It has been one year of living with an electronic door lock on our Carriage House. How do we really like it?
Are you ready for me to dish the dirt?
Eh. There’s not THAT much dirt.
Unless you want to count the dirt that gets tracked in every time that electronic door lock grants access to someone with dirty shoes?
*sigh*
Modern technology only gets us so far.
If I recall correctly, I approached the installation of this electronic door lock with great enthusiasm. I was ready to throw it a ticker-tape parade.
Kidding!
I actually approached the situation with great reluctance, which is my standard response to all things requiring a technology-related update. Any change or update to software, hardware, or passwords has me cursing the day technology was invented.
Plus, I wasn’t convinced that electronic door locks actually looked good yet. Let’s face it, that was my real priority and I’m not going to apologize for that!
But Handy Husband had a good point about why we needed an electronic door lock on our Carriage House. At the time, our Carriage House was primarily used by our houseguests. We love having friends and family visit. Now that they have their own private space when they come to stay with us, I think they feel more comfortable too.
Keeping track of a physical set of keys to our Carriage House seemed like a headache for our guests and us.
It would be a lot easier if we could just give them a code to unlock the Carriage House door.
So in the end, practicality won the day and we installed an electronic door lock made by Schlage.
When folks refer to an electronic door lock, they really mean the deadbolt mechanism.
That means you could have an electronic door lock replace your current deadbolt, but keep the separate door handle that you know and love. This would be a common scenario for front door hardware.
For other exterior doors (back doors, garage man doors, shed doors, etc.) that just have a doorknob and no separate deadbolt, you can buy an electronic door lock with an integrated handle. It’s all one piece.
That’s what we did. Do you see what I mean in the below picture?
First things first, the installation of this particular electronic door lock is pretty cut and dry. It includes step-by-step instructions on how to connect the wires to the battery, assemble the door handle, and set the code.
It’s not necessary to have an extra set of hands to install this door lock, but we found it easier than relying on the positioning screws.
Second, this particular Schlage electronic door lock is powered by a 9-volt battery. That means it works even if the power goes out. It’s been a year and we haven’t changed that battery yet even though that door is utilized daily.
Somehow the lock lets you know when it is time to change the battery, but that has not happened yet.
However, if you look closely, you’ll see there is a keyhole below the keypad. We have only opened the door with the key once.
It was actually a couple of weeks ago after some freezing rain passed by. I don’t know if the weather froze up the lock or if it just wanted a temporary break. Either way, once we opened the door with the key the problem never came up again and we are back to using the door code daily.
The limitation, if you want to call it that, of this particular electronic door lock is that it isn’t “smart.” That means it doesn’t connect to your home security system or your home assistant like Alexa. We can’t unlock this door from an app on our phones.
I think it depends on your situation and your preferences whether or not a smart electronic door lock or just a regular ol’ electronic door lock like the one we have is right for you.
Or maybe you’re not ready for either of those two options. I feel you! I understand those feelings deeply.
However, after living with this electronic door lock for a year, I can honestly say I’m happy we installed it on our Carriage House door. There hasn’t been any downside. In fact, after experiencing the convenience of having this type of door lock, I’m even coming around to the idea of installing one on the front door of our house.
Although, I still think electronic door locks could look better.
Electronic Door Lock Options We Have Or Are Considering:
This is the Schlage electronic door lock we have on our Carriage House in the aged bronze finish. It has over 10,000 ratings on Amazon with an average of 4.5 stars. I’d call that pretty darn good!
We are considering this Schlage Connect Smart electronic deadbolt for our front door.
We are also considering this Kwikset SmartCode electronic deadbolt.
Any of the “smart” deadbolts can be unlocked with an app, but it needs to be compatible with whichever security system or home assistant system you are utilizing.
Do you have an electronic door lock? I’d love to know about your experience. You can always email me here or reach out on Instagram or Facebook.
I sure am glad you visited our blog today. Thank you! The least I can do is offer you another post to read. You might enjoy one of these:
Painted Carriage House (Wow. The Power of White Paint.)
All About Rim Locks (Vintage Door Hardware)
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