Schlage Encode Battery life

Devices & Integrations
1

Schlage encode lock battery runs down all the time. There are only 2 people in our condo including myself and we are on the 3rd set of 4-batteries this year. Anyone have an idea to check out?

2

Most Wi-Fi devices just don’t have very good battery life. :disappointed_relieved: Schlage says the encode is expected to last six months on one set of batteries (as opposed to their Z wave and Zigbee locks which are expected to last 12 months), but yours is obviously worse than that. I do know quite a few people who are only getting four months out of one set of batteries with that model, although those are fairly busy households.

Schlage suggests that the most frequent reason for excessive battery use is that the Wi-Fi connection to the lock is too weak and it is having to send multiple connection requests. So you might check Wi-Fi strength in that area.

If that doesn’t fix it, I would try contacting Schlage support and see if they have any suggestions.

https://www.schlage.com/en/home/faq.html?id=131941

3

Thanks for your input. We have Spectrum Charter with 500 mbps and the strength is very strong.
I will contact support.

Jerry

4

On second thought do you have a wifi suggestion? Our condo is 2-bedroom and has 1240 sq. feet.
Jerry

5

It’s not really the speed of your internet connection that matters, but the strength of the connection between the lock and the router. A lower signal strength can cause the lock to send repeated messages, shortening battery life. Radios, unfortunately, draw a fair amount of power.

It may not be possible due to mechanics, but you might try moving the router closer to the lock as a test. If that seems to help, then maybe a wifi extender (although I’m not really a fan of those) or a mesh system with a module close to the lock may be the answer.

I don’t have a wifi lock, but I wonder if they run ok on rechargeable batteries . . .

EDIT:Ugh, yeah, I know . . .old thread . . .

6

They don’t, as a rule, unless it’s one supplied by the manufacturer. Most manufacturers say so in the user manual.

In this particular case:

Schlage recommends using a premium alkaline battery for all electronic locks. Lithium, rechargeable and older battery technologies may cause undesirable operation.

https://www.schlage.com/en/home/faq.html?id=128684

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7

It’s not recommended due to cut off voltage and limited peak load capacity of rechargeable batteries which cause a voltage drop. See this post for more details:

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