās code and paste it into your own account. Hereās the FAQ that describes that process (this is a clickable link)
If after reading that you decide thatās something youād like to move forward with, the next question is how do you find custom code to copy?
The easiest way is usually to check the quick browse lists in the community ā created wiki. These are organized into sections for smart apps and device type handlers and project reports. In this case you would be looking for a smartapp. So look for the list called ālocksā in the smartapp section:
You will find a number of different choices there. The most popular free smartapp is probably ālock managerā and it has many different features. Thereās also a paid app from @Rboy which many people like.
I will look into those. Thank you!
This is the paid app JD was referring to, there are many differences between the two popular apps. One of the key differences is that the paid version works with the built in ST lock device handler.