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Post by Merge on Dec 29, 2016 23:41:27 GMT
Has anyone switched from a keyed deadbolt on their front door to a keypad type deadbolt? My teenagers seem to lose their house key frequently and I am over it.
Any negatives I should be aware of?
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J u l e e
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,531
Location: Cincinnati
Jun 28, 2014 2:50:47 GMT
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Post by J u l e e on Dec 29, 2016 23:44:35 GMT
No, but we have a keypad for our garage door. I can't remember the last time any of us used a house key. We have them, in the event our electricity is out and the garage door won't work, but we never use them. A keypad at the garage door is so easy.
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Post by Merge on Dec 29, 2016 23:49:44 GMT
No, but we have a keypad for our garage door. I can't remember the last time any of us used a house key. We have them, in the event our electricity is out and the garage door won't work, but we never use them. A keypad at the garage door is so easy. Thanks - I know a lot of people do this. I don't really want to go in through the garage, though. Ours is what is sometimes called a Texas basement, meaning that we store all our random crap in there because we don't have a basement, so it looks kind of junky. We just got back from a trip where the rental house had this kind of keypad lock and I was intrigued. |
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AmandaA
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,502 
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Post by AmandaA on Dec 29, 2016 23:55:05 GMT
We had one at our old house on the side door into our laundry room. I installed it especially for DH who refused to carry a key (and would have lost it anyway). We just had to make sure the batteries didn't run down, but that was 8-10 years ago and I am sure they have improved by now.
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Post by beachbum on Dec 29, 2016 23:57:36 GMT
Not a deadbolt but the front door lock is a keypad and we love it. I put the first one in our old house after the second time DH broke into the house after losing his keys. The first one I bought was a Kwikset brand. It lasted about 6 months - I should have done my research before I bought it. Not sure if they've improved since then, it was several years ago. I bought a Schlage to replace it and that is still on the house. Easy to install, easy to program. The first thing we did when we bought our new house was buy the same door lock for this house.
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Post by Neisey on Dec 29, 2016 23:58:18 GMT
My last 3 houses have had keyless entry and I will never go back. When I need a pet sitter I can add a temporary code and delete it upon my return. Kids don't have to worry about lost keys, etc. The one I have now seems to go through batteries faster than my other two so check reviews, this might be a concern with some systems.
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Post by Ryann on Dec 30, 2016 0:00:18 GMT
Yes. We installed it when we bought the house 2+ years ago. No keys. No regrets. I think we've only replaced the batteries once I think. My favorite feature is the auto-lock feature, set on a delay of 30 seconds or so. I like to have the door locked at all times so it's no longer an issue when other people either don't lock when they leave or come home. I can also unlock the door from an app on my phone, so if I know my hands are going to be full carrying in groceries, etc. I can unlock the door before I get out of the car and get loaded up with bags.
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Post by mom on Dec 30, 2016 0:14:29 GMT
We have keyless on our front door (dead lock) and wont ever go back. No negatives that I can think of.
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Post by supersoda on Dec 30, 2016 0:42:32 GMT
We switched over years ago because the kids couldn't keep up with their keys and I have no complaints. Ours automatically locks the door after 30 seconds, so we know the front door is always locked. Visitors sometimes get confused when they're locked in, though!
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Post by mirabelleswalker on Dec 30, 2016 0:51:40 GMT
We had a lot of keys floating around so we decided to change the lock and get the keypad. I love that we can temporarily allow someone entry and delete the code when we don't need them to have it anymore.
Last week my husband went to the hospital unexpectedly. I was able to give my neighbors the code to come in and let the dog out. If we had a key-only entry I would have been in a mess.
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Post by Karene on Dec 30, 2016 0:55:11 GMT
We love our keyless entry but I do have a key hidden. Last Christmas Eve we came home and it was so cold that the keypad would not unlock even though it said it was. But it was about 30 below Celcius. It hasn't happened since.
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iluvpink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,298
Location: Michigan
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Post by iluvpink on Dec 30, 2016 2:28:56 GMT
Glad to see this thread, we are just about to put one on our back door. We have a detached garage so our back door opens directly to the outside. Since my Jeep is a push button start, I hate coming home and having to dig through my purse to find the keys to open the back door. I've been asking dh to do this and he's agreed to do it soon.
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Post by AN on Dec 30, 2016 2:38:16 GMT
We put one on the door between our garage and house when I got a keyless start car (pain to have a keyless car and then have to dig out the key when I get home). GAME CHANGER. I love it so much.
I don't think DH would like one on an exterior door, but there is no logical reason. It's no less secure than the standard deadbolts we have on our doors (aka not very secure if someone wants to get in). I love it.
