Smart lock recommendations for STR

[Muhammad Saad]

Hello folks,

What are you guys using as smart locks and why? I am looking to be able to issue codes remotely from the phone for the guests duration and also with physical key override. 

Would love to know what is being used in STR for entrance camera and smart locks and thermostats.

[Michael Baum]

Ok @Muhammad Saad, I have never used the Encode but everyone on here that uses it says it works great! I chose the Smart Connect for the Z Wave. It does take the use of a hub to manage it. I use the Samsung SmartThings hub for that and our thermostat.

The main reason I chose the Z Wave was for the battery life. WiFi radios use about 100mw of juice. Z Wave devices use between 10mw and 15mw. That means I get much longer battery life out of the lock. In addition, Z Wave avoids most all frequency's used by other devices.

Z Wave is a mesh type system so each device acts as a repeater for each other. Z Wave a distance of 100 feet give or take but having each device acting as a repeater really helps the distance.

WiFi is just as reliable so I don't think you give up anything with it in regards to uptime. Most home management devices are limited to 2.4ghz which is a pretty busy frequency. It will be harder to keep it clean depending on where the home is located. Where we are, no big deal. In a big city, WiFi signal overlaps can be crazy and cause real problems.

If you are close by to the rental, then WiFi will be just fine. I chose Z Wave to offer a wider variety of devices if I decided to add more and to limit battery changes as we are 360 miles away from the house. It does add a layer of complexity with another device to setup.

So far it has been very reliable for us. Setup isn't tough at all and it gives you a ton of options. You can can add thermostats, plugs, water monitors, the list is endless. If you are using battery powered devices, the power usage is much lower with Z Wave. WiFi, from some things I have read, usually require battery replacements each month.

Bottom line is that I think you will be fine either way. I like the Schlage products due to the many great reviews. Especially around how well they last in the direct sun and inclement weather. Ours get full sun most of the day and of course in north Idaho we get all kinds of weather.