Recently at ShowStoppers in NYC, Gadgetell got a chance to talk to Schlage. What was Schlage, a lock company, doing at an electronics trade show? They were showing off their “Schlage LiNK” locks and deadbolts. The locks bring something new to the table — web connectivity.
Personally, I have been locked out of my house more times than I care to remember. If you have this lock installed, you can use your phone to connect to the web and unlock the door through a web interface. Don’t worry, the lock can still be unlocked by a standard key or if you use the lock’s number pad with a code.
Different codes for different folks
A web interface may seem like overkill for something like a lock. However, the Schalge LiNK will allow you to have the lock respond to different codes at different times of the day. You can give out these codes to service folks while keeping your door locked to the general public. If you’re the paranoid type, you can even track when the door was locked or unlocked.
The catch
The catch is the service is not free. You pay $199 or $299 for the lock or a kit and then you must pay an additional $12.99 per month for the web service. I asked the rep if Schlage had a free local web interface, like if you wanted to run a home server that you could connect to only if you hooked into your home network. Unfortunately, the Schlage does not offer that kind of free solution.
This is an interesting marriage of old technology and new technology. I wonder when my armchair will be connected to the Internet with a stat tracker for fantasy football.
Product [Schlage LiNK]
The lock works great, and you do *NOT* need to buy the Schlage bridge or pay the Schlage monthly service. Vera, from Mi Casa Verde, fully supports the Schlage locks, uses the same level of security, also supports remote access from web and cell phone, does everything the Schlage bridge does and MUCH MORE (see: http://wiki.micasaverde.com/index.php/Side_By_Side_Comparison). And there is *NO* mandatory subscription fee. Through 3/31/09 Mi Casa Verde is giving everyone who buys Vera + the Schlage LiNK a lifetime subscription to their online hosted services as well, which is normally $199. You save $100 by buying the Schlage lock without their bridge, plus $150/year by not using their subscription, and $199 from Mi Casa Verde. See: http://micasaverde.com/schlage_promo.php This makes it more affordable, and you get a real, full-featured home control system that supports all Z-Wave devices and does energy monitoring too.