1y ago

Recommendations for smart deadbolts?

I use Google Assistant for most of my home automation. Does anyone have any particular models they recommend for deadbolts? I'd like to be able to automatically lock my front door when I go to sleep.

11 comments

I use a Schlage deadbolt. Syncs great with Google assistant with no bridge required.

I use August Smart Lock Pro integrated with Google Assistant, the integration was pretty simple but it does require you to get the Connect module to make the whole setup work.
- I also use August and while it is true the Gen 2 lock needed a Connect module for WiFi, the newer Gen 3 is more compact and has integrated WiFi. I’ve been debating replacing mine for a while.
  
  You will find that you will still want the Connect module. I could hardly afford the batteries for my 2 August locks. They would barely last a month with moderate usage. I eventually purchased the Connect modules and the batteries easily last 6+ months now.

I don’t recommend Eufy. It’s a pain to wake up the panel to input a code or to scan a fingerprint. Takes multiple attempts for either. It also has too many random errors about being unable to lock or unlock. There are absolutely zero obstructions in the deadbolt path and the previous lock never had a single problem. I can only conclude they are crap products. You just have to hope one of the nonsense errors doesn’t occur when you are remote because sometimes you have to manually cycle the lock from inside to make it happy again.
- I honestly didn't mind Eufy at first. Mainly because of the price (I got a great deal) and the fact that things like the doorbell have local storage (no subscription fees). But it's gradually deteriorated over time. Notifications from the video doorbell are delayed by about 30 seconds. The door lock I have works fairly well. But the battery needs to be charged weekly.
  Biggest annoyance however is the lack of functional integration with Home Assistant.
  Fairly average overall. For the price I paid I'm still ok with it. If I were to start over, I wouldn't go with Eufy.
- Can confirm on this. Eufy in a nutshell is pretty subpar. Installed a lot of cameras and security systems and they always had problems in one way or another.

I use a Schlage model that I'm pretty happy with that is as far as I know compatible with Google Assistant, though I like it because it doesn't require a system like that.

I’m happy with Yale’s offerings. The best part is that they sell the wireless modules separately so that you can swap between zigbee, zwave, home kit and WiFi without disassembling the whole lock.
Honestly OP, there are enough good offerings in this space that you can probably prioritize things like aesthetics ahead of reliability

This post comes up fairly often, and I think it always narrows down to two options:
Yale/august locks: -More affordable, -can buy hotswappable modules for zwave, zigbee, wifi, etc but the availability seems to be hot and miss (seems like they stopped making the zigbee one last I checked, but YMMV). -Battery backup option seems cool but I’ve seen more posts about it not working that saving someone’s bacon, so I’d personally opt for the keyed version. -Some posts indicate the screens are somewhat prone to failure, but the quantity of these posts is not enough for me to write them off entirely. -integrates easily with homeassistant -has a door closed sensor for auto-relocking. Apparently it’s buggy though.
Schlage (specifically the encode plus, but they have a more affordable encode option) -Apple homekey integration is sleeeeek -more expensive -was almost impossible to find until a couple weeks ago -almost no reports of reliability issues, but time will tell I guess! This was the main reason I decided to spring for this lock over Yale -was supposed to get a free update to matter, but Schlage changed their minds and now said a separate model will be released with it. Supposedly due to requirements published about the standard, but I’ll cross my fingers that someone figures out how to make it work. -last I checked, no one has been able to integrate this directly into homeassistant. The best I’ve seen is someone posted a hacky solution for homeassistant to trigger an automation in HomeKit, but I think that post was lost in the Reddit blackout.

I would strongly advise against having a WiFi-connected smart lock.

11 comments