SimpliSafe - Smart Lock Series 2 - Black

I’ve been wanting to put a smart lock on our back door to allow us to let people in when we’re away, as we often have guests or pet sitters come by when we’re out. We have a few spare keys that we pass to our regulars, but for other visitors or one-off helpers it didn’t always make sense to get them a set of keys beforehand. Thus, when I found out SimpliSafe had a smart lock that could integrate with the security system which we already have, and pay for the monitoring, I had to pick one up to try. Pros: - Easy to install. - Retrofits an existing single cylinder lock. - Works with SimpliSafe Security system. - Modern Look. Cons: - If the doors deadbolt is not aligned with the slot perfectly, the lock will have issues locking. - Keypad only comes in black, which will get cooked in direct sunlight. - Requires the SimpliSafe system to use. Installation & Setup: Setup was easy, with two ways to proceed with a step-by-step guide: Included Paper or the SimpliSafe App. Both covered the same steps with clear pictures and instructions to install the Smart Lock. Adding the device to your system will require you to use the SimpliSafe app, but you can click through all the prior steps if you use the paper setup guide. This is a retrofit style smart lock, which uses the existing deadbolt mechanism to add a smart lock function on the inside of the door. This works with most single cylinder deadbolts. You remove the internal thumb turn and replace with the included mounting plate that is attached to the back of the smart lock. Then add the right thumb turn adapter to the tailpiece on the inside of the deadbolt. After that, simply slide the Smart Lock device onto the mounting place and secure in place using the wing clips. Done. By far, one of the easiest installs I’ve done is for locks and looks modern on the door. You really cannot tell from the outside besides if the keypad is installed. Adding the lock to the SimpliSafe system to be able to use the smart features is simple, if you were not already using the app then open it up and select the 3 lines options, then select the “Add Device or Camera”. Select the Smart Lock and navigate through the setup instructions. It would be nice if you could skip the installation steps to get straight to pairing, but I was not able to. There are some calibration steps, which seemed to help the door figure out how much force to use, but the lock didn’t have issues on the first few tries. I did have some issues later in the week with the deadbolt not properly aligning unless I pushed the door in a little, this was after the temperature dropped quite a bit. I’ll have to do some adjustments to the door, but I figured out my overall door is a little warped which caused the issue. So not a knock against the lock, but something with the door. App: The Smart lock works well with the app and system, it locks automatically when you are the system or after a set time if you enable the auto-locking. I do wish the interface for locking/unlocking was more intuitive, you must click on the little blue deadbolt image to lock and unlock. It’s not the worst, but it doesn’t really feel good for me. Unlocking/Locking: The included pin pad can be attached via 3M sticks, but because it is black plastic, which if it is in direct sunlight, it will get hot and probably will fall off whatever it is stuck to. The placement for my door puts it in direct sunlight most of the day, so I will most likely end up screwing the pin pad to the door so it will not fall off. For now, the 3M stick is holding. So far, I’ve really enjoyed using the pin pad to lock and unlock the door. It has made going in and out much simpler. If the system is armed, then the pin pad will also disarm the system when unlocked, which is a nice feature. I do wish I could also arm the system from the pin pad, but I can also do both from the SimpliSafe app instead. As I found out throughout the last week Unfortunately for me, my door is just warped enough, that I need to adjust the hinges to get the lock to close on its own. This is not a knock against the lock, though the only thing I wished was that the lock was a bit more powerful to be able to push the deadbolt in if it wasn’t perfectly aligned. I will probably play around with the calibration to see if I can get it to work a little better. Conclusion: If you have the SimpliSafe security system, then this is a great addition to making the security system a little smarter, though your experience will really depend on the door more than on the smart lock. For anyone with a SimpliSafe, I would recommend picking up this smart lock as it’s easy and works with integration into the security system. If you don’t want a smart lock that requires a whole security system to work, then I would recommend looking for something more standalone.

The SimpliSafe Smart Lock Series 2 is easy to install and easy to use, and works great with our SimpliSafe’s Home Security system. First the lock comes with easy to follow: instructions, 4 AA batteries, Mounting plate, tailpiece adapters, PIN pad, release tool, deadbolt screws and wood screws. A Philips screw driver is needed to do the job and the SimpliSafe application. When arming the SimpliSafe system the lock automatically secures the door. The lock also has an auto lock function so when we open and close the door, it will lock by itself, and this is optional it does not have to do it. One of the best features we like is how easy it is to open the door, we can unlock the door using the PIN pad, as well as using the SimpliSafe app and finally using the key that our deadbolt had in the first place. And with the SimpliSafe App we can open the door from anywhere we are, for example if visitors or guests get there before we do, then we can disarm the system and open the door remotely. And we can lock the door from far as well, so we do not have to guess if we locked the door or not. I have done it a couple of times, wonder if I locked the door or not, I do not have to guess any longer, I can check and lock the door from the app, The application is also useful since it notifies us when the door is locked or unlocked, so we know when someone got home safe. As for the installation, it is easy to do and the instructions are easy to follow and Simplisafe even has a video to watch on how to do it. We really like having the Smart Lock, we like the color that goes well with the door, the installation was easy and the application is user friendly. Just know that the lock does require the SimpliSafe Home Security System as well as a single Cylinder deadbolt.

We've been customers of SimpliSafe for over 10 years now and have always found their equipment and accessories to be among the best available. I have no idea why we didn't go for their smart locks sooner, but I wish we'd done it a LONG time ago! I do almost all of my own work and repair around the house, so this type of install isn't something I'd ever be intimidated by, but the install was even easier than I anticipated. If you can turn a screwdriver, you can install this without any issue. The instructions included in the box are very easy to follow and, if you prefer, the same steps can be followed in the SimpliSafe app and, if you run into a significant issue, allows you to get help from someone quickly. Once we made it through the install process, the lock calibrates itself by rotating a few times and then it's done. Adding the lock to our system took maybe a few minutes and we were all set. Installing the remote keypad is also very easy and I love the option of hard mounting the keypad if that's something you'd like to do. I'm going to see how well the included command strips hold up to being outside before committing to the hard mount option but I like that it's available. I also love that we were able to just keep the lock we have and not have to run out and buy things to complete the install. As far as function, I love having the ability to remotely lock and unlock our front door from anywhere. We can open the door for friends or neighbors or for package drop offs or lock up if we forgot on our way out the door. It's nice to have that peace of mind. I do have one VERY small gripe that's really just a quality-of-life issue. The included key that you have to have to open the keypad to change the batteries is very small and it would be awesome if it could be stored in the lock so that it doesn't go missing. Otherwise, I'm extremely happy with this product in every single way.