Scored on 130 verified owner verdicts, from 1,223 comments read across 5 communities
TL;DR
Owners overwhelmingly love the Schlage Encode Plus for its Apple Home Key tap-to-unlock, solid build, and long battery life, with many calling it the most reliable smart lock they've owned. The main frustrations are connectivity drops where the lock goes unreachable remotely and the fact that it performs best inside a robust Apple or Thread setup. A finicky tap range and high price round out the complaints, but most owners say they wouldn't go back.
75% of 130 verified owners recommend the Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt, based on real owner verdicts aggregated from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
1,223 comments reviewed · scored on the 130 clearest verdicts
75%
Recommend
97 owners
7%
Neutral
9 owners
18%
Don't recommend
24 owners
Last 6 months:60% recommend(15 recent verdicts)↓ trending down 16pts vs older reviews
Source
Breakdown
Score
N
Counted in the score
Reddit
75%
125
Other forums
50%
4
Independent blogsiIndependent blogs with no affiliate links or paid relationship — we checked every one.no affiliate links
100%
1
Reviewed, but not counted — and why
YouTubeiOrdinary owner comments (not the reviewer), but here they sit too far from the owner consensus on Reddit and forums — channel comment sections can skew heavily positive or negative by trend — so they're shown for perspective and kept out of the score.owner comments
19%
42
Affiliate blogsiThese blogs earn a commission when you buy. Across our data they rate products ~35 points more positively than actual owners — shown for transparency, never counted in the score.paid commission
100%
1
No clear verdictiGood-to-know notes — setup, tips, and things to watch for. We use them for the pros, cons, and who it's for, but they don't reflect a definitive opinion on the product, so they're never counted in the score. See the 'Good to know' section below the quotes.Setup, tips & quirks
—
8
Affiliate blogs here say 100% recommend, while the owner-based score is 75%. They earn a commission on every sale — so we show them for transparency but never let them move the score.
The headline score reflects owners (Reddit, enthusiast forums), independent lab tests, blogs with no affiliate links, and YouTube owner-comments when they line up with owners. YouTube and Affiliate blogs are shown for perspective but kept out here — hover the i for why.
What owners like
Rock-solid and reliable, it just works · 18 · 14%
Apple Home Key tap-to-unlock with iPhone or Apple Watch · 14 · 11%
Long battery life, often many months between changes · 12 · 9%
Fast, quiet, and responsive operation · 7 · 5%
Physical key and keypad backups included · 4 · 3%
What owners flag
Goes offline or shows no response, can't control it remotely · 8 · 6%
Works best only with a strong Thread network or Apple hub nearby · 5 · 4%
Drops sometimes need a router restart, factory reset, or re-pairing · 5 · 4%
Tap-to-unlock range is finicky, device must be held very close · 4 · 3%
Expensive for a smart lock · 4 · 3%
Who it's for
A great fit if
Apple users wanting HomeKey tap-to-unlock
Homes with existing Thread or smart-home infrastructure
Buyers wanting reliability with a physical-key backup
Those replacing less-dependable smart locks
Look elsewhere if
Buyers without Thread devices for good coverage
Shoppers unwilling to pay a premium price
Those needing flawless remote access from away
Synthesized from what Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt owners say — not a spec sheet.
Retailers' own star averages, for comparison — separate from our vetted owner-verdict score above.
Top quotes, sourced
1,223 reviewed · 173 shown
Sentiment
Community
Sort
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“This is crap you all need to record the WiFi setup”
YouTube— neutral
“Schlage has addressed the Battery life, and it has improved greatly and lasts around the advertised time frame”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I have the Schlage Encode Plus HomeKey lock. HomeKey fucking rocks. I love having my house key in wallet. It is so unbelievably slick.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“Replaced our August Smart Lock Pro with a Schlage Encode Plus. It’s been rock solid for about 6 months now. Works quickly. Supports Homekey.”
YouTube— neutral
“I’ve lived for over a year now without a smart lock and admittedly, I really miss it”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Biggest complain about this lock is the keypad does not light up enough to see the numbers well”
YouTube— neutral
“This is one of the best smart locks in the market but it's probably one of the worst and least user friendly app that I have ever seen!”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Very unreliable. Schlage sent a new lock and still happening.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I just installed a Schlage Encode Plus door lock which uses thread to communicate with my Apple TV. It was a bit too far away so I added a Wemo thread smart plug in between the two and it instantly started acting as a repeater.”
YouTube▲ recommend
“Very convenient and still secure as if the watch was taken off your wrist, it would need the passcode.”
YouTube— neutral
“I had to delete the lock from the Schlage home app and reconfigure it after only a week as it would not see my wifi suddenly”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“My biggest concern is the absence of a door sense that will tell you if the door is closed or ajar”
YouTube— neutral
“I moved to a home that has a Schlage encoder deadbolt which is very nice. Only thing we are worried about is if there is a key copy floating around somewhere.”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“the keypad would not light up but it would try and operate only to give a lock jammed error.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I ended up replacing the handle sets with Schlage Encode Plus on both doors and the reliability has been perfect. They setup without issue and they work 100% of the time.”
Reddit— neutral
“even with those drawbacks, it is SIGNIFICANTLY faster getting into my home compared to the August.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“We bought the Schlage Encode Plus it has been solid so far. We rekeyed the front door to match the smart lock and only have one key for both locks”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“I have one of the Schlage Encode Plus deadbolts but it is going back to Lowes. I just think the whole smart lock category is too much of a mess for me to spend $350.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“I removed them and replaced with the Schlage Encode Plus - this is the best smart lock I’ve used since I first installed one in 2016. It’s fast, reliable, uses thread, and it’s HomeKey feature just works.”
YouTube— neutral
“very satisfied... except”
YouTube▼ don’t recommend
“Have used Schlage Encodes for 5 years. SUPER thirsty on the AA batteries.”
Reddit— neutral
“The Schlages have been fairly stable once I built out my thread network to give them adequate coverage. One has developed a problem where it just goes dead.”
Reddit▲ recommend
“Encode Plus is hands down the best I’ve owned and it’s not even close. HomeKey is really a game changer”
Reddit▼ don’t recommend
“My Schlage Encode Plus decided to prompt itself to be re-added 2 days after it was first added, and despite hitting cancel, it then broke HomeKey and I had to set up the lock again.”
Practical notes owners raise — setup, quirks, and issues to watch for. They don't say whether the person likes the product, so they're not counted in the score, but they inform the pros, cons, and who it's for.
Redditⓘ good to know
“I'd say the batteries last around 3 months so not awful. You can set it up so you get notifications on your phone wherever you are, it tells you what coffee unlocked it and when.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“The dirty secret about the Schlage Encode Plus is if you don’t have a lot of Thread devices with router capability, you’ll get dodgy performance unless it is located very close to your border router (hub).”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I have a Schlage Encode Plus and I use to experience the same issue every few days it will go offline, what worked for me I restarted my router.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“one of my four schlage encode plus locks has stopped responding and required taking the batteries out and putting back in to start working again”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I am a couple months shy of a year and my battery is at 49% that has been Thread connection.”
Redditⓘ good to know
“I run Schlage encode plus locks with energizer lithium disposable batteries and they last 6+ months. The only issue I have is occasionally it will drain one battery instead of all equally.”
