Schlage Connect BE469 vs Kwikset 916 door locks

[robin71]

Hi, my Z-Wave network currently consists of the ISY and 2 Aeotec sirens. I'm going to install a Z-Wave deadbolt in the near future and am wondering if one brand (or model) has been less problematic than the other as far as installation and operation. 

By looking at the specs, I understand the Schlage uses a more secure "grade 1" lock, however, I am not particularly concerned with that as I believe locks do one thing, keep honest people honest. It is my belief that if somebody really wants in my house the perpetrator will find a way.

So, I welcome any input or threads you could point me to, to help me better make a decision. Based on the limited research I have been able to do so far I am currently leaning toward one, but I will wait to see what others have to say first. Thanks!

[lilyoyo1]

Go with the one you think looks better. I don't think you will find a difference in overall performance with any of the major brands. 

[blueman2]

1 hour ago, robin71 said:

Hi, my Z-Wave network currently consists of the ISY and 2 Aeotec sirens. I'm going to install a Z-Wave deadbolt in the near future and am wondering if one brand (or model) has been less problematic than the other as far as installation and operation. 

Consider going with whatever brand of lock you already have installed in your house.  It is very easy to recore all your key locks to use the same key, so long as they are all the same brand.  There are really only 2 brands: Schlage and Kwikset.  You cannot use the same key for both types.  So if you have Kwikset now, get that brand of lock.  If you have Schlage or Baldwin (same ocre), get Schlage.   

[captainc]

i have had quikset zwave on my adt in one house for years and always worked great.  i just put in 2 zwave 912 with the new udi dongle at another and they work great.  i replaced 2 mi locks with the insteon interface and had issues but worked ok overall although no confirmation of lock status.

i say quikset on past history.

[rccoleman]

Agreed.  I got Kwikset locks (2 910 and 1 914) to match the keys and styling of my existing Kwikset handles.  They've worked fine for me, both with 5.0.13[A/B] and both old and new Z-Wave boards.

[robin71]

Thanks for the replies. I am going with the Kwikset to match the other house key (should it be needed). Glad to see the good results. 

UPDATE: After reading reviews on the touchscreen model I ended up purchasing a Kwikset 914 instead. The installation and pairing with the ISY was straightforward and pretty easy. I am extremely happy with the results.

[stillen_i30]

Even though the OP already decided, I will add to this topic in case someone else had questions about these two locks (as I once did). I ended up buying and installing the Schlage BE469, Kwikset 914, Kwikset 916 and Kwikset 888.

Honestly, the Schlage is the best lock of all these. The only problem I had with it were the gears were grinding right after install, but a video on YouTube showed how to remedy that (it was upsetting but read on). The touchpad worked flawlessly and the lock was easy to operate. It was very well-built. The strike plate it came with had 3" screws with a second plate with regular screws for added security against a crowbar. All my other locks are Kwikset in the house by the way.

The 916 is almost as much as the BE469 (if not, more) and is worse. You can tell Kwikset really cheaped out on this lock compared to their other (cheaper) models. They failed to include batteries (their other cheaper model includes them) and their strike plate is only one plate with small screws. The touch pad is horrible and barely activates, especially annoying when you're holding 5 heavy grocery bags and can't get the screen to come on after numerous attempts that you have to bang on the door for the spouse to open it up. I would say this is the worst of the bunch.

The 914 is better because it has buttons instead of a touch screen. Buttons are very responsive. However, also lacked batteries and came with weak strike plate. Also more expensive for some reason.

The 888 has a lower ANSI security rating (of 3) compared to the rating of 2 for the 916/914 but does come with batteries and beefy strike plate with both 3 inch screws and regular screws (four total for the plate). Range appears to be good (they are furthest from the ISY and caused the least COM problems). They are also the cheapest. Not sure why Kwikset makes the decisions that they do with their products. 

In Summary, the Schlage had the best combination of security, functionality, practicality, and quality. They came with duracell batteries too and their price is not higher than Kwikset's inferior 916. If you're lucky enough to have the rest of your locks being Schlage, go for the Schlage!

[firstone]

Just wanted to post my experience with Schlage. I have BE369 and have been using it for a few years. Although only connected to ISY in the last few months. Came home after being away for a weekend - battery is dead. Flashing red and not responding. No warning. No blinking orange before. Just goes to non-responsive in a matter of 2 days. 

