Schlage has been a storied lock manufacturer since 1909 and their locks continue to impress today. The newest release by Schlage answers to a wave of innovative e-locks reaching the market this year. Their competition has generated familiar names like Kēvo, the Danalock by Poly-Control and The Yale Real Living Touchscreen Z-Wave Deadbolt. To be an effective e-lock, all the technical bells and whistles must ring favorably with the user. We’ve taken this lock and tried it for ourselves. Here’s what we found with the drawbacks and benefits of the new Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt.
Appearances make first impressions
The Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt comes in four different finishes: Aged Bronze, Bright Brass, Bright Chrome and Satin Nickel. The external facing design is housed in a sleek metallic shell and it illuminates with numbers that when sequenced properly allow entry. The interior facing design is an elongated shell with a simple deadbolt lock and smooth appealing finish.
Summary of Product Details
Item Weight: 3.8 pounds
Product Dimension: 4.5 x 5.1 x 9.2 inches
Batteries: 4 AA batteries required.
Average Battery Life: 8760 hours
Warranty: Lifetime Limited Mechanical & Finish and 1-Year Warranty
Using the Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt
The Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt is relatively easy to use. When you tap the lock, the numbers illuminate. They can be customized to beep and flash when pressed. When pressed, a green checkmark lights to confirm your input. To ensure your security, the device is contoured with a fingerprint-proof matte finish— so, creepers can’t reflect your passcode. When allowed entry, the door locks behind you automatically. To setup the lock, one use the touchpad. The manual clearly supplies the user with all the codes needed to set, reset and customize the device preferences. This includes a wonderful “vacation mode” feature that disables all entry codes and only allows for keyed entry until you return.
With Nexia Bridge
The Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt is equipped with a smart board that can be activated to add tech functionality. The Nexia Bridge runs around $60.00 and links to your router. This downpayment leads the user into a $10.00 a month fee for its activation. But, with it, one can adjust settings by use of a smart phone, laptop, tablet, etcetera and that’s a great improvement from the touchscreen programing.
Nexia Bridge Features
See when someone entered your residence
Receive notification of enabled or disabled access attempts
Send a time expiring code to anyone: laundry service, house sitter, etc.
Connects to existing lighting, heat and AC units and allows mobile interfacing
Drawbacks
If you’re not going to use the Nexia Bridge features to connect existing online systems in your home, don’t pay for it. The lock works splendidly without the laptop, tablet and mobile controls, but it is much more limited. The touchpad at times can also be difficult to press because of the fingerprint-proof matte finish. Which could get on some user’s nerves. And, replacing batteries is tiresome. Sure this device is loaded with hours of battery life, but this sort of thing is always a hassle. Fortunately Schlage makes it relatively easy with this device and their website is a great reference for any product questions.
Conclusion
The Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt is a strong device. It’s priced very well and is ANSI Grade 1 certified which makes it the highest security lock for a residential property. We like the functionality with the Nexia Bridge and without. The Schlage Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt is an impressive entrant to the e-security market.