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Review: Schlage's Encode Plus Lock Offers Convenient Home Access Right From Your iPhone or Apple Watch
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I'm on my second Encode Plus, which also just stopped working, they seem to last about 3-6 mos before the keypad (and all NFC functionality) dies. Still works with the app. They offered to replace (after spending nearly an hour on hold each time) - however they're backordered 3-6 mos. You can still find them at Home Depot (online), but overall just not worth it. One of the things you definitely need to work is the lock on your front door and while I had high hopes for this one, it definitely fell short.
For reference my front porch is covered and not "directly" exposed to rain and snow. First lock lasted 6 mos before the keypad died, second one only 3 mos. At this point I will be going with the Level Lock+ barring any other alternatives with HomeKey.
For reference my front porch is covered and not "directly" exposed to rain and snow. First lock lasted 6 mos before the keypad died, second one only 3 mos. At this point I will be going with the Level Lock+ barring any other alternatives with HomeKey.
They are very expensive, so that is super disappointing. I was looking forward to possibly making this my next lock because of its wifi capability.
I am presently using a Schlage Sense, which has no wifi, only Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It depends on a good BLE connection to an Apple TV 4K or other Apple Home hub in order to work remotely or with HK automations.
I've had my Schlage Sense for several years and the only problems so far:
- HDMI cable on Apple TV 4K was causing enough Bluetooth interference that the lock became unresponsive... but only while watching TV. New HDMI cable solved this.
- Lots of problems with new HK architecture in recent weeks. When tvOS 16.3.x came out I had zero HK functionality with this lock. It was like not having a Home hub at all. Rebooting router and ATV would solve it for a few hours and the next day problems returned. tvOS 16.4 solved this.
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Schlage sells a stand-alone Schlage hub for something like $69. The Sense lock's BLE connects to the Schlage hub and the Schlage hub makes the wifi connection to your router.
- You CANNOT use HomeKit with the Schlage hub - Schlage app only.
- You MUST create and use a Schlage login. (Schlage account not required for HK use)
- All remote functionality, etc. is via the Schlage app only. NO HomeKit and no automations.
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Seems to me like this technology still needs a bit of maturation to become really smart. Give it 5-10 years and we might have something that “just works”
We ordered ours the minute it was available but due to the backlog it didn’t arrive until the middle of July - so I’d say we’ve had it set up since then and at least for us it’s been pretty trouble free.
When you say the keypad doesn’t work, do you mean ANY button on the keypad, or just the number keys?
We never set up numeric entry codes since we could just use HomeKey to get in, so I’ve never even pressed the number keys. but we do use the lock button multiple times daily to lock the door behind us once we leave. We’d notice immediately if that weren’t working.
I think we also got an extended warranty from Home Depot but I honestly can’t remember… hopefully it’s real extended if these do turn out to have reliability issues.
When you say the keypad doesn’t work, do you mean ANY button on the keypad, or just the number keys?
We never set up numeric entry codes since we could just use HomeKey to get in, so I’ve never even pressed the number keys. but we do use the lock button multiple times daily to lock the door behind us once we leave. We’d notice immediately if that weren’t working.
I think we also got an extended warranty from Home Depot but I honestly can’t remember… hopefully it’s real extended if these do turn out to have reliability issues.
I ordered mine build.com in January. I had a ship date of March and it passed. I contacted them and they said it was back ordered until June. My new door is coming in May and I wanted to have it ready for the contractor when the door is to be installed. FF to Monday, I was able to snag one from one of my local Home Depot stores. I immediately cancelled my build.com order. I can't wait to start using this lock.
Very weird. Is it receiving power at all or responsive via HomeKit/Siri? My first thought would be that maybe the batteries aren’t seated or something. Or otherwise, I wonder if maybe there was a bad batch of them. Something this expensive should be a bit more hardy. We’re coming up on one year of having it installed, since I recall it finally arriving in the middle of July
Works via Siri/App usually. But every time the batteries die I have to do a Full reset to regain functionality
And after one year, the Apple Home app reports I'm at 55% on the same batteries.
Coincidentally, mine just gave a low-battery warning earlier today. I'm down to 22% at 10 months, so definitely going through them faster than you are for whatever reason, but still completely acceptable to me.
I agree not bad, and a yearly battery change is something I'd accept. However, this performance is poor when compared to the older Schlage smart locks.
I have a Schlage Sense with batteries I changed well over a year ago. Today it's still showing 100%...
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your taste), $220.51 is only for the Camelot style in satin nickel. Otherwise, Camelot in bronze is $259, and both finishes in the Century style are $329. Wow - +$110 just for a different style/color. Apparently nobody wants Camelot in nickel... 😆
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About 3 months ago I paid $361 at the Depot for Camelot, if I remember the finish correctly.Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your taste), that's only for the Camelot style in satin nickel. Otherwise, Camelot in bronze (black) is $260, and both finishes in the Century style are $329. Wow - +$110 just for a different style/color. Apparently nobody wants Camelot in nickel... 😆
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Shop schlage encode plus at Lowe's. Find a variety of quality home improvement products at Lowes.com or at your local Lowe's store.www.lowes.com
I want one, but not Camelot/nickel, and not for those prices. I would expect all styles/colors to come down to the same/similar prices at some point soon.
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I was really looking forward to this lock in black Century trim. I was in the market for two but it was a unicorn for over a year after it came out. They lost my business to Aqara unfortunately. It was unbelievable how hard these things were to come by.
I'd be a little skeptical about whether that's reading correctly.
My 5+ year old Schlage Sense generally gets a bit over 2 years out of a set of batteries; so I'd expect to see something below 100% after over a year.
I've had the lock for several years and been through some battery changes; I've seen the level drop and batteries die. I don't know what would explain this reading stuck at 100 for this long. It will probably reach a threshold and die off quickly.
I’m a bit dubious about how the Schlage locks report battery levels. I posted back in February that my battery level reported was at 90% after five months of use. Yet I had to replace the batteries after just about exactly one year. If it went through 10% of the batteries in 5 months and the other 90% in only 7 months, that tells me their reporting sucks. I replaced the batteries not because it said it was low but that it was entirely dead.
That tells me they are behaving like Lithium batteries. You know batteries do not discharge in a linear fashion. Every battery chemistry has a different curve. Lithium-ion batteries stay relatively flat until they drop off sharply.