Schlage Connect BE469X Smart Lock Review

Today, there are many options from brands like Kwikset, August, and Schlage. I hesitated to pick one up at first because they all had some type of issues that to me, was a deal-breaker. But as technology advances, problems get solved; so, I finally purchased the Schlage Connect BE469X, paired it with a Samsung SmartThings hub, and subjected it to real-world testing in my home for 60 days.

I choose the Schlage Connect BE469X for a number of reasons, my wife liked the look of it on the door, it offers excellent grade 1 protection, has a built-in alarm, has a backup key option, touchscreen, low battery warning, and shows its battery status in the Samsung SmartThings app. It also works with Amazon Alexa and can be remotely opened and closed from anywhere for free, via the SmartThings app. This is quite a long list of features, but that only helps to justify it’s near $200 price. I paid $179.18 on Amazon about two months ago. Other options come close, but don’t offer the number of features I wanted and needed.

Installation was as expected, it took about ten minutes to install the hardware and another eight minutes to get it set up on Samsung SmartThings Hub. (see my full review of that here) I removed my old deadbolt, carefully followed the directions, and had no issues at all getting it installed. Getting it to work with the Samsung SmartThings was simple and took very little time.

After 60 days of use and two weeks on vacation during that time, I am still at 99% battery. The door is opened and closed at least five times each day, so it’s using a decent amount of power. I plan to replace batteries annually at least. I found the “Recently” tab in the app to be useful as it records every action the door makes and if a code was used, it tells you exactly who opened the door and when. I personally find codes to be superior to keys, and here’s an example: I went out of town for two weeks and gave my house-sitter a code to use. I easily removed the code when I got back and even though I was 3000 miles away, I could see the exact status of the door which told me when someone was there and for how long. This is very useful if you value security has much as I do.

There isn’t much I dislike about this unit. I really wish it were smaller, it’s not the biggest smart lock out there but it still seems huge on my door. I also really wanted to be able to adjust the codes from the Samsung SmartThings app, which is not an option. Instead, you must use a clunky procedure on the keypad to change or remove codes. Remember that to have app control and features, you must use a third party smart hub, like the Samsung SmartThings. Come on, Schlage! It’s not perfect, but I think the market is getting there, within five years, I think we will be seeing very solid options from most smart lock manufacturers.

If you are looking for one of the best smart locks you can buy right now, I can honestly recommend the Schlage Connect BE469X. It has an excellent feature set that is enhanced by the $50 Samsung SmartThings Smart hub. Battery life so far has been excellent and it works every time I need it to. Even though it has minor flaws, the Schlage Connect merits serious consideration over the competition. It’s a 7 out of 10 in my book.