Looking to add a z-wave or ZigBee smart lock to the house, probably Schlage (better overall ratings, ANSI 1, look & feel is what we have right now so no cosmetic changes), and I want to make sure I got this process down before I pull the trigger and “step in stupid”.
So if I understand the process correctly, here is how it should happen / I’m the only SmartThings “user” in our household as it’s my set of toys, so for a multi-user home and never done this via Smartthings.
1- Install lock
2- Pair lock with SmartThings
3- Configure as desired like time delay to auto lock, etc.
4- Set up codes for multiple users (wife, kids, house cleaner, etc.)
5- Give them their access codes manually and/or invite them to the SmartThings app where they can do things like unlock the door with their phone
6- Live happily ever after
So if I got this right, a few quick questions:
1- Can I set access rights for my non-admin users for devices? Again, moving from my toys to household usage
2- For the lock can I make schedules for codes to work? Say for my cleaning lady I would not give access evenings/nights/weekends
3- Did I forget anything?
Based on what I read this should be the “best” way to do a smart lock (Vs a WIFI or Bluetooth lock) for integration, reasonable simplicity & lock battery life. Am I right?
Lastly - better battery life is ZigBee but Z-Wave has no interference from WIFI is the choice? Schlage makes both.
These days there are also a number of good locks which use Bluetooth to a Wi-Fi bridge. The bridge is plugged into Mains power.
There are even a couple of decent Wi-Fi locks now, as the technology is getting better.
So protocol is less of an issue than it used to be, particularly if you go with a good brand. Yale and Schlage are both highly rated, so I would say you’ve made a good choice.
As far as your other questions…I’m going let somebody else answer on the details, but user control for guest users is tricky with smartthings if you expect to let them use the SmartThings app.
You definitely have the ability to set schedules when a code is allowed, so I think a lot of people just give their guests the code and let them enter it on the keypad. Not invite them to join their smartthings account. That takes care of any access issues from a security standpoint. It means they can’t change their own information, so I don’t know if that’s an issue for you. But they can’t mess up anything that you’ve set up.
As far as the other details for how it works, @rboy is an expert on locks and may have more to add. (he is a third-party developer who has his own paywall site with a lot of code which is very popular in the SmartThings community, but he is also very active in this forum.)
I have z-wave Schlage, and battery life is excellent. I do change batteries approximately every year and a half, when battery gets to 75-80%.
My kids are not using ST app. They use own codes to get in. I have a couple of friends that stop by when we are away. Their codes work only at that time.
Also I have key option even if batteries die.
This lock never failed.
You have the lock setup process right. As to your quick questions:
generally, no. If you invite a user to your SmartThings location, they have access to everything. I think the only exception is SmartThings camera recordings.
not with the default Smart Lock Guest Access app. There are some community apps like @RBoy paid app that can do this, but you should also check he has a migration plan off Groovy for his app (I think he does).
I’m sure you did, but come back and ask
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RBoy
(www.rboyapps.com - Making SmartThings Easy!)
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Coming to the brand, Schalge is a great brand but I would recommend a Yale (which also comes wiht both zwave and zigbee) over Schlage unless you specifically want a feature that Schalge (like the built in alarm or notification beeper) which the Yale doesn’t have. Overall Yale is far more flexible than Schalge (e.g. Auto lock relock timers, pin code lengths) and Schlage z-wave modules have a bug which can cause quite a headache if you frequently reprogram codes on your lock and your z-wave mesh is weak (see why you need buffering repeaters especially with Schlage locks due to this firmware bug).
Take a look at the table in the first post here which compares different lock features and also has tips and recommendations on various lock brands:
