So what’s the best smart lock between the KwikSet and Schlage? I've been using both locks for 6 months and I prefer the Kwikset Premis. Why? Because it's easier to get rid of all my keys

In the next few minutes I’m going to talk about both locks in terms of:

Installation - 00:01:02
Battery - 00:02:33
Operation - 00:02:59
Security - 00:05:52
App - 00:06:41

And I’ll end it all off with why I wouldn’t get either one of these products, just to balance everything out.

Get the Kwikset Premis on Amazon!
Amazon US: https://shreh.ca/2HbdzX3
Amazon CA: https://shreh.ca/2HgI25U
Amazon UK: https://shreh.ca/2sr8vJF
Amazon DE: https://shreh.ca/2sA9TJ8

Get the Schlage Sense on Amazon!
Amazon US: https://shreh.ca/2Heima6
Amazon CA: https://shreh.ca/2sBAdCu
Amazon UK: https://shreh.ca/2HgI79I
Amazon DE: https://shreh.ca/2sC5uFD

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*Installation*

When it comes to installation, I generally didn’t have any issues with either lock. I’m not a terribly handy person so as long as you can follow numbers and pictures, you’ll be fine. Both products includes a plethora of metal pieces, plates, screws that may seem daunting at first but all those extra parts are used to ensure that the lock fits in whatever door you have.

Now the door I installed the locks on is an older door so my family wasn’t too fussed about me messing around with it (the front door is a different story) BUT one of the things I had to consider was the size of the actual lock. My backdoor has a large window which reduces the working area I have around the deadbolt. This means I can’t use the August Smart Lock on this door.

*Battery*

Both locks are powered by 4 AA batteries AND both locks will work like a “dumb” lock without batteries if you were wondering. Your mileage for the batteries will depend on how often you use the lock.

For the Kwikset, I got the low battery warning after ~6 months of usage. And even after the batteries were apparently dead, I was still able to get notifications that the lock was being used. I couldn’t lock it remotely BUT there was still enough juice in the unit to connect to my Apple TV.

*Operation*

To lock the door when you’re leaving, all you have to do is press the Schlage symbol and walk away. To unlock it, all you have to do is to punch in your code. There are lights behind the numbers that light up the moment you press the screen.

The Kwikset Premis has a glossy cover and the keypad actually turns on and off so it takes an extra step to activate the lock. Because of the glossy cover, the Premis requires you to enter in two random numbers before punching in your code. This is a security feature to ensure that your fingerprints are spread out over the entire surface rather than your code.

The Schlage Sense is much quicker than the Kwikset which probably won’t make a big difference on a day-to-day basis but some might be annoyed at listening to the grinding noise all the time. Just out of curiosity, which one of these locks do you guys prefer to listen to every time? I’d go with the shorter grinding noise of the Sense over the Premis.

The last thing I will talk about in terms of operation of the lock are the keys. The Premis comes with a smart lock tool which basically allows you to rekey the lock to work with existing keys. It boggles my mind that Schlage didn’t include this with their lock. If I was to get two Schlage Sense locks, I would end up with two keys whereas with the Premis, I could rekey one lock so that I only have to carry one key.

*Security*

When it comes to security, the Premis will sound an alarm after 3 incorrect codes. It will beep loudly for a minute and then stop. The Sense will do the same thing but the alarm on the Sense is much louder, closer to an annoying car alarm on teenager owned Honda Civic. I didn’t get any notifications from either app regarding the incorrect access but they do show up in the corresponding app’s history.

If you need to hear when your door opens or closes, the Sense has a few more options for that.

*Apps*

The apps for both products are quite simple and you’ll really only use the apps to manage the passcodes. Both products allow you to add up to 30 codes to the lock as well as time restrictions on those codes. Kwikset goes one step further by allowing you to self-destruct codes after a certain time limit which might be handy for some people.

*Why shouldn't you get a smart lock*

They are slow, noisy and don’t work 100% of the time. With the smart locks, both my wife and I ended up reverting to locking and unlocking the door with our keys after a few months. Check out the last part of the video for all the details (I'm running out of room in the description section!)

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