You do have to be careful not to lock the door handle, if you're in the habit of that.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Dec 30, 2016 3:34:52 GMT
They are great until they die. Ours died. We replaced the batteries and it worked for a while but has been dead for a while now and we just haven't replaced it yet as we usually come in through the garage.
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Post by elaine on Dec 30, 2016 3:40:57 GMT
We've had one on our front door since on Election Day the year it was Bush vs. Kerry. Dh locked himself out of the house with our kids with Autism inside asleep while I was waiting in a 90 minute line to vote. So, 12 years, I guess.
I love that thing.
I'm eyeing the new smart ones that you can also control with your phone. But ours is a basic Schlage that is what was available 12 years ago. We've only had to change the battery twice and never use a key.
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moodyblue
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,183
Location: Western Illinois
Site Supporter
Jun 26, 2014 21:07:23 GMT
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Post by moodyblue on Dec 30, 2016 3:47:05 GMT
We put one on the door between the house and garage. It is set to automatically lock when the door is closed. We got it because when my husband is doing yard work the big garage door is always open and he could be in the back yard out of sight of the garage in the front and anyone could have entered the house through the door in the garage without him ever knowing, especially if I was gone.
We love it. It has been one of the better things we've ever done on the house. We almost always enter and leave through that door/the garage. We have not had to change the batteries very often either, and we've had it for years. I don't see any reason why it would be less secure than a regular deadbolt, as long as you don't have people giving out the code or untrustworthy people who observe it being entered.
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Post by Yoki on Dec 30, 2016 4:11:59 GMT
We installed one after our house was broken into. I love it, but I will say the one drawback is if you have a service/repair person in your home & they're coming in and out, you either have to leave the door a little open or let them in every few minutes. But that is a pretty minor complaint & worth not having to worry if the door is locked because it does it automatically.
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Post by mom on Dec 30, 2016 4:14:39 GMT
We installed one after our house was broken into. I love it, but I will say the one drawback is if you have a service/repair person in your home & they're coming in and out, you either have to leave the door a little open or let them in every few minutes. But that is a pretty minor complaint & worth not having to worry if the door is locked because it does it automatically. The way we deal with the repair guys/contractors is to give them a code and then change it once they are done with the work. |
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Post by PNWMom on Dec 30, 2016 4:17:49 GMT
My husband the locksmith says his concerns about most of these keypad/electronic locks are that they don't have deadbolts--just a lock. That is not nearly as secure as a deadbolt. There are a few with electronic deadbolts, but the ones he is aware of are pretty crappy quality. Avoid anything by Kwikset. Pretty much anything sold at Home Depot or Lowes is not good quality. Schlage is a pretty good brand, but even they have some crappier series (he specifically mentions the F series). Look for something that is commercial grade--that is the keyword for higher quality/stronger metals and better security features.
On our house, we personally have a (now fairly old) high-end Schlage keypad with a Multilock cylinder in it, plus a separate Multilock deadbolt (same key can be use for both). Just the keypad for our garage entrance. If we leave the deadbolt unlocked, I can just use the keypad to get in the house. We never ever do that, unless we have visitors over. Then we set a temporary code for them to use, so we never compromise our actual long-term code.
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,947
Location: North Idaho
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Post by Nink on Dec 30, 2016 4:47:49 GMT
My husband the locksmith says his concerns about most of these keypad/electronic locks are that they don't have deadbolts--just a lock. That is not nearly as secure as a deadbolt. There are a few with electronic deadbolts, but the ones he is aware of are pretty crappy quality. Avoid anything by Kwikset. Pretty much anything sold at Home Depot or Lowes is not good quality. Schlage is a pretty good brand, but even they have some crappier series (he specifically mentions the F series). Look for something that is commercial grade--that is the keyword for higher quality/stronger metals and better security features. On our house, we personally have a (now fairly old) high-end Schlage keypad with a Multilock cylinder in it, plus a separate Multilock deadbolt (same key can be use for both). Just the keypad for our garage entrance. If we leave the deadbolt unlocked, I can just use the keypad to get in the house. We never ever do that, unless we have visitors over. Then we set a temporary code for them to use, so we never compromise our actual long-term code. slight hijack---how are you doing? I've been thinking about you and hope everything is going smoothly. |
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pancakes
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,993
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Post by pancakes on Dec 30, 2016 9:07:47 GMT
We have August locks. This isn't a keypad -- it's a smart lock you install on your deadbolt. So you can use a normal key or use your smartphone (via bluetooth or wifi). You can even give someone else a virtual key to use if you have a pet sitter or house guest or contractor and delete it once they're gone. I can lock or unlock my doors on my phone from anywhere in the world, as long as I have internet -- which I totally did when we were in Italy.
