What's a good keypad lock?
June 16, 2022 4:11 PM Subscribe
I've tried two name-brand keypad door locks and they both failed after a year or so. Does anyone have a recommendation for one that will actually do the job?
We've had the same Schlage locks on our doors since 2015.
posted by potrzebie at 4:31 PM on June 16, 2022
posted by potrzebie at 4:31 PM on June 16, 2022
Best answer: This line of Schlage deadbolts has worked great for us for over 15 years. I change the 9v battery once a year, and we have never been locked out. I've never used the key the entire time.
The big benefit of this style is that it uses very little electricity to lock/unlock. All the motor does is physically connect the knob to the locking mechanism, then the user has to twist the knob to lock/unlock the deadbolt.
posted by Diddly at 4:36 PM on June 16, 2022 [4 favorites]
The big benefit of this style is that it uses very little electricity to lock/unlock. All the motor does is physically connect the knob to the locking mechanism, then the user has to twist the knob to lock/unlock the deadbolt.
posted by Diddly at 4:36 PM on June 16, 2022 [4 favorites]
We have a Schlage deadbolt like the one Diddly posted; it may have been a dud. It busted after about a year of use. Since the paint lines on the door matched the lock, I just caved and re-bought the same thing. A year couple years later we got our garage door replaced with functional carriage doors and slapped one on there. We're running strong on 8 years on one door, and 6 years on the other.
posted by furnace.heart at 4:46 PM on June 16, 2022
posted by furnace.heart at 4:46 PM on June 16, 2022
I've also had a Schlage Camelot for a few years and it's held up well. I have a different Schlage on a different door and it ate batteries like crazy; Schlage replaced it for free.
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:04 PM on June 16, 2022
posted by The corpse in the library at 5:04 PM on June 16, 2022
My Schlage has been great. One issue is that you cannot rekey them very easily; you need a special (expensive) kit from them, versus i.e. KwikSet that lets you do it yourself.
posted by curious nu at 5:12 PM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by curious nu at 5:12 PM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
This is totally a DIY thing in most cases. You can just remove the existing deadbolt and your new lock should fit in the hole it left. If you have a friend that's at all familiar with home repairs you could ask them to do it for you and make them lunch.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:57 PM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 5:57 PM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've used this August Smart Lock with Number Pad for a couple years and recommend it.
The Num Pad and unlocking manually with my phone work every time. The auto-unlock feature (having the door unlock when I get close to it carrying my phone) works inconsistently, but I believe that's my phone's fault, not the lock.
You can install it yourself in about 10 minutes.
posted by dobbs at 6:48 PM on June 16, 2022
The Num Pad and unlocking manually with my phone work every time. The auto-unlock feature (having the door unlock when I get close to it carrying my phone) works inconsistently, but I believe that's my phone's fault, not the lock.
You can install it yourself in about 10 minutes.
posted by dobbs at 6:48 PM on June 16, 2022
Another vote for the Schlage. It’s the one my highly security minded tech friends recommended - it isn’t wired in any accessible way, so it is safer than a lot of the keyless entry locks in terms of hacking/picking. We’re on year … 5? of it and have never had the slightest trouble.
posted by Bottlecap at 6:55 PM on June 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Bottlecap at 6:55 PM on June 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
We have the same Schlage one. My partner installed it with weekend warrior level skills and it’s been fine for 3 years. Just don’t lose the paper that reminds you how to change the combo!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:52 PM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 7:52 PM on June 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Our shlange has held up.
posted by slateyness at 8:46 PM on June 16, 2022
posted by slateyness at 8:46 PM on June 16, 2022
I, as well, have a Schlage that was installed 3 or 4 years ago and I'm super happy with it. When it was cold out this winter sometimes the battery was a little under-voltage and it beeped red a couple of times but still worked fine. A family member reported one of the digits slightly stubborn from a sensitivity standpoint (I sort of mash it and don't have that issue). Just blowing it out with a little canned air seems to have resolved the issue.
Only once was it really confused where it didn't know if it was locked or unlocked, entering the code caused no mechanical response. It solved itself, which is good, because I am not mechanically inclined.
