OLD MODEL: Kwikset 909 SmartCode® Electronic Deadbolt featuring SmartKey® in Satin Nickel

So I was NOT in the market for a deadbolt with a code, at all, when this came up on Amazon Gold Box. I'm thinking the one thing that made me click "Place Your Order", besides the fact that I was saving $20 off the price it normally sells for, is that when I was leaving my house that morning I wondered if I had locked the front door and I wished I had an automatic lock. Typical, right? We've all done it. Well, THIS deadbolt is more than just a coded lock. It has that really amazing feature built into it, automatic locking. The deadbolt has a sensor that triggers whenever the lock is opened (manually or by code), and after 30 seconds of being unlocked the deadbolt will automatically lock. Now I don't worry when I leave the house, because there is no way I 'forgot' to lock the door! To enable auto-locking, once you have the lock installed, use tweezers or a ballpoint pen point to push PIN 2 into the ON position. DO NOT ENABLE THIS BEFORE IT HAS BEEN INSTALLED! That is the feature that no one is talking about, and it really should be a huge selling point for this lock. All of the other pluses that the other reviewers bring up I agree with - its great to walk out of the house and not need keys, its great to quickly make a second code you can give someone and then quickly delete later, and its great to never get locked out of the house again. In terms of installation, it is essentially a standard deadbolt with a small ribbon cable that connects to the larger interior mechanism that holds the 4 AA batteries and the motor. I found it as easy to install as a normal deadbolt, it took about 15 minutes to complete, and I required no tools beyond a Phillips screwdriver. Programming is a snap - push the program button once to program code 1 on the keypad, and then push it again when complete. Push the program button twice to program code 2, push again when complete. Easy!! My only small complaint would be that the battery pack unit seems to be just a little loose against the interior of my front door (the unit does not seem to sit completely flush against the door interior, although it is secure), but this is only noticeable if you are removing the battery pack. All in all, for the ability to enter your house via code instead of key and to ensure your home is always locked, this product is a complete 5 star home run and I have to wonder why almost all deadbolts aren't replaced with locks like this one. I'll be replacing the other 2 deadbolts on my house with locks like these shortly.

The first unit I got didn't work. The second is working. Here are the details and what I experienced. I purchased this from Amazon and the package clearly had not been opened (i.e. it was not one someone else returned). I followed the instructions and installed the unit but when I pressed the lock button and inserted the battery pack nothing appeared to happen. What is supposed to happen is that the deadbolt is supposed to go lock and unlock a couple times which is the motor/electronics auto adjusting the lock/unlock length of travel. After doing this a couple more times I noticed two things. First there was a faint clicking sound coming from the inside part and after I released the lock button the LED would flash green once. I called Kwikset support and got through pretty quickly to a tech who walked through the steps again and then told me the lock was defective. So I returned the unit and got a new unit (from a local retailer). The second unit worked perfectly once installed. The one thing I noticed that was different from the second unit to the first. After installed the first unit allowed me to turn the deadbolt back and forth like normal. After installing the second unit but before inserting the battery pack, when I tried to turn the deadbolt by hand it got stuck part way through the turn and I had to force it past that point locking and unlocking. I thought for sure this one was going to have a problem also but I guess getting stuck before auto adjusting is normal and smooth travel before auto adjusting is not. Reduced the review by 1 start because of a DOA unit. As for the operation, programming was straight forward and the unit operates as expected. A couple notes. The programming manual says you can program 8 user codes but the box says you can only program 2 so the manual must be a generic manual. Second, if you are replacing a recent Kwikset deadbolt check to see if the current chamber unit (where the key goes) is the same as the one that comes with this unit. If it looks the same chances are you can just use the chamber from the existing lock and not have to adjust the auto key. If I find any deficiencies with regard to the motor stopping or excessive battery use I will update the review.

