Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been playing around/trying different smart locks over the last couple of years, and hadn't really found anything that worked better than a standard keypad - until now. A couple of months ago, I replaced the keypad lock coming in from our garage with one of these. Shortly after, I put one on my workshop out back - and the results have been so positive that we now have them on all our exterior doors. Before going into details, I need to specify that you should definitely make sure you get the Gen 2 version of this lock. After trying the Gen 1 previously, I suspect most of the bad reviews here may be mistakenly referencing the previous version. [*** Installation ***] If you've ever installed a lock, you already know how easy it is to do. Having said that, on the first one I got I just started slapping it together and realized half way through that I should have read the instructions first. (Who knew?) There's an awesome interactive guide available if you install the mobile app which makes the process extremely simple. Even though installing the lock itself is easy, the firmware update takes forever - and you need to keep your phone in close proximity during the update process. Be sure to allocate at least 20 minutes for that update. [*** Compatibility ***] We have 4 people in our family, 2 using Android and 2 using iPhones. This lock works perfectly with all of them - just remember that you have to keep your Bluetooth enabled for it to work. I will say it seems to pick up a few seconds quicker on the Android phones, but that's just an observation and I didn't try to measure the difference. On top of Android and iPhone compatibility, it also works great with Android Wear. It's pretty cool to be able to lock/unlock the door from my wrist. :) Personally, I'm using a Casio Men's WSD-F20 Watch which supports Bluetooth. [*** Functionality ***] The mobile app is pretty basic, but does everything it needs to do pretty simply. I was able to create & share keys with my family, and can easily specify schedules, expiration dates or administrators. On top of that, I got the Kevo Plus upgrade and can control/view any of the locks remotely. There is another issue the Kevo Plus solves: Without the Plus upgrade, I was able to share keys with people but the key never seemed to work until after the person had accepted the key AND I had gone back and connected to the lock at least once. That kind of makes sense because the lock doesn't stay connected to the Internet and only connects via Bluetooth. [*** Performance ***] I'd say the lock opens immediately on the first touch about 80% of the time for all connected users. The remaining 20% of the time the lock requires 2 touches - which means you will be waiting for it to open for 20-30 seconds in those situations. Personally, that isn't a big deal for me at all, but I can see how it would be irritating if you aren't expecting it. There are some situations that impact performance: 1) Leaving & locking up tends to require 2 touches more often than arriving. I suspect this is due to the feature that detects which side of the lock your phone is on. 2) When multiple family members are together with their phones, it can take a bit longer. Once again, my theory here is it doesn't know immediately which phone to connect to. We had one that was defective (the lights didn't light up reliably, and it didn't lock/unlock all the time). Fortunately, Amazon replaced it immediately with a new one and we haven't had any additional problems. [*** Keys ***] I had never used the Kwikset re-key feature, but it's pretty cool - and very easy to use. It takes just a few seconds to re-key a lock, so now all our exterior locks match. :) Since each of these comes with 2 keys, I purchased a Kwikset SmartKey Re-keying Kit which comes with 4 matching keys and an upgraded re-key tool. [*** Remote Access ***] As I already mentioned, we're using the Kevo Plus service for remote access. The coolest thing about that is only one Kevo Plus device was enough to power the entire house. As a quick reference, we have a 3,000 sq ft - 2 story home. A centrally placed Kevo Plus can easily access our 3 exterior doors. In addition, we have an outdoor workshop about 20 yards outside the back door - and the Kevo Plus reaches that perfectly as well. I expected to need at least 2 Kevo Plus devices and was excited to only need one. [*** Looks ***] This is subjective, but we love the look of these. The lighting ring is great for providing status - but it also adds a 'tech' feel to a traditional-looking lock. [*** Battery Life ***] I know it's only been a couple of months, and I'd be disappointed if the batteries were already dead. When the original batteries die I'll post here to give an idea of how long they last. ==> Update 6/20/2017 <== I just changed the batteries for the first time in the workshop lock last night after getting an alert that the batteries were low. Interestingly enough, it wasn't the first one I installed - and it isn't the one that's used the most either; so hopefully the other locks get quite a bit more than a 4-month run-time. I'll post again when the batteries start failing on the remaining locks just to see if the short life on this one was a fluke. [*** Conclusion ***] Overall, these locks were exactly what I was looking for. They're reliable, look great, and are easy to manage. I would highly recommend giving these a try!