Called locksmith. He couldn't pick it. Good news for the lock so far. He said he had to drill it. The thing is - he didn't drill anywhere near keyhole, which I would think is hardened. He just drilled a small hole on the bottom of the outer case. Took about 2 min. Opened it. Lock still operational after changing batteries. You wouldn't know anybody touched it unless you look from the bottom. 

I don't care all that much since if anybody wants to get into my house, they can just break window in the back. Still, something to be aware of. I think August lock would be a lot more secure in that respect since it's fully on the inside and it's still your normal lock on the outside. Seems like Kwikset would be better as well. At least the model with no flimsy case around. 

[Bumbershoot]

1 hour ago, firstone said:

Just wanted to post my experience with Schlage. I have BE369 and have been using it for a few years. Although only connected to ISY in the last few months. Came home after being away for a weekend - battery is dead. Flashing red and not responding. No warning. No blinking orange before. Just goes to non-responsive in a matter of 2 days. 

Called locksmith. He couldn't pick it. Good news for the lock so far. He said he had to drill it. The thing is - he didn't drill anywhere near keyhole, which I would think is hardened. He just drilled a small hole on the bottom of the outer case. Took about 2 min. Opened it. Lock still operational after changing batteries. You wouldn't know anybody touched it unless you look from the bottom. 

I don't care all that much since if anybody wants to get into my house, they can just break window in the back. Still, something to be aware of. I think August lock would be a lot more secure in that respect since it's fully on the inside and it's still your normal lock on the outside. Seems like Kwikset would be better as well. At least the model with no flimsy case around. 

Thanks for that information.  It sounds like you found a clever locksmith.

Now that you have the lock visible in the ISY, you might create a notification for when you're batteries reach a threshold (say 70%, just to be safe).

I had my Schlage BE369 re-keyed to match the rest of the locks in the house (Baldwin locks), so I can use my normal house key on it (I haven't given up on analog technology completely).  Swapping out the batteries every year (whether it's necessary or not) hasn't hurt, either, though I don't think my batteries have ever gotten below 70% (as reported by my ISY).

For me, changing lock batteries means another couple of minutes added on to the time it takes to replace the smoke alarm batteries on New Years day.  It's just boring old maintenance, but it's vital, so I do it (IMHO that's what makes HA reliable).

[brians]

I bought a Yale Assure SL. It is keypad only (no physical key option) and the one I got came with a Z-Wave Plus module for $199 CAD from Amazon.

I replaced a HomeKit Schlage Sense lock which is same style as Schlage Connect BE469. I was originally thinking of sticking with same one but everyone in my family hated it - was difficult to use and keys were not very responsive due to their membrane micro-wave style. The backlight was hard to see in certain lighting conditions (although the Z-Wave version seems to have a different color which may solve that problem).

Took me longer a bit  longer to install the Yale than I thought because the Schlage I replaced had option to put the locking mechanism that fits in door with just the round hole, not requiring a rectangle piece that screws on edge of door (my doors are done with just the hole and no indent cutout for a plate). The Yale does not have that option therefore I had to cut an indent in the wood on the side of the door for it to rest flush. Having the plate on the door is probably more secure I suppose.

It doesn't bother me that there isn't a key and it has a jumper underneath so you can place a 9v in case of dead battery (won't help if lock fails for other reason though). I actually misplaced the real key for my old Schlage and never carried a key with me for past couple years and never had issue. I have other ways of getting into my house. Yale does make a version with key for those that would prefer.

I think the Yale is a much better lock than the Schlage Sense in regards to operation and keypad. The mechanism mounted inside the door is a lot smaller and quieter. Touch screen works far better than the Schlage membrane keypad.

The Yale works great with ISY994i and new 500 series board although I do experience the odd timeout when I query it after it has been sitting a while. Local operation always seems to update ISY when I unlock or lock at the door therefore I think it is an issue with ISY not waiting long enough because it is a battery device which wakes up periodically. I have three repeaters very close to which supports z-wave plus and beaming (Leviton wall outlets) so I don't believe range is an issue. I may try a better z-wave plus repeater in the future though to rule out a Leviton problem - maybe it doesn't repeat/beam 100%.

Homebridge also works good with it and I get same features on my iPhone as I did before with my old "real" HomeKit lock.

 

[telljcl]

This is an older thread but I thought I'd add my experience.