We purchased this to replace an old keylock on a newer foreclosed home (only one key came with the house; realtor recommended we change the locks) and it is perfect. Sure, it makes noise, it's electronic after all! But that noise tells us one of two things: someone has left the house or someone is entering. If you are very sensitive to noise, especially while sleeping, you may want to view one on display at one of the major hardware stores before deciding to install. Installation was simple; took less than an hour for my husband to swap it with the old lock and knob. We made a trip to a local store to check out the device, but we ordered from Amazon because the price was considerably lower, customer service better, and the local store did not have the color we wanted (nor did they know it came in the darker color.) We paired the lock with a matching latch-type door handle with a standard knob on the back. We did need to adjust the bolt hole, but it was a simple matter of a tiny adjustment to the bolt plate. It's a typical deadbolt; you have to throw it before opening the door, but it moves very smoothly and cleanly. If the lock button is not engaged upon closing the door, the lock automatically engages for you; great for households with forgetful people or when carrying in packages. Everyone in the house knows the code, so no one is locked out if they forget a key; in fact, only one of us carries a key, the rest just use the code. The style is attractive, unobtrusive, though there is a light that flashes to let you know if the lock is engaged. This is comforting to me, may be bothersome to some, but here's the deal: you can turn that off, as well as the keypad beeps, though I prefer to hear when someone is coming in. There is also a feature that allows you to disengage the lock altogether or change the length of time before the lock self-engages; we have ours set at 30 seconds (the kids take that as a challenge when getting the mail or the paper; will they make it back before the lock locks?). I'd recommend this to anyone who needs the safety of a sturdy lock, has multiple residents, and doesn't care to mess around with having extra keys made (or having to change locks every time keys are lost.) Oh, and if the door isn't closed properly, the lock lets you know that, too.

We were looking for a keypad lock for the door to our detached garage and already had installed Kwikset locks on all the other doors. In summary, it works well and is straightforward to install. The mechanism felt like it had sufficient strength--not particularly muscular but not wimpy either. It also supports SmartKey, which is Kwikset's version of easy re-keying of the lock. Just insert a special tool that comes with the lock, insert the new key, and it's done. I've used SmartKey on three locks so far with no problems. The lock works like a standard deadbolt--insert a key on the outside to open and flip the lever on the inside. The keypad functionality has been seamlessly integrated into the lock. There's a single button in the center to lock the deadbolt. The unit can be programmed with two separate entry codes through an easy process--slide off the back cover, push a button, enter the code. The lock also has the option to autolock and the beeps that it makes can be silenced. If you've installed a deadbolt before, this lock will be straightforward. If you're not familiar with locks but are comfortable with tools, there's plenty of good, short videos you can watch and you'll be all set. If the door already has a deadbolt, it could as little as 10 minutes to install and can be done with just a screwdriver. The lock uses standard dimensions for the door holes and locations; it also follows the same design you'd expect from a Kwikset lock. There's no difference with installing this lock and a standard deadbolt. Retrofitting this deadbolt into a door with an analog deadbolt was not a problem for us.

I read some of the reviews, some bad some good. But I went with it anyways when it went on sale. And I can't be more happy with this purchase. We set up the code, re-keyed it so we only need one key for the entire house. Its been over a month and no issues. My girlfriend comes through the front door and uses it daily, its never locked her out and shes always able to lock it easily with the push of a button. Especially if her hands are full with groceries, it really helps. Me on the other hand, I went for a walk and didn't' have to take my keys with me. Got home and got right in. Very sturdy and good design. I recommend this to anyone! Only downside was the installation, however, it could of been me just misreading something. I was just having issues with initializing the bolt for the first time, so when I set up timer lock, to lock after 30 seconds, I did it wrong and after 30 seconds it would UNLOCK my door, lol oops. I finally figured out, to hold the lock button for almost a minute and it will run through a, kind of boot up and test the limits of the lock and bolt then set it right. Now its flawless.

I installed this product on the inside of my apartment building on interior doors. Before I made my purchase I read several reviews from customers having difficulty with the electronics exposed to the elements. The design may lend itself to that problem. I also own the competitive product and have it installed on the exterior entrance door and never had a problem with the electronics over three years. I also question the level of security it provides. MAY be able to be pryed from the door with significant force? Or would just the button casing suffer damage and the bolt and cylinder remain unbreached? The largest pro for this product over its closest competitor is the ease of programming it. But it also holds a maximum of only two combinations versus 14. It also can be set, to automatically self lock after a short period of being left unlocked. The competing product does not have a motorized bolt and is not capable of self locking. It can also be easily rekeyed indefinitely with the smart key feature, without the assistance of a lock smith. But could this be a security vulnerability as well? A fine and simple product to install and program, but possibly more condusive to interior apartments, offices, motels, guest house doors and the like that do not require maximum security and are not heavily exposed to outside elements.