It warns you via email when the batteries are low, too. But if all fails, you still can use it like a regular ol lock and key. You can't even tell it's an August lock unless you're inside the house.
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Post by pierkiss on Dec 30, 2016 13:24:46 GMT
My inlaws have one. It's awesome! I can't think of any drawbacks that they've mentioned. My mother in law did say they change their code every 2 weeks, and I imagine that would be hard to remember (at least for me). But I don't think that's a requirement of the system.
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Post by PNWMom on Dec 31, 2016 1:32:17 GMT
PNWMom slight hijack---how are you doing? I've been thinking about you and hope everything is going smoothly. I'm doing great--thanks for asking! 21 1/2 weeks at the moment, and feeling baby move a lot nowadays. It took my husband a really long time--like up until the anatomy scan a few weeks ago--before we could actually wrap our minds around the fact that this is real and we are in fact growing a little baby girl right now. That last scan where the baby finally looks like a....baby...made things pretty concrete for us. Plus, I feel her move a lot now and that is a great instant reminder that this is really happening. We have a name picked out, will finish painting her room this weekend, and are slowly but surely getting our acts together. We have until early May, so there's not a huge rush just yet. |
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,947
Location: North Idaho
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Post by Nink on Dec 31, 2016 1:38:53 GMT
PNWMom slight hijack---how are you doing? I've been thinking about you and hope everything is going smoothly. I'm doing great--thanks for asking! 21 1/2 weeks at the moment, and feeling baby move a lot nowadays. It took my husband a really long time--like up until the anatomy scan a few weeks ago--before we could actually wrap our minds around the fact that this is real and we are in fact growing a little baby girl right now. That last scan where the baby finally looks like a....baby...made things pretty concrete for us. Plus, I feel her move a lot now and that is a great instant reminder that this is really happening. We have a name picked out, will finish painting her room this weekend, and are slowly but surely getting our acts together. We have until early May, so there's not a huge rush just yet. Such good news. I'm so incredibly happy for you both. Can't wait until she's here so we peas can see pictures of her. Continued prayers for all of you. |
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,192
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Dec 31, 2016 2:02:24 GMT
We have keyless entries on all out door except one. The one with a regular lock has a 2 keys in a certain spot in our garage, just so no one is every truly locked out.
I love the keyless entry because I hate carrying keys. I don't think we will ever go back! The probability of all of the batteries going dead at once is highly unlikely! |
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jan 2, 2017 3:46:36 GMT
We've had these for years. There used to be a neighborhood child who would just enter the house as she pleased if the door was unlocked. DD didn't always have an easy way to carry a key while she was out playing, so I was dealing with this child more than I liked. We switched to an electronic lock, and it solved the problem.
I did have an issue once. The lock on the front door came loose. I went around to the back door, but the batteries were dead. No problem - spare key. Doh! I had donated the microwave that held the key. I was completely locked out. I finally wiggled the front door handle into place, easily fixed the little ck, and hid a new spare key.
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Post by peasapie on Jan 2, 2017 3:53:13 GMT
We have kevo where you touch the doorknob and a program in your phone opens the door. You can program whoever you want to have access.
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Post by mirabelleswalker on Jan 2, 2017 6:07:26 GMT
My husband the locksmith says his concerns about most of these keypad/electronic locks are that they don't have deadbolts--just a lock. That is not nearly as secure as a deadbolt. There are a few with electronic deadbolts, but the ones he is aware of are pretty crappy quality. Avoid anything by Kwikset. Pretty much anything sold at Home Depot or Lowes is not good quality. Schlage is a pretty good brand, but even they have some crappier series (he specifically mentions the F series). Look for something that is commercial grade--that is the keyword for higher quality/stronger metals and better security features. On our house, we personally have a (now fairly old) high-end Schlage keypad with a Multilock cylinder in it, plus a separate Multilock deadbolt (same key can be use for both). Just the keypad for our garage entrance. If we leave the deadbolt unlocked, I can just use the keypad to get in the house. We never ever do that, unless we have visitors over. Then we set a temporary code for them to use, so we never compromise our actual long-term code. Ours is a Schlage deadbolt. |
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Post by jumperhop on Jan 2, 2017 7:57:42 GMT
We have one on the front door. I was against it at first, I think they look tacky on the front door. But I have come around and really like it. The elderly couple that lived in our house before us cautioned us how easy it is to lock yourself out of the house. Apparently they were out on the deck at 5am in 20 degree weather (smoke break) and accidentally locked the door behind them and were stuck on the deck for an hour before a jogger ran by.
Ours is a deadbolt.
jen
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