Replacing a MorningLInc lock and Insteon controller for it, I decided z-wave plus was the logical move.

This particular lock needed to be a lever, (not deadbolt) and because of a non-standard door (has louver panels) it could only go so far above or below the hole in the door before hitting the frame for the louvered panels. So I was restricted somewhat in choices of lock because of this.

For the above I chose a Kwikset 912 lever, with ZW500 chipset.

Basically had no issues at all other than finding out ZW range on my ISY is pretty bad. I now have latest ZW500 card in my ISY, but had the older one before (which I think had better range...). Installed some Aeotec repeaters (4) and 1 Jasco lamp module, all in various spots between ISY and lock. Determined that the first repeater really needed to go within 10' of the ISY. Also learned you need to pair the lock with ISY before installing it, otherwise you'll need to put the ISY right next to the lock to add/pair to z-wave. BTW, not using "secure" mode of repeaters. Decided to pair locks and ISY w/out trying to do it over the repeater network as I didn't want to spend 2 days trying to figure out why it wasn't working...

So after getting range issue sorted out, I decided to replace 2 other locks in that area (both were Schlage keypads, but not "smart" - had installed these years ago, and are/were very solid locks). These were deadbolt locks.

So liking the working so far of the 912 Kwikset lever, I ordered 2 Kwikset 914 deadbolt units for these locations.

These units perform similarly to the 912, and apparently have the exact same z-wave + chipset. Options etc... on the ISY show identically to the 912.

VIA ISY, individual access codes (30 total) can be added or erased, entry schedules set up or disabled for any of those, and ISY will report which user code was last used to open the lock (or which user #, 1-30, more accurately).

So I pretty much needed to go Kwikset for the lever because of physical constraints, but wasn't set on those for the other locks (but was happy with Z-wave part of it).

My observations on other locks that I checked out in store:

Schlage Connect touchpad:

This was the unit I expected to buy, but changed my mind. Interior unit is very large, mechanism is very noisy. Was not overly impressed. Did not care for the touch pad. While it may look "cool", it slows you down in terms of actually using the thing. Worth noting is the one I looked at was the older non ZW+ version, but I think the ZW+ ones (still a little tough to find) are the same mechanically - someone may want to verify this though.

Yale SL touchpad:

Didn't care for the touchpad - again, have to be very deliberate in putting in the code. Didn't need a key really, so this wasn't an issue. Didn't like the look of interior part really. Mechanism didn't seem to be working in store, so couldn't really get a feel for that part.

Kwikset 888:

Basic mechanism is likely same as 914 I went with, but for my other doors where I have a choice, I prefer the full keypad -vs- the 2 numbers per button keypad the 888 has. Motorized mechanism is noisy, but seems less noisy and maybe a little quicker to lock / unlock than the Schlage. The 914 has a more secure rating, but the mechanisms look the same to me and I'm not worried about the locks. If somebody wants to get in, they'll get in no matter what you put on there anyway.

So while I don't know the z-wave particulars of the Yale or Schlage (what you can do via Z-wave, what ISY can control / read from them etc...), or if the z-wave range is better (I'm guessing not based on what I read here...) I liked the Kwikset all things considered.

FWIW, I have Schlage locks everywhere else, and have always been pleased with them. The "dumb" electronic keypad units I took out are higher quality (in my opinion anyway) than any of the z-wave units I looked at, but I'm not sure it may matter. Probably overkill build quality on these older ones, but I expected the z-wave Schlage to be on the same level, but just have z-wave added. Didn't really seem to be the case (to me anyway).

So now I need to see how they do over time, and how the battery life is (Kwikset claims a year or more - we'll see...) First unit I put in shows 90% in ISY (but I messed with it quite a bit at the beginning) after about 1 week, and 2 deadbolts show 100% still.

Another bonus is that I can key the cylinders the same myself with the "smartkey" feature, though I've not needed a key in about 15 years.

I have 2 more Schlage dumb keypad locks in that area, but hate to change those out also, as they aren't everyday use locks (and look better cosmetically, -vs- any of the newer ones IMO). Plus the older locks are larger, and you can see the slight indentations on the wood of the door when you put a smaller lock in its place - at least until you paint the door again...

But being able to change / add codes on multiple locks in a minute or two -vs- manually going to each lock and going through a lengthy process is a major improvement IMO.