Our new Schlage Bluetooth Smart door lock

I’m super excited to share our stylish and smart new front door lock with you today. We have wanted one for a long time now and our dream finally came true thanks to Schlage.

I chose the Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt with Century trim in matte black with the Schlage Century Front Entry Handle and Latitude Lever in matte black. I just love the sleek look of it. Since our front porch is black and white striped and the planters are black, the new black door hardware looks wonderful with the decor.

The Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt

I already mentioned above that the new Schlage push button door lock is extremely good looking which is the first obvious point, so let me explain to you the three reasons why I’m so excited that this smart lock will make our family life and travel plans so much easier.

(You might notice that the door hardware is aligned off center and I’ll explain more about that at the end of the post. I want to show you that the hardware works with existing door holes that are aligned differently)

3 reasons why we love our new Bluetooth Smart door lock

easy use and installation

I originally had planned on making an installation video for my blog post, but when I received my lock and downloaded the Schlage app (click HERE) I was so pleasantly surprised that the app includes a super detailed video on how to install the keyless deadbolt. All I had to do is follow the Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt installation video instructions and there was no need to make another video.

I’m also a newbie to the Apple Home app (Homekit) and the accessories which comply with that app.

Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt is one of those fantastic accessories and I can use it on my phone from anywhere. Yes I said anywhere. If I’m in bed already I don’t have to fight with my husband about whether the door is locked and who is getting up. I can look at my app and it tells me if the door is locked or not and if it isn’t I can just click the button and the app locks it for me.

I can also be away and check if I locked the door. Isn’t that great? I have a feeling that this is only the exciting beginning for us to having a smart home.

(more about the installation part at the bottom of the post)

convenient for my kids

I’m always worried that my kids get off the bus and I’m not there to let them in due to traffic or other issues and while we have been lucky enough to be blessed with great neighbors who we can call in those types of emergencies, it has already happened that they of course can’t help out because they also live busy lives.

Since my kids are now old enough to let themselves into our home, I certainly didn’t like giving them keys that they can forget, lose or which could be stolen. So handing them each a code so that they can use the keypad door lock eases my mind greatly.

And they now fight over who gets to unlock the door. I’m not kidding!

pet sitters and traveling

This third reason is definitely a major factor for us since you guys all know that I go away a lot with my family. Our house never remains empty and deserted due to our cats and we always have cat/house sitters who stay here.

Some years we had numerous different ones and I always had to hand out keys. Then I ended up somewhat losing track of who had a key to our house which resulted in me having to replace the lock at the end of the season. I also didn’t know if a duplicate ended up in someone else’s hand.

With the Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt I never have to worry about that anymore because I can hand out codes and later delete them. There will be no need to yearly replace our locks.

Another wonderful thing is to be able to see when someone unlocks and locks the door. So I know during our trips when the sitters are entering and leaving because unfortunately it has also happened that someone had told us they were at our house only to find out from our neighbors later that the person wasn’t.

It all just ends up easing my mind tremendously especially when we are away.

Some more Installation Details:

tools I needed:

• right size screw driver (Very important to not strip the screws and do not use a drill)
• drill only for drilling mounting hole
• wood chisel
• provided template and Schlage instruction videos (should you have lost your template, then you can find them on their website HERE)

I mentioned at the beginning of the post that the hardware is aligned off center which is due to the existing holes in our door. A new door just isn’t in the budget right now but certainly on my wish list.

I initially was very worried that the hardware wouldn’t fit with our odd holes and that I would have to buy a new door to make this beautiful lock and handle work.

So I want to show you that it is possible to make it work with existing odd hardware holes.

The handle set comes with a great template that I will make sure to store safely in case we ever get a new door.

Before installing anything I aligned that template with my holes to see if it fit within the measurements and I also had to mark the hole for the bottom screw of the Schlage Century Front Entry Handle and Latitude Lever

I used the recommended drill bit to pre-drill the hole for the screw.

Then I pushed the screw through the hole and secured it on the indoor part of the door. I was able to hide the screw by pushing on the black cap that is provided.

To make the deadbolt fit, I had to nudge out some more wood with a chisel. That was about it as far as adjustments go.

Everything else fit perfectly according to their provided instructions.

Tip: Keep one of the boxes from the lock and add any remaining parts to it. You might need the template and instructions again should you buy a new door. I was also thinking that if we ever move then I will take this lock with me.

I also love that this lock still comes with a key should the battery be empty. You never know if you might need to enter the traditional way.

(click HERE to see how I pick my door color)

Doesn’t it look great with our porch?

I can’t wait until my front porch is ready for summer again and looks like the photo below. Click HERE to see more and HERE to see how I painted the crisp stripes on my textured front porch which are holding up phenomenally by the way.

The moral of the story is that we are in love with our new Schlage lock and hardware.

Tschüß,