Which Smart Lock Has the Longest Battery Life?
Although smart locks come with several benefits, they still have some downsides. And one downside you may experience with a smart lock is short battery life.
What this means is, the lock may drain batteries quickly, resulting in frequent battery replacement. And it might get worse sometimes—the batteries may drain completely, and you get locked out.
But you can prevent such occurrences by getting a smart lock with excellent battery life. If that sounds like what you are looking for, then you want to keep reading as we’ve featured some of the best smart locks with long-lasting batteries in this post. Let’s begin!
In short (as per our research), here are the top smart locks with the longest battery life:
- Schlage Connect Touchscreen Deadbolt.
- Kwikset SmartCode 888 Smart Lock.
- Yale Assure SL Touchscreen Smart Lock.
- August Keyless Smart Lock (3rd Gen).
If you’d like to learn more about the features of each of the smart locks, keep reading.
Best Smart Locks with the Longest Battery Life: Features
1. Schlage Connect Smart Deadbolt (BE469ZP)
If you’re looking for a smart lock with long battery life, here’s one of those that tick all the boxes. The Schlage Connect Smart Lock uses 4 AA alkaline batteries, expected to last up to two years. Plus, the lock features a low battery warning that will alert you before the battery drains completely.
The lock uses Z-wave as its communication protocol. Perhaps this is one reason the battery life is excellent. As you probably know, smart locks without built-in Wi-Fi do not use battery power like those with built-in Wi-Fi.
So with this lock, you may only replace the batteries once a year or once in two years. But note that this depends on usage and the weather condition where the lock is used.
And that’s not all about the Schlage Connect Deadbolt. It comes with other exciting features, such as remote access and keyless entry via passcodes.
For remote access, you’ll have to pair the lock with a smart home system that supports Z-wave—such as Samsung Smart things. The lock also works with the Ring Alarm Security System, and once successfully paired, you can lock and unlock the lock from miles away via the Ring Alarm app on your mobile device.
You can also program up to 30 User Codes that can be used to unlock the lock via the touchpad.
2. Kwikset SmartCode 888 Smart Lock
Next in our picks is the Kwikset SmartCode 888 Smart Deadbolt. This lock is packed with several exciting features, and as you expect, it has excellent battery life.
The lock uses 4 AA batteries, expected to last over a year—depending on usage.
The lock features the Home Connect technology, meaning you can pair it with your compatible Smart Home system for remote access.
When paired with a compatible Smart Home system, you will receive notifications about your lock activities (locking and unlocking), and you can also lock and unlock your door via a dedicated app on your mobile device. You can also check your lock status via your phone—to know if your door is locked or not.
This lock also features keyless entry via access codes. You can create up to 30 access codes to share with anyone you want to give access to your home—when you’re away.
3. Yale Assure SL Touchscreen Deadbolt
Yale Assure SL is a complete key-free smart lock—unlike the above two. That is, you can only lock and unlock the lock via access codes and remotely—through your smartphone.
Of course, the lock has long-lasting battery life. So if you want a smart lock that won’t have you replace the batteries weekly or so, then this is the lock for you. It uses 4 AAA batteries that can last anywhere from 1 to 2 years.
Besides, the lock comes with a 9V backup charger on the keypad. So you won’t have to worry about being locked out when the batteries drain completely.
If the batteries are dead and you’re locked out, all you need to do to unlock your door is hold a 9V battery to the terminal, then enter your access code to unlock.
As mentioned, the lock supports remote access, so you can lock and unlock your door from anywhere by connecting it to a compatible Z-Wave Smart Home System such as Samsung SmartThings and Wink.
The lock also works with Ring Alarm—and you can control it via the Ring app on your phone. For hands-free control, you can link the lock with Alexa Voice Assistant.
4. August Smart Lock Pro (Third Generation)
And the last (not the least) in our picks is the August Smart Lock Pro (3rd Gen). This lock also uses 4 AA batteries that can last a little over a year—depending on how it’s used.
Keep in mind that frequent locking and unlocking takes more battery power than normal. And, the batteries in your lock may drain quickly if the lock is exposed to wind chills. But on average, batteries in this lock last up to a year before needing replacement.
What’s more, the lock has many other features that may appeal to you. Let’s take a closer look at some key features:
Keyless entry: This lock has no keyhole, meaning you won’t have to worry about lock picking and the like. Locking and unlocking are via the August app on your phone. You can also pair the lock with Alexa and then ask Alexa to lock and unlock it through voice commands.
Low battery notifications: No worries about being locked out because of dead batteries; the lock notifies you through the August or Alexa app.
Works with existing deadbolts: With this lock, you can keep your existing deadbolt as the lock easily fits with existing deadbolts. So you can also lock and unlock your door via the existing deadbolt with the keys.
This lock is also compatible with Google Assistant and Siri for hands-free control—requires the August Wi-Fi Bridge for the integration.
FAQs About Smart Locks Battery Life
Why do some smart locks drain batteries fast?
This depends mostly on the communication protocol a smart lock uses. For instance, smart locks with built-in Wi-Fi use more battery power, as they have to work to maintain the connection with your Wi-Fi network/smart home system.
On the other hand, smart locks with other communication protocols (Z-Wave, Zigbee, etc.) do not consume too much battery as they depend mostly on smart hubs to stay connected to your smart home system.
More so, your lock may drain batteries quickly when exposed to too much cold. So, if the batteries in your lock drain quickly during winter, one reason could be the cold weather.
However, some smart locks could drain batteries quickly because of a bug, while others may be substandard and hence don’t have good battery life.
Are lithium batteries good for smart locks?
Most smart locks companies such as Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale do not recommend using lithium batteries. The reason is, lithium batteries tend to drain quickly when they are weak, meaning the batteries may just drain completely without giving you some little time to replace them.
But the reverse is the case with alkaline batteries. They may hold for a little longer when they get weak, allowing you some time to replace them.
How can I improve my smart lock battery life?
If you have a smart lock with built-in Wi-Fi, you can improve the battery life by making sure the connection to your home Wi-Fi is stable. Yes, your smart lock may drain batteries quickly if the Wi-Fi connection isn’t stable, causing it to keep reconnecting and hence using more battery power than normal.
For other smart locks (without built-in Wi-Fi), you can improve the battery life by getting high-quality alkaline batteries. Energizer and Duracell are excellent brands to consider.
Wrapping Up
So that’s some of the smart locks with the best battery life. Basically, Schlage, Kwikset Yale, and August have smart locks with long-lasting battery life. However, some of their locks have built-in Wi-Fi, meaning the battery life is limited.
As mentioned, smart locks with built-in Wi-Fi don’t have a great battery life—compared to those without built-in Wi-Fi. So if you want a smart lock with excellent battery life, consider getting one without built-in Wi-Fi.
Smart locks that use Z-Wave, Zigbee, or Bluetooth as their main communication protocol have good battery life. However, you want to consider the brand and other standard features of a smart lock before you make a buying decision.