18% of 130 verified Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadboltowners don't recommend it, and 1 describe specific problems — based on real owner comments from Reddit, enthusiast forums, and YouTube.
For balance: 75% recommend it. This page collects the complaints so you know what you're signing up for — read the full owner report for both sides. How we score
“This is crap you all need to record the WiFi setup”— @dnldnl4880 on YouTube
“Biggest complain about this lock is the keypad does not light up enough to see the numbers well”— @wildcard157 on YouTube
“Very unreliable. Schlage sent a new lock and still happening.”— @susanneminogue3127 on YouTube
“My biggest concern is the absence of a door sense that will tell you if the door is closed or ajar”— @saugustineosabi on YouTube
“the keypad would not light up but it would try and operate only to give a lock jammed error.”— @iwrin on YouTube
“Have used Schlage Encodes for 5 years. SUPER thirsty on the AA batteries.”— @32Regular on YouTube
“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.”— willdeliver4money on Reddit
“Then I started getting severe battery drain on my Schlage Encode Plus, and the lock dying without even giving a low battery warning.”— xzapx on Reddit
“However as soon as I leave the house for any length of time I see a No Response and can't control them remotely. It's really frustrating.”— hatchcrab on Reddit
“It is already close to $80 more than the previous version, so If I want it I have to now buy an $80 homepod to be able to lock/unlock quickly”— @Nikolee on YouTube
“This past week, the deadbolt lost connection to wifi and, after troubleshooting, the only thing that I could do to get it working again was a factory reset.”— tippytoe_ on Reddit
“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.”— flimflamflemflum on Reddit
Not complaints — practical notes from owners that didn't affect the score.
“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.”— jhev1 on Reddit
“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).”— lex_hair on Reddit
“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.”— peligon2 on Reddit
“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”— Atmp on Reddit
“I am a couple months shy of a year and my battery is at 49% that has been Thread connection.”— skithegreat on Reddit
“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.”— TheLegendofSpeedy on Reddit
“4 AA Duracell batteries lasted me 4 months”— Thajandro on Reddit