So I’ve had hue bulbs for a bit now, and just got the ST V2 hub and door sensor which has opened up a lot of possibilities, but I’m really looking to add in a smart lock to the mix. The issue is that I live in an apartment, so I can’t change the front of the lock, as that would breach my lease such that the landlord’s key would no longer function in my door. This is where I have run into problems, all the smart locks officially supported by ST, are full lock replacements, with new keys, etc. I want something like the August lock, only I have yet to see one that even has a good workaround yet. Are there any products that I haven’t found yet, that might meet my needs? A smart lock add on that someone has found a work around to make ST play nice?
Thanks for any input, maybe August will finally get support and my troubles will be over.
You could have the new lock keyed to match his master and your keys. It costs like $10 - $20 at any locksmith. You can easily do it yourself if you are so inclined. You would need to get a pin set which would end up costing you more and you would have to learn how to do it, but it’s an option.
SmartThings does have the Danalock on the official compatibility list, which is a removable retrofit like the August. Unfortunately, it tends to get much worse ratings than the August, but if you can find it somewhere with a good return policy, it should be worth a try.
Make sure you get the Z wave version, not the Bluetooth only version.
Like the August, there’s only one piece which fits on the inside of your door and physically turns the deadbolt.
Or as @jnschemm suggested, if your landlord is OK with the outside appearance of the lock being different from the other apartments, but just wants to make sure the master key will still work, you can get a smart lock which also has a key option and then have it rekeyed.
Thats maybe an option, but I’m not sure if the landlord would be okay with the blatantly obvious change on the exterior. Plus I don’t really want that obvious change, as it draws attention to the door, and would make it more obvious to someone devious, that there might be a 5 min grace period between when I leave, and when my door locks. The DanaLock looks like it might be an idea.
