I’ve been toying with the idea of a remote home management system for the past couple years, but it’s always been a project that’s at the bottom of my to-do list. I wasn’t sure exactly how intelligent I wanted my potential “smart house” to be, and I never could quite justify the cost it would take to set up the said home system. Then, about a month ago, I undertook two relatively easy projects (thanks to the gentle prodding of my wife) – replacing our antiquated Honeywell mercury thermostat, and replacing our shiny brass front entry door hardware with hardware of the aged bronze variety. She didn’t specify which new thermostat or door hardware she wanted; she only specified the thermostat be new and the door hardware be aged bronze. So I began my search.
I opted to find the door hardware first, because I figured finding door hardware would be a straightforward task. And it was. I was replacing a Schlage which had given me over a decade of trouble free use, so logically Schlage was the first company I went back to. They had a variety of locks in with an aged bronze finish, so it was just a question of selecting the right one. Pondering for a moment the countless number of times I had used my current lock, I immediately realized that getting in and out of my house was, in certain conditions, an exceptionally large pain to do. For example, fumbling for your key while holding a couple bags of groceries. Or fumbling for your key while holding a tired child. Or heading out for a run, bike ride, etc., and being forced to take a key with you. Doing the math, I realized that if I spent 1 minute (cumulatively) a day unlocking/locking my door, that equates to about 6 hours a year I’ve wasted. Or 60 hours over the past decade. Hence, a traditional lock was out. That left me with a Schlage keypad lock.
Looking at the Schlage keypad locks, a variety of benefits were immediately obvious. You don’t need a key, although you can still use one if you wish. There are lighted buttons, for easy entry at night when you forget to leave your outside lights on. Did I mention no more fumbling with a key? It was obvious the Schlage keypad lock was the way to go, which left me to decide whether to opt for Schlage’s LiNK technology or to skip LiNK and go for a straight keypad. I wasn’t sure exactly what LiNK was, so I did a bit research. It turns out, LiNK is Schlage’s entry into the remote home management market (which, if you remember, has been somewhere on my to-do list for the past couple years). Basically, Schlage’s LiNK system creates a network in your home that can communicate with a variety of different devices, allowing remote control (either via internet or cell phone) of the devices. Once set up, you can control your door lock (s), thermostat, lights, and so on, easily and remotely. Thus, the opportunity to kill three birds on my to-do list (door hardware, thermostat and remote home management system) with two stones (door hardware and thermostat) presented itself. Never one to back down from my to-do list, I opted for the Schlage LiNK system, and I’m going to tell you all about it.
Schlage Wireless Remote Deadbolt System
To set up a Schlage LiNK system, the first thing you’ll need is either a Schlage Wireless Remote Deadbolt System or Schlage Wireless Lever System (the first is a single deadbolt; the second is a door lever and lock combined). I opted for the Schlage Wireless Remote Deadbolt System, which consists of three main items: the Schlage wireless bridge, the aforementioned Schlage LiNK keypad deadbolt lock, and the Schlage light module. The Schlage wireless bridge requires little explanation. It looks similar to a modem; it plugs into an ethernet port on your router; and it’s the component that creates the network for all your remotely controlled devices.
The second component is the LiNK keypad lock. You already know its basic functions – you don’t need a key, lighted entry – but there’s a variety of extras when opting for the LiNK keypad verses the standard Schlage keypad lock. Its main feature is of course its remote functionality. Once installed and configured on the LiNK system, you can remotely check to see whether the door is locked/unlocked; you can remotely unlock the door (you still have to physically turn the lock, however); and what may be the best feature, you can set up automatic email or text alerts notifying you when an access code has been entered. Because you can assign up to 19 codes, you can give different codes to different individuals, allowing you to know precisely when your child gets home from school; when your pet sitter arrives; and so on. You can also set the LiNK keypad to alert you when invalid codes are entered, adding an extra level of security to your home. My only complaint is that I can’t remotely lock the door in the event I or my family forgets to; going on a month of use, that still hasn’t happened, however, so it’s a feature that would likely see little use.
