Tested 7 smart locks across 3 STRs over 3 years — here's what surprised me

[Robert Baron]

I've been running short-term rentals for a few years now — two in Memphis and one in Northwest Indiana near the Indiana Dunes. Across that time and three different doors, I've installed, lived with, and in some cases returned seven different smart locks: Schlage Encode, Yale Assure Lock 2 (Wi-Fi), August Wi-Fi 4th gen, Level Lock+, Igloohome Smart Deadbolt, Lockly Vision Elite, and the Eufy E330.

The lock that "won" for me wasn't the prettiest and didn't have a fingerprint reader. It was the boring one — the Schlage Encode. Built-in Wi-Fi (no hub), ANSI Grade 1 build, clean integration with Hospitable, Hostaway, and OwnerRez. The real-time activity log saved me twice on guest-can't-get-in calls when I was hundreds of miles away.

A few surprises I didn't see coming:

1. Battery life varies more than spec sheets suggest. Schlage advertised a year on 4 AAs; I got 5–6 months on a busy property. The Lockly Vision Elite with the camera died in 6–8 weeks.
2. The Yale Assure 2 touchscreen is harder to use with wet/cold fingers than Schlage's physical buttons. Memphis humidity, Indiana snow, ask my cleaner.
3. The Igloohome offline-code algorithm is genuinely great for cabins with flaky Wi-Fi.
4. Level Lock+ is gorgeous and the wrong choice for portfolio operators. No external keypad, no native PMS integration.

Happy to share the full comparison and my PMS-integration notes if anyone wants them. Curious what the BP crowd is running — anyone using something I missed?

[Michael Baum]

I have the Schlage Connect Z Wave lock. Been great for the last 9 years. Zero issues.

I love the Z Wave connectivity. I have it paired up with a Samsung SmartThings hub. Easy to do and allow me to run other devices. Like my Emerson Sensi thermostat.

Plus the Z Wave radio uses much less energy than a WiFi radio so batteries last longer.