Schlage Encode Plus Is the Best Smart Lock Utilizing Apple's HomeKit



Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt is the latest door lock for your smart home. It builds on Schlage's previous offerings supporting Apple's HomeKit and is the first to get home keys that live in the iOS Wallet app. Home keys use near-field communication from an iPhone or Apple Watch to tap-to-unlock. And, the lock still supports Alexa and Google Assistant.To get more news about high security lock manufacturer, you can visit securamsys.com official website.

There are a lot of new companies, like August and Level, trying to build the smart home lock of the future, so it's interesting that Schlage, the longtime incumbent for traditional locks, is creating one of the best technology-rich devices. I've been using two Schlage smart locks for more than three years, and each has provided long battery life and unflinching reliable connectivity—two critical components of a Wi-Fi-connected lock.

The new Encode Plus lock is everything that the past locks I used were—but more and better. This product is quieter, takes up less physical space on the door and adds home keys for more ways to share access and be unlocked. Until other companies can improve on their weak points, the Schlage Encode Plus is the best smart lock and the one to beat.
The headlining feature of the Schlage Encode Plus is the Apple home keys that are stored in its Wallet app. These key cards are accessible on the iPhone and Apple Watch and allow that tap-to-unlock experience.

Beyond that method, the Encode Plus can be unlocked using the "Hey Siri" voice command (through HomeKit), using the "Hey Google" voice command (on Android), through the Schlage app, using a numeric code on the keypad or using a physical key. It's versatile for almost every way a family would use it.

For past Schlage locks, I primarily used the keypad or the Hey Siri voice command. Is the addition of home keys really necessary if there are all the other methods available for entry? I say, an emphatic yes.

One night I came home late, after everyone in the house was asleep, and instead of pressing in a code that beeped with each digit, I double-clicked the side button on my Series 7 Apple Watch and touched it to the Encode Plus to unlock it. No pulling out my phone or trying to whisper to Siri was needed.

As a side note, the instructions for the Encode Plus lock say to put the Apple Watch near it to unlock it, but I found the watch needs to touch the lock where the indicator is on the keypad. A quick moment of contact will do. Since the keypad is plastic, I'm hoping that there are no scratches on the watch or the lock in the long term.

Once I added the lock to my Home app, a home key populated on my wife's phone and in her Wallet app, too. A home key even showed up on my wife's Series 5 Apple Watch automatically.Smart home devices and the various platforms they run can be tricky. For some people, they work great, and for others, they don't work at all. This can be related to a home's Wi-Fi connection or, maybe, it has to do with some sort of interference.

The long and short of it is that a lot of smart home devices are nearly impossible to evaluate in isolation. I've had great success with HomeKit devices and, because of that, I spent the last year prioritizing those types of products. More recently, however, some of those products have been unreliable at providing notifications when they turn on (or off), or being responsive in general.I remain optimistic about HomeKit products in general for some security and privacy-related reasons, but HomeKit itself has been the most frustrating aspect of using the Encode Plus. The Schlage Home app sends notifications nearly instantaneously when the lock is activated, but notifications through the iOS Home app have stalled. I don't see them even though they are turned on.

The selection of smart home locks is pretty good at the moment. August has a fourth-generation lock that's smaller and adds Wi-Fi capability—alongside Bluetooth—directly into the lock. Even though it enables you to keep your existing deadbolt key, I'm not particularly sold on the locking mechanism that resides inside your house—it's large. But, the biggest problem, for me, is its embarrassing three-month battery life. It also uses uncommon, expensive, batteries that have to be changed four times a year.

The other notable locks on the market come from Level. These locks look the best and are incredibly small. I had some fit issues with the Level Touch, however, whereas I haven't had any with multiple other locks in the same spot.