The final piece of the Schlage Wireless Remote Deadbolt System is the Schlage Light Module. It’s a small box that plugs into an outlet, and your light is then plugged into the new module. Once set up, you can control your light remotely (via phone/internet), plus it adds a dimmer as well. When customized, you can also set the light module(s) to turn on when your code is entered into the keypad.
Put it all together, and you’ve got a basic home management system. You’ll never get locked out of your house. You can pretty much eliminate the need for a house key. You can monitor who enters your house and when they do it. And you can remotely turn a light on, off or any level in between. The total price to do so: about $300, plus I picked it up with the $50 rebate Schlage is currently offering. But… there is a caveat. In addition to the purchase price, there is a subscription fee of $12.99 a month. I’m going to come back to the fee a little later and tell you how you can avoid the monthly charge, but while we’re talking about price, I felt it bears mentioning.
Trane Remote Energy Management Thermostat
For me, the Trane Remote Energy Management Thermostat was really the selling point of the Schlage LiNK system. If setting up a home management system, I wanted the ability to control all of the most-used elements in my home, and being based in the Midwest where temperatures are ridiculously erratic, I adjust my thermostat all the time. Pair that with my need for a new thermostat, and the Trane Remote Energy Management Thermostat was the logical choice. Like the other components on the Schlage LiNK system, once connected, you have access to your thermostat controls anywhere you have your phone or internet access. You can adjust temperature settings, turn on energy saver mode, and receive text/email alerts when the settings on thermostat are changed at the panel. There’s also the ability to view a usage graph for the thermostat, allowing you to monitor your home’s various heating and cooling systems.
The total price for the Trane Remote Energy Management Thermostat: $150. Paired with the Schlage Deadbolt System, it costs roughly $400 to remotely manage your home. Not necessarily cheap, but for the normal Schlage keypad lock and a traditional thermostat, I still would have spent roughly $200, so for me, $200 was well worth the added remote capabilities.
A few caveats
As noted earlier, there is a $12.99 / month fee to access the Schlage LiNK service. Whether or not it’s worth the cost will depend on a couple things. First, what level of remote home management are you interested in undertaking? If the only thing you’ll be remotely monitoring is your front lock, most of you will likely question paying a monthly for a single device. But for more complex home management, the beauty of the Schlage LiNK system is how easy it is to expand. You can add a significant number of light modules, for example, and potentially control lighting throughout your entire house. There’s the option to add either a wired or wireless camera and view it online, so you know who’s at your door or inside your house. And as noted earlier, you can adjust your home’s temperature with a single or multiple Trane thermostats. Add to that the security notifications any time a code is entered on the keypad, and the $12.99 / month is far easier to rationalize.
Your other option is to bypass the monthly fee and purchase a separate controller. Schlage LiNK utilizes what’s called Z-Wave technology, so it is possible to control the Schlage LiNK products with other Z-Wave controllers. But going this route, problems still exist. One, Schlage LiNK products are designed to be used only on the LiNK system, so other control methods aren’t supported by Schlage. In other words, they might work, they might not, and support from Schlage won’t exist. Secondly, controllers cost about $300, and reviews tend to be mixed. From a mathematical standpoint, if you buy the controller, you take a one time hit, and in two years you’ll have what will likely be an outdated piece of technology worth nothing. If you opt for the Schlage monthly fee, in two years you’ll be at the price of the controller, but you won’t have a piece of outdated hardware to go with it. Either way, remote home management is a luxury, and as such, you’re going to have to pay for it. I decided to opt for the Schlage LiNk fee, and in the event I hate it or find a better alternative, I can always opt out and go another route later, as there’s no contract. I have a feeling better alternatives will be coming in the near future either via lower/no Schlage fees or better third party solutions, but until then, $13 a month it is.
And that’s it: my foray into remote home management while at the same time meeting my wife’s demands for a new thermostat and door hardware. Aside from the fees and the lack of remote locking, I’ve been extremely happy with the Schlage LiNK system as a whole, and for anyone looking for a similar home management system in their home, it’s a great way to get your home connected and remotely managed in a single afternoon.