This is my third unit in my house. I purchased one unit for the front door when we bought our house three years ago as I didn't trust giving keys to my wife's son as he loses everything. Honest truth - can't trust him and I didn't want to keep replacing lost keys and having to re-key the locks once a month. The savings in lost keys alone would have paid for the first unit by itself. The first unit on the front door is still going strong after three years and three sets of batteries. The batteries life depends how much you are using the lock as it uses a motor to lock and unlock the deadbolt barrel. I would say the lock has been opened and closed about 5K times over the 3 1/2 years as everyone uses the door to go in/out of the house. My front door is covered by a long entry way so the lock isn't exposed that much to the elements which I think helps keep the unit working. I placed a second unit on my garage side door a year after the first and this unit is exposed to full sun and rain for about 2 years. The unit still works fine but the barrel and slide I can tell is getting more resistance due to the rain and sun exposure than the front door. If you have door that is not exposed to the elements like rain, snow, or lots of sun I think these types of locks will work fine for years. Like any type of electric motor device you need to keep it clean or if exposed to the weather clean and oil the mechanical parts to keep the lock from generating to much resistance to the small electric motor. I can see how if the lock is not aligned properly or the parts get exposed to water this would shorten the life of the motor. The first two locks I purchased have outlived their expected lifespan is my book lasting more than a few years so I recently purchased another unit from Amazon and I expect this unit to last a long time. The other plus with this lock is it can still be used like a regular deadbolt lock if the batteries died or you have a problem with the motor.

A coworker installed this recently and raved about it, so I got a 910 model for the front door and the 909 (non Z-wave) for the garage door to replace existing Schlage manual locks. This thing wasted hours of my life. I twisted the bolt chamber to extend it to the required 2 3/4" depth setting (depends on your door), which made it noticeably wiggle. The bolt slide chamber also needed a slightly higher clearance than the existing because of a plastic nub, requiring some hand-sawing in the door chamber. A hassle, but not a biggie. After fitting the bolt, I screwed the front panel and the back mount together (my door depth front to back is also 2 3/4", within spec). However, I couldn't turn the key until I loosened the 2 screws, causing the entire assembly to slightly wiggle side to side. After some trial and error, I tightened the screws just enough to be able to turn the key smoothly, yet not wiggle the assembly too much. After connecting the data cable and mounting the back panel, I tested the manual bolt knob, which was a bit tight. I had to remove the back panel, further loosen the original set of screws, then remount the back. The manual bolt knob turned better, but the whole thing was noticeably loose. Now, you hold down the lock button and insert the battery pack (I had 4 brand new Duracells, and later also tried refreshed Eneloop XX batteries). The lock tries to electronically engage, but took 3 ties to extend. Several more attempts, same result. As for automated unlocking, it tries to protract, but gives up after halfway and re-extends. I tried various screw tightness levels again, and even tried the second lock set, but had the same result. I can see the lock itself doesn't slide smoothly, rubbing the upper part as it slides (in a slight bell curve motion, probably because the damn slide assembly is so flimsy when extended). Parts of the slide assembly and the turning mechanisms are plastic. And the data cable (which you have to shove around with a thin screwdriver to keep from blocking the screw hole) rubs against the turning mechanism because the designer couldn't extend a 2mm plastic nub to keep it from touching the turning mechanism. And the data cable itself barely sits with the pins (no "snap" locking onto the circuit board), easily knocking loose. The keypad and auto-relock were the "key" features I had wanted, but I'll just have to settle for a "dumb" keypad lock instead. ----- Update 4/25/2014: I've since installed a bronze and a chrome Schlage BE365VCAM619 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt (manually-operated keypad locks), which are super sturdy and a snap to install (took under a minute). Hefty metal all around, including the entire bolt chamber. Schlage Cons: 1. No auto-lock feature 2. Had to bring them to a locksmith to match my existing keys (optional) Schlage Pros: 1. MUCH sturdier in heft and mounting (Kwikset felt like a toy in comparison) 2. Very easy to install 3. 10 individual number buttons 4. Long-lasting 9V battery (included), especially since lock is manually turned

Love it. Its not the 1st one that I've bought. Won't be the last. Makes a great house warming gift.