Keyless door locks

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MiniKnight

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2012
3,072
973
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NYC
Question
Has anyone tried the new breed of keyless door locks?

Problem
I run every day. My keys are heavy so I want to just take my iPhone and go running without the extra weight with me.

Concerns
Needs to be able to operate both with gloves and with sweaty fingers
Phone integration would be nice
I am really worried about battery life. I don't want to get locked out of my house if the battery dies so how does this work?
Needs to be fast. Can't spend 3 minutes trying to get the door open. The neighborhood is safe but not that safe
If it does have a master key, how does it work with other doors?
NFC versus Zigbee?

Any ideas and experiences are welcome input.
 

LeoS

New Member
Jun 19, 2013
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Wow, I've never heard of Kevo. Interesting.

I'm a Kwikset smartcode HomeConnect user, and I'm so happy with them I've replaced all the doorlocks in my house with the same type. I have it connected with my homeseer server and I can lock\unlock any of the doors from anywhere in the world with my iphone\ipad. But you don't need the HomeSeer to make use of them, they can be remote controlled with z-wave controllers (keyfobs) or you can use the numeric keypad to gain keyless entry to your house too.

One thing great about Kwikset lock is that they're user re-keyable, so you can 'reprogram' all your kwikset locks with the same key, effectively making it a master key for all your doors. I have 7 interior doors and 4 external doors and I only need 2 keys to gain access to all of them.

Kwikset : Smart Security : Electronic Locks

This can be a great entry to automating your home btw ;) (automated lighting, hvac, motion detection/presence, sound system, etc)
 

Salami

New Member
Oct 12, 2012
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I think this is going to be a big market. Not ready to jump in yet.
I don't know. If I lose the phone or the battery goes dead, I don't want to be locked out too. And if a hacker somehow hacks into the phone, it is not a good thing IMO if they can also open your doors.
 

Jeggs101

Well-Known Member
Dec 29, 2010
1,529
241
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Probably easier to break a window than to find a phone, hack into it, then hack a door.

The scary part is battery on the door being dead. They need the wireless charging.
 

nitrobass24

Moderator
Dec 26, 2010
1,087
131
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TX
Probably easier to break a window than to find a phone, hack into it, then hack a door.

The scary part is battery on the door being dead. They need the wireless charging.
Lockitron and the Kwikset still work with your regular key should the battery die or other technical issues.
 

jacksmith

New Member
Oct 27, 2014
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Key less door locks have become very popular nowadays. One of the biggest plus points of a key less door lock is that you do not have to wander around carrying a key. Sometimes when there is a power failure, the key less door locks, which are powered by electricity may stop working. In that case, your only hope is a well qualified locksmith.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

K D

Well-Known Member
Dec 24, 2016
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Been using Yale Real Living locks for 4 years. Have them on all my exterior doors. I don't know of they have a separate phone app but they are integrated with my Control4 system. For my use, the battery lasted almost 3 months after the low battery indicator came on. Even after it was completely dead, it had a few cycles left. I deliberately let the battery drain and did not replace so that I could see how long it lasted.
 
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Aestr

Well-Known Member
Oct 22, 2014
967
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Seattle
I used this Schlage Z-Wave lock at my house and loved it.

Camelot trim Connected Keypad Deadbolt

I like having the keypad so that I don't have to worry about forgetting my phone in the house or at work. It also provides a simple and quick way to lock the door when you're leaving which many smart locks lack.

It's certainly a little odd looking at first, but I found the turn lock was better when integrating with my home automation (Homeseer). With a typical powered deadbolt where the mechanism locks or unlocks the bolt a mis-trigger either through operator error or software issues can leave your house unlocked. With this system the knob is engaged for a number of seconds allowing a user to manually turn it to unlock or lock, but after that period the mechanism disengages again leaving the door secure.

I know Z-Wave requires you to have additional hardware to use, but for day to day I actually found the keypad faster and more convenient that using my phone. The smart lock feature was more to give someone access while I was not at home or near the door. I know some people worry about criminals brute forcing or guessing the code, but as mentioned unless you have bars on all your windows most criminals are going to save the time and break a window or kick a door open rather than get past your keypad code.

As far as battery life goes I had no real complaints. I changed it maybe once ever 9-12 months and certainly it gave lots of warning before.
 

K D

Well-Known Member
Dec 24, 2016
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My neighbor has the Schlage lock too integrated with openhab. He is happy with it.