Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm just not happy with Schlage's lock or their attempt to force me into yet another monthly subscription service, Nexia. In sum, to get full functionality from this product, it's too expensive compared to superior alternatives. Also, it will bloat your iPhone / Android with yet another app that only controls one or two devices, when there are other, free alternatives that will give you one app that will control everything. I tried the Schlage lock, but purchased the Kwikset version (Z-wave) to install into four doors at our home. Here's why: The Lock: The lock operates via the touchscreen reasonably well, installation is more difficult than installing a standard deadbolt and requires that (if you are replacing older deadbolts as I did, that existing deadbolt holes are precisely aligned. If you have a hard time turning your deadbolt key without pushing / pulling / jiggling the door, you probably need to address that before installing any automatic lock. The touchscreen is not sufficiently fingerprint-proof as mentioned in the product description unless you kids as the best hand washers in the history of humankind. This might or might not matter to anyone, but it's presented as (and probably is) a security feature to stop someone from learning your code by looking for smudges. If you want to re-key this lock so that it matches your existing Schlage lock or matches other Schlage Camelot that you might want to install in your home, you'll need to visit a local locksmith. The Nexia Service: The Nexia Service is $107/year. It works with their (very limited) selection of products. Of the more than 50 smart devices in our home, we have one Trane HVAC thermostat that would also be controllable by Nexia. Two other HVAC controllers, countless light switches, door locks, temperature sensors .... (even two dog feeders!) can't be controlled by Nexia. However ... they can ALL be controlled by EITHER / BOTH of two separate control bridges in our house. First, they can all be controlled by a mac-only software that controls Z-Wave and Insteon hardware called Indigo. Second, they can all be controlled by a cross-platform VeraLite by micasaverde (available on Amazon). Guess what? Both of these offer free monthly access to control all the devices via iPhone or Android. Its FREE. They also offer smart programming, like adjusting temps or lights based on time or day and other factors ... Sending you a text message if a lock is opened ... In short, they offer access to broader and more competitive, i.e. less expensive, class of Z-Wave and Insteon home control devices, like locks, thermostats, temp sensors, dog feeders, etc. It is my personal opinion that Nexia just won't survive in this competitive environment unless the Schlage is willing to subsidize it by increasing their hardware costs. The whole business model is wrong and bad for consumers, like us. Look into standard Z-Wave, Zigbee, or Insteon controllers and locks. Yes, you can bring this lock into one of the systems I provided above, but they don't make it easy. I went with the Kwikset Z-Wave deadbolts, which are available on Amazon. Kwikset isn't perfect, either, but it's better that Schlage. For example, their Z-Wave locks can be pretty easily brought into a MiCasaVerde Z-Wave/Insteon controller, but the keys also feature their SmartSet technology, which means that a consumer can re-key them without visiting a locksmith. It takes just seconds per lock. With little effort, these locks are integrated into my Indigo (Insteon and Z-Wave) system. I can lock and unlock them from my phone. If my wife and I want to walk the dog down the block, the house will send me a text message if either of our young children open the door, so that we can promptly see what they need. When we hit the "bedtime" button in the house, all the lights turn off, the doors lock, and the security system is armed. If one of the doors was left open ... I get a text message. That's all free from either Indigo or MiCasaVerde. It's more powerful than Nexia. (As one more example, when I turn on the lights in my home office, in which there is no thermostat, the Indigo system reads a temperature sensor in that room and decides whether or not to automatically turn on an oscillating fan or to turn on a window AC unit. Nexia just can't do that, even at $107/year).