I haven't used a key to get into my house for over 10 years. I don't even have a traditional car key... just my FOB with a hidden backup key. Keyless life is amazing!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Review: Schlage's Encode Plus Lock Offers Convenient Home Access Right From Your iPhone or Apple Watch
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I haven't used a key to get into my house for over 10 years. I don't even have a traditional car key... just my FOB with a hidden backup key. Keyless life is amazing!
I have a BE365 on my door and I like it a lot. I simply type in my PIN. No fumbling in my pocket for a key (or phone). Battery life is great largely because they don't have to power a motor to crank the bolt in and out. I use AA lithiums in mine because they not only last a long time but they never ever leak.
I thought long and hard about this one. I had it in my possession and was really enticed by the idea of HomeKey. But as many have said, I really disliked the look (and I’m sure my wife would have disliked it even more).
I ended up with the Yale Assure 2. I have had Yale Assure locks for a few years now and, while there are some cons, I felt like version 2 rectified a bunch. So what are the pros and cons vs. (what I know) of this lock?
Pros of the Yale:
* Aesthetics. I really like the look of the Gen 2 with no keyway. I got the touch screen version and it’s quite subtle
* Price. As a HomeKit house, I didn’t need to get the one with the WiFi module, so this is about half the price of the Schlage
* DoorSense: love this function and not aware of it in competitive products (built could be wrong?). It’s a magnetic sensor you implant in the door frame that allows you to know if the door is open and get alerts. It also doesn’t try to auto-lock when the door is open
* Auto-unlock: outside the congested-signal city, it works very well when I approach the front door. I’d say 95%… And that’s easier than even using a watch or phone
* 9-Volt backup: like that it has the option to touch a 9-volt when the battery dies to bring it to life
* Matter upgrade: they will sell a module supposedly soon, if I feel I need to add Matter. Think it’s $79? Not crazy
* Keypad: it’s visible in just about any light (which sounds like a concern of the Schlage)
Cons of the Yale:
* Battery life isn’t great. Maybe 2-3 months
* Almost never gives battery low alerts, which is risky if you don’t have a backup key or 9-volt (depending upon your lock)
* HomeKey: there is no path to upgrading, which is the primary bummer
If Yale makes a Gen 3 of their Assure line with Matter and HomeKey and DoorSense, I’m 100% on board…. But for now, I’m pretty happy.
I ended up with the Yale Assure 2. I have had Yale Assure locks for a few years now and, while there are some cons, I felt like version 2 rectified a bunch. So what are the pros and cons vs. (what I know) of this lock?
Pros of the Yale:
* Aesthetics. I really like the look of the Gen 2 with no keyway. I got the touch screen version and it’s quite subtle
* Price. As a HomeKit house, I didn’t need to get the one with the WiFi module, so this is about half the price of the Schlage
* DoorSense: love this function and not aware of it in competitive products (built could be wrong?). It’s a magnetic sensor you implant in the door frame that allows you to know if the door is open and get alerts. It also doesn’t try to auto-lock when the door is open
* Auto-unlock: outside the congested-signal city, it works very well when I approach the front door. I’d say 95%… And that’s easier than even using a watch or phone
* 9-Volt backup: like that it has the option to touch a 9-volt when the battery dies to bring it to life
* Matter upgrade: they will sell a module supposedly soon, if I feel I need to add Matter. Think it’s $79? Not crazy
* Keypad: it’s visible in just about any light (which sounds like a concern of the Schlage)
Cons of the Yale:
* Battery life isn’t great. Maybe 2-3 months
* Almost never gives battery low alerts, which is risky if you don’t have a backup key or 9-volt (depending upon your lock)
* HomeKey: there is no path to upgrading, which is the primary bummer
If Yale makes a Gen 3 of their Assure line with Matter and HomeKey and DoorSense, I’m 100% on board…. But for now, I’m pretty happy.
The battery life is astonishing (as mentioned above). I think they should have traded some of the ridiculous battery longevity for ease of use. Mine are both in a lit location, and it's still almost impossible to see the numbers at night.
Compounding that, it was dumb to make the first press to illuminate the keypad be the first number of a code. If you poke the wrong number in the dark, there's no way to take it back.
The Ring is about the worst thing you could trust on your home since Amazon owns it. So sad. I think a Chinese company would do less with the data than Amazon would.
The look demonstrated in the article photos? I got the same model but the finish matches my door handle (nickel) and it's just a basic rectangle. Not a fan of the one showed in the article.
I remember recently trying to place an order on one of these was a nightmare every month since it was always backordered and then when one became available an error occurred or they would restock at some point today to realize they already sold out again.
Then when I did manage to get an order in by 4AM, then had my parents send the item to me, then when I received it, it became available to buy in my country. rip
Then when I did manage to get an order in by 4AM, then had my parents send the item to me, then when I received it, it became available to buy in my country. rip
Local car painter is your friend! They can paint any color and being so small charges $20-40 for a lovely baked on gold.No polished brass or bright gold colors!Have to move upscale for these color in another luxury lock brand!
they sell an alternate square modern version. I have two and they are SO SO SO amazing for people in the apple ecosystem.
See that tradional keyway? You can rake it and/or bump it. Two of the lowest grade lock picking techniques, Which pretty much makes it useless.
How does it charge while in use? Sounds interesting. I just have two sets of rechargeable AAs
my HomeKit experience was broken as well and my fiancé was not getting my invitations. After hours of web diving, I found a link. This link completely resets your HomeKit data and removes fragments of anything left over. The link, if you would like to give it a try downloads a configuration profile. After installing, there will be a new section in Settings called Home and the only option in it will be reset HomeKit. It worked like a Charm for me.
The link is: appldnld.apple.com/iOSProfiles/HomeKitReset.mobileconfig
The link is: appldnld.apple.com/iOSProfiles/HomeKitReset.mobileconfig
Standard physical keys were here before me and will likely still be here long after I’m gone.
My wife wants a keyless entry system but while I like the idea of them I’m not sold on the implementations I’ve seen so far.
It seems like the tech is trying to catch up to sci-fi but still not bringing the dream to life.
Wake me up when Face ID doors are here!
Been trying to get this for six months and has been either out of stock or stupid expensive. By the time it's back on the shelf there will be a newer better model out there.
How rarely are you at your 2nd home?
Regular alkaline AA batteries last over two years in our Schlage Sense HomeKit deadbolt at our cabin, and it gets a lot of use.
See that house? If someone wants in badly enough, you're not likely to stop them.
My Apple watch works on both of mine through a sweatshirt sleeve and a jacket. For all the lock picking comments, residential locks are to keep honest people honest. Anyone over 100 lbs and with a foot will bypass 98% of the locks out there with one kick, if they really want to get in.
Exactly this.... anyone over 100 lbs with a foot will make most locks useless if they want in bad enough.
Does your keypad not light up upon touching the Schlage logo at the top/center?
It does on my (very similar) Schlage Sense HomeKit lock, and doesn’t count as part of the code.