Really, despite the handful of things that were slightly weird a handful of times, it's been awesome. I was lucky to score one that wasn't a lever, as the rest of the entrances are circular knobs. I'm not sure they still sell those. I think mine was new old stock. The rest of the house is ancient Schlage from the 80s and it was nice to get something that could be keyed to the house. Plus I still think of Schlage as my hometown brand even though they moved.
posted by majick at 9:03 PM on June 16, 2022
Only once was it really confused where it didn't know if it was locked or unlocked, entering the code caused no mechanical response. It solved itself, which is good, because I am not mechanically inclined.
Really, despite the handful of things that were slightly weird a handful of times, it's been awesome. I was lucky to score one that wasn't a lever, as the rest of the entrances are circular knobs. I'm not sure they still sell those. I think mine was new old stock. The rest of the house is ancient Schlage from the 80s and it was nice to get something that could be keyed to the house. Plus I still think of Schlage as my hometown brand even though they moved.
posted by majick at 9:03 PM on June 16, 2022
Friend got Yale Assure (a Yale and August collab) & had MulTLock tumblers installed. Working very well. Seems very secure.
posted by slkinsey at 4:14 AM on June 17, 2022
posted by slkinsey at 4:14 AM on June 17, 2022
Response by poster: Interesting. People seem to agree on the Schlage or Yale. We had a Schlage for many years until it finally failed. Got a new one and it failed almost immediately and its free replacement did as well, so switched to the Yale and it lasted about two years.
I wonder if these hoary old (“classic”) designs have been outsourced to the lowest bidders?
As a final issue, there’s a question of bolt-hole offset. There are two conventional lengths and IIRC some locks assume one length or the other. I had to return one that assumed I’d drill a new hole, but I don’t recall the brand now.
posted by sjswitzer at 6:22 AM on June 17, 2022
I wonder if these hoary old (“classic”) designs have been outsourced to the lowest bidders?
As a final issue, there’s a question of bolt-hole offset. There are two conventional lengths and IIRC some locks assume one length or the other. I had to return one that assumed I’d drill a new hole, but I don’t recall the brand now.
posted by sjswitzer at 6:22 AM on June 17, 2022
Maybe see what the lock picking lawyer has to say about door locks.
posted by falsedmitri at 12:47 PM on June 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by falsedmitri at 12:47 PM on June 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I didn’t expect the Lock Picking Lawyer to show up here. He’s amazing. Also, I did a teardown of one of the two locks I’ve used (not sure which one) and found a glaring flaw for a drill attack that I later discovered is well known on YouTube. I’m not too bothered about it since bandits here have no subtlety whatsoever.
posted by sjswitzer at 3:55 PM on June 17, 2022
posted by sjswitzer at 3:55 PM on June 17, 2022
Response by poster: To wrap up this question, I think it's inconclusive. None of the available products are particularly good or can be expected to last more that a couple of years.
The consensus is that Schlage or Yale are solid choices. And, yeah, I agree with the caveat that I've had both of them and they only lasted about a year and a half.
But, crucially, don't get into any of that IoT stuff for your door locks! I think "everyone" agrees on that.
One thing I would emphasize is that these locks have a backup key and if the lock-maker isn't good at that technology, then your lock will only be as secure as the backup key. So it might not be a great idea to get a fancy tech-lock if the backup is an easily-picked standard lock.
As it happened I opted for a rando lock that I don't particularly like in retrospect, but the physical key portion seems to be licenced from or sourced from Yale. Wish me luck!
posted by sjswitzer at 6:36 PM on July 18, 2022
The consensus is that Schlage or Yale are solid choices. And, yeah, I agree with the caveat that I've had both of them and they only lasted about a year and a half.
But, crucially, don't get into any of that IoT stuff for your door locks! I think "everyone" agrees on that.
One thing I would emphasize is that these locks have a backup key and if the lock-maker isn't good at that technology, then your lock will only be as secure as the backup key. So it might not be a great idea to get a fancy tech-lock if the backup is an easily-picked standard lock.
As it happened I opted for a rando lock that I don't particularly like in retrospect, but the physical key portion seems to be licenced from or sourced from Yale. Wish me luck!
posted by sjswitzer at 6:36 PM on July 18, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 4:31 PM on June 16, 2022