Lost $400 on a smart lock system that never worked right

I put in a $400 smart lock setup across 3 units in my building in Austin last spring. The wifi kept dropping out and I got 5 lockout calls from tenants in the first month alone. Spent 8 hours on support calls and then paid another $200 to have a locksmith rip them all out and replace with regular Schlage deadbolts. Anyone else have bad luck with these fancy electronic locks on rental properties?

2 comments

2 Comments

garcia.wren2d ago

...and that's exactly why I tell people smart locks on rentals are just an expensive way to play landlord roulette. You paid $400 to learn what a $5 deadbolt already knows. Nothing beats a good old metal lock that doesn't need a Wi-Fi password or a firmware update to let someone into their apartment. Honestly sounds like you got off easy compared to my buddy who spent six months fighting with a cloud-based system before his tenants revolted. At least now you've got working doors instead of expensive paperweights.

fionat552d ago

@garcia.wren probably still has nightmares about updating firmware at 2am.