Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I looked seriously at this and the Schlage BE365 Keypad Deadbolt, and ended up choosing this Kwikset primarily because its SmartKey system enabled me to match a couple of other outside doors to the same key quickly and without additional cost, it's bump-resistant and harder to pick, and it has a smaller and more attractive exterior profile. Installation was straightforward and went without complications for me. Make sure to allow the bolt orientation cycle to complete when installing the batteries for the first time. An electric motor drives the bolt and is powered by 4 AA batteries, which are not included. The instructions say not to use rechargeable, and advise that typical alkaline batteries will need replacing once a year. I installed 4 Energizer Advanced Lithium AA Batteries and am hoping they will not need replacing for a few years. So far, we've been very pleased. It's convenient to be able to go on short errands or out exercising without needing to take a house key. I'll update if there are issues with longevity, as that seems to be a concern raised by a number of other reviewers. My biggest disappointment with this unit so far is that while the exterior lock and panel are made of metal and look and feel high quality, the panel and thumb turn on the inside of the door are made of painted plastic. It looks convincingly like metal, but feels less substantial. For that, it loses a star. Now for some technical details discovered through research and installation: Dip switches on the electrical board allow three programmable features to be controlled. (1) Keypad Feedback Sound, when on, beeps when a key is pressed. It also beeps three times if you enter a correct code but it is already unlocked. When off, the keypad will light up red for each key press. Regardless, a green backlight can be activated by pressing the lock button if it is already locked. (2) Auto-Lock will extend the deadbolt automatically 30 seconds after it is unlocked. I do not use this feature as sometimes my door stands open longer than 30 seconds. (3) Status LED, when on, will cause a small LED on the panel on the inside of the door to flash green for locked and orange for unlocked every 5 seconds. The status light will flash red to indicate a low battery if the Status LED switch is turned on. If it is turned off, the keypad will flash red four times after unlocking when the batteries are low. A program button on the circuit board makes programming access codes very intuitive and easy--perhaps a bit too easy. Unlike the Schlage, it does not require a master code to reprogram. But as one reviewer has mentioned, by the time someone is inside the house they should be trusted to not reprogram your access code. And you can always override with the key. This unit will accept 2 access codes, from 4-8 digits in length. The Schlage will accept 19 user codes of 4 digits (of course, more user codes can be more convenient, but also increase the probability of someone guessing a right code to enter). Because the Schlage has all ten digits (0-9) on individual buttons and this unit has two digits per button, if you use a code fewer than 6 digits long, it will have lower security than the Schlage. But this unit is able to use codes of up to 8 digits, and anything more than 6 digits will exceed the security of the Schlage. Both the Schlage and this Kwikset were tested by Consumer Reports. The Schlage was more susceptible to picking, while this one was more susceptible to prying and to being kicked-in. To address the kicking-in vulnerability, it is suggested that you use longer screws on the strike plate, or install a strike box. The Schlage is ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 rated, which is a rating scale of 1 [highest] to 3 [lowest] that measures durability (keyway torque, # of cycles) and security factors (resistance to picking, striking, etc.). According to Kwikset customer service, none of their electronic locks have their electronic components ANSI/BHMA rated, but the lock itself (latch and cylinder) meets ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 standards. [Update - 3/27/13] The lock has been working flawlessly so far, and I've come to really appreciate the motorized lock. Another option to consider, which was released after my original review, is the Schlage BE469 Touchscreen Deadbolt. It has motorized bolt action, a finger-print resistant touch screen with individual buttons for each digit, and is ANSI/BHMA rated Grade 1--the highest grade for residential locks. It also accepts user codes of 4-8 digits, although all codes must be the same length. I was unable to ascertain whether it is bump resistant, but it is advertised as difficult to pick (if you know for sure whether it's bump resistant, please leave a comment and let me know). The interior profile appears to be even larger than the Kwikset, although more of it appears to be made of metal. It's also more than twice as expensive. [Update - 6/19/13] I'm sorry to report that the initial set of batteries--Energizer Advanced Lithium AA--died rather suddenly. They only lasted 9.5 months, which is approximately how long regular alkaline AA batteries are supposed to last. I came home and found the lock did not open with the correct code. Thinking I'd made a mistake, I tried again, and again a third time. On the third try I got a series of beeps coupled with flashing red light, after which the keypad was completely unresponsive. Fortunately I had my key. I replaced the batteries with Duracell Coppertop with Duralock alkaline AA batteries. Hopefully these will last the advertised 9 months or more, and give me some advance warning before failing. It's possible I missed the warning light indicating low batteries, but it's also possible that the power profile of the lithium batteries prevented the warning light from being shown until it was too late. This is because the warning light activates in response to voltage falling below a certain threshold. Lithium cells retain almost the same 1.5V voltage until they suddenly die, whereas alkaline batteries show a much more gradual reduction in voltage and therefore give more warning that they are dying. Thankfully the lock itself continues to work flawlessly, and our codes were retained after the battery change. [Update 9/15/15] The Duracell alkaline AA batteries ended up lasting over 2.25 years with normal daily use! I'm impressed. They also enabled the lock to provide the standard warning that the batteries were low, flashing the keypad red four times after unlocking. That happened two or three times over a couple of weeks, and then started happening every time we unlocked the door. When it became regular, I replaced the batteries. Here's hoping the next set last as long.