As I continue my quest to fully automate my home, one of my favorite things is my Schlage Door Lock.   This door lock connects to my other home automation devices and works in conjunction.

For example, when my car pulls into the driveway, In addition to my lights coming on, the back door will also automatically unlock for me.  This is great when you have your hands full with groceries or work stuff.

Whenever anyone leaves the house, the door will automatically lock itself.

In addition to working automatically or by a key, it also has a digital keypad.  This allows me to program in a combination so that if I don’t have my house keys with me, I can still get inside my house.    Vonnie loves to lock a door.   So often, I’ll step outside and when I return, the door is dead bolted.  Now, I can simply enter the combination and get inside without having a key.

If the exterminator calls me and tells me he is standing outside my house and needing to get in to spray, I can simply unlock my door from my smartphone from anywhere in the world.  After he leaves, the door will lock back automatically.

Or maybe I have a friend or family member that I know is stopping by at some point this week to pick up something that I am loaning them.   I can give them a temporary passcode that will allow them to enter – but the code will only work for this week.

Ever head off on vacation, get 50 miles from home and then suddenly worry, “Did I lock the door?”.  No worry now, as I can simply log in and check the lock condition or just click a button to make sure it is locked.   Really cool!