SCHLAGEBE469ZP CEN 622 Connect Smart Deadbolt with alarm with Century Trim in Matte Black, Z-Wave Plus enabled

**6 mo. Update: It's great! Battery life, 6 mo solid--multiple daily uses; still working, but noticed slight slowdown in lock rotation. As I wrote previously, this is one of the benefits of the z-wave--no wifi draining the batteries. Really convenient not having to carry extra keys, allows us to give access to house cleaners and room renter - get notifications of who's coming in. Connects to Ring perfectly for easy control.I'll update this review after a month or so. Finished installing yesterday - relatively easy to do and setup. Working well - as expected.I wanted to address a *major* problem with a lot of reviews on this lock (and others): many people are not doing the research they need to and are misunderstanding smartlock types and what they actually need/want. Some are mis-answering questions and dinging perfectly good locks because they are expecting it to do something it wasn't designed to do. You have to understand these options when looking at the *type* of smartlock and also how a particular brand (Schalge, Kwikset) implements that type. I'll start with lock types and then discuss Schlage's locks.Smart Lock Types: Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Zigby, Wifi. (Start with this for primer comparison: https://www.safety.com/z-wave/)Bluetooth are the cheapest locktypes and often the least expandable in terms of integration to smarthubs, automation.Z-wave and Zigby - two different versions of the same type of transmitting technology; Z-wave operates at a lower MHz (900) that won't interfere with wifi (2.4); Zigby operates at 2.4, so it can experience some wifi bandwidth competition - for the typical home, this is not a deal-breaker. Z-wave can also transmit somewhat farther, but both can use plug-in nodes that will increase range.NOTE 1: BOTH require a Smarthub: Ring, Wink, Smarthings (being discontinued, I hear - research it), Google, etc. These locks typically do *not* have a dedicated app, as they are integrating into your smarthub. Also, almost all of these types of locks integrate with Alexa for additional functionality. Alexa can be conisdered a smarthub on its own, but most often tends to be integrated into other proprietary apps and other hubs. This is, honestly, a confusing aspect of smarthomes - the market is in fierce competition, and most are choosing to "cooperate" with multiple layers of integration between hubs and apps. I don't fully understand all of it, as the market is still settling.NOTE 2: One of the most important *other* benefits of Z-wave and Zigby is power. All smartlocks (for now) use batteries. Z-wave and Zigby offload the power drain of communication and bandwidth to the Hub, which relies on wifi and is AC powered. This allows the batteries to be mostly dedicated to minuscule radio transmission and powering the deadbolt. The batteries (usually 4 AAs) on these locks can last from 1-2 years, depending - seems like closer to a year.Wifi - The lock communicates directly with your home wifi network: 1) allows fastest possible speeds - not really needed for a lock action; 2) allows direct app control; 3) does *not* require a smarthub; 4) large power requirements - the built-in wifi takes a lot of power - battery life is typically 2-6 months. Integration with smarthubs and Alexa is possible and common, but not required.Schlage locks:Connect - *two* types: Z-wave - Ring, Wink, Google, etc., does *not* work with Apple; Zigby - Amazon Cloud-camEncode - wifi type; battery life is challenging; connects directly with proprietary app; can connect to Ring, Alexa through sidedoor connections. If you end up connecting to smarthub, why not just get Connect type?Sense - bluetooth; uses proprietary app; in order to connect to Apple/iOS, requires wifi adaptor - more expense. Basically, this seems targeted at people who live in the Apple Homeconnect ecosystem.

Overall excellent. Be careful with the battery orientation!I purchased the BE469ZP CEN 622 Connect smart lock on December 15, 2022 from your Amazon storeThis was replacing a Schlage Z-wave connect century that I bought on March 2019.I threw out the old lockMy batteries had died in the older lock. When I replaced the batteries, the new ones would die in a day or so.I bought the new lock to replace this. After installing the batteries, the same thing happened twice. Heard some electric noises coming from the lockWhat I discovered by carefully reading the manual was that I had inserted the battery cassette in backwards: in otherwards, the batteries were facing the lock’s circuit board. As soon as I put new batteries in with the batteries facing the door in the cassette this was solved.I am recommending that that in the future Schlage designs the battery tray to that it can only slide into position in the correct orientation, as I think I threw away a perfectly good lock!

Instructions were clear and straightforward. I highly recommend this lock as a simple, modern upgrade to any home! Lock takes a 4 digit pin and it is easy to add and remove pins from the system. Pairs really well with the schlage lever handle for a sleek look. Makes an audible noise for a few seconds when automatically locking/unlocked but I don't find the sound unreasonably loud at all. Only issue is that occasionally when I go to enter my pin to unlock, the lock flashes a red X for invalid pin after only putting in 3 of my 4 numbers. I am not sure if this is because one of the numbers is being double pressed without me being able to tell, or if it is a glitch. I have had the lock installed for about a month and this has happened 2 or 3 times. In my opinion, is not too much of a hassle to deal with on occasion given how often I use the front door. Working on setting up this lock with a smart home hub to control remotely.