Schlage Connect or Sense?

Devices & Integrations Connected Things
1

I’m about to change my front door and I’d like to put a smart deadbolt on it. I wonder if I should choose the Z-Wave enabled Schlage Connect or the new Bluetooth, HomeKit compatible Schlage Sense.

I’m already committed to the SmartThings ecosystem with nearly a hundred of Z-Wave and Zigbee devices, including over 50 Philips Hue bulbs and lamps. I also have a whole bunch of Apple devices and plan to deploy the new Apple TV on every TV of the house.

I like to idea of our iPhones being the key, but at the same time I feel that locking/unlocking the door is the perfect trigger for all kind of SmartThings actions.

My question is: If I go with the Schlage Sense, is there any chance both SmartThings and HomeKit will be able to interact with it? I’m a bit confused as how both ecosystems will be able to talk with each other, if that’s even possible.

Thanks

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2

There’s a chance, but there’s no real way of knowing yet how SmartThings will work with Bluetooth devices, since they haven’t turned on the Bluetooth radio in the new V2 hub or announced when it will be turned on. Or given any details for why it isn’t turned on already.

On the other side, the Schlage sense is still in pre-release. The current scheduled release date is November 1, but that may well slip. And there’s no way of really knowing what features it will have until it is ready to ship.

So at this point, you’re trying to evaluate an integration between two as yet vaporware products. I just don’t see any way at this time to know how or if a Schlage sense might communicate with SmartThings.

The decision of how long to wait to get more information is a personal choice. Right now it’s all pretty murky.

3

Doesn’t the Schlage Sense still have ZWave as well? Or is it strictly a Bluetooth only device whereas the Connect is just ZWave?

4

Last I saw, the Schlage Sense was just Bluetooth.

Bluetooth has much lower power requirements then Z wave. Typical Zwave lock requires four AA batteries, which makes it pretty Boxy. And big.

Most of the really nice sleek looking locks are Bluetooth only.

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5

I’m fine with the size and look of the Z-Wave version. I can’t wait until November so I guess I’ll go with the Z-Wave unit (the Connect).

What would be the benefit of an HomeKit version anyway? That I can tell Siri to lock my door? Any other use-case that can’t be done with SmartThings?

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6

Right now, Apple says Siri will not be allowed to operate door locks through homekit for security reasons, but as yet there are no homekit-enabled locks available to ship, so we don’t really know how it’s all going to work.

I know the Schlage sense marketing materials say you can use voice from Siri with it, but those were all written before the Apple security announcement.

7

Chances are that you can wait, but just like the rest of us, you don’t want to :smile:

I got a Schlage Connect touchscreen deadbolt and the ST integration is great. There are custom device types and apps to extend the functionality and I can operate it remotely from my Android phone with no issues.

Now, perhaps the HomeKit integration of some of this equipment (or the Sense stuff) will bring some yet-unknown super cool functionality (and Siri integration doesn’t sound like it), but for the time being it doesn’t seem like any vaporware is particularly worth waiting for.

8

Yeah, I could wait, but I would need to buy a dumb deadbolt anyway… So I’ll go with the Connect version and change it down the road if HomeKit offers something I couldn’t live without :smile:

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9

Excellent, I feel much better about my purchase then :smiley:

10

I can lock, unlock and do some great things w my ST and Connect lock. But no voice control due to security reasons that make good sense.

11

The Alexa SmartThings skill should now support voice lock and status check of your locks. (no unlock)

12

The only difference between Schlage Sense and Schlage Connect is the Amazon Alexa and HomeKit integrations.

Plus, there’s a minor price difference too. The main idea behind both is to purchase the one that suits your house more.

13

Unfortunately, that article has several errors.

For one thing, you don’t have to touch the Schlage logo just to unlock the door on the Sense model. This is a difference between the two models, and one that customers asked for. (The Manual itself is wrong in its instructions and you can see it’s clearly a page copied from the older model as it’s using the wrong picture as well.)

They also definitely don’t “have the same installation process” because one works with HomeKit and one works with Z wave or zigbee. The lock is put on the door the same way, but the pairing process is quite different.

Also, the two models look different, which will be important to some people. They are also different sizes, again important to some people.

One key difference that was very important to me personally is that the Sense model allows you to select the length of time for the autolock while the Connect model is fixed at 30 seconds. I use a wheelchair and can’t get through the door in under 30 seconds. :disappointed_relieved: Again, the Sense is a newer model and just has some additional features that the Connect does not.

You’re quite correct that the most significant difference when First selecting between the two is that one will work with HomeKit but not with SmartThings, while the other will work with SmartThings but not with HomeKit. So most people will not be able to use both, they will have to choose one or the other. But that certainly is not the only difference.

there are several manufacturers now like Leviton who are making two models of a device which do look identical, even using the same case, but where one works with HomeKit and one doesn’t. That’s not the situation here, however. The Connect is an older model which can work with Z wave or zigbee. The Sense is a newer model with several new features, but can only work with HomeKit. And of course they look different.

Submitted with respect.

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