Yale vs Schlage Smart Lock: Expert Analysis
If you’re concerned about home safety, then installing the best smart locks is a must as they provide a top-notch degree of protection for your home. And Yale and Schlage are the best in this field, considering the brands’ reputation as the leaders in the related industry. Especially when it comes to smart locks. Although it could be hard to compare Yale vs Schlage smart lock devices between each other when you’re doing it by yourself.
Primarily this situation happens because both brands have a wide variety of locks available and all of them have lots of parameters to take into consideration whenever you’re picking the best-suited smart lock for specific needs, wants and budget limitations. That’s when a comparative analysis of Yale and Schlage smart lock devices will surely come in handy to make the properly weighted decision.
Comparative Analysis: Yale vs Schlage Smart Lock
Overall comparison of the two brands is the first step in choosing your own preferred manufacturer and then picking a suitable device from the assortment. And it will positively help you in picking the smart lock whenever you need one. Although it’s advisable to avoid choosing different brands to perform similar tasks if you want to create a full-fledged smart home with compatibility between its parts.
Brands
Schlage is a world-renowned company that was established way back in 1920 in San Francisco, USA, by Walter Schlage. And as its founder was a genius inventor, he obtained a variety of patents, including the invention of an electric door handle and drilled cylinder lock. Nowadays, after more than a century in the industry, Schlage is a large renown brand that sells various lock systems, including smart locks, as well as a wide assortment of matching parts for maintenance and repairs.
Yale was established a lot earlier, in 1840, in Stamford, USA, by Henry. R. Towne and Linus Yale Jr., and the latter invented a tumbler lock mechanism. From the beginning of the 20th century and up to the modern day, this brand acquired or made joint ventures with a lot of world-wide companies in the niche, becoming a world-famous lock manufacturer.
Design
Design-wise, Schlage produces their smart locks with a minimalistic style, preferring two-part devices (touch screen or keypad and keyhole). All of them are made in rectangular shapes that come in a big range of styles, including designs from bronze and chrome to nickel and black. On the other hand, Yale, while exploiting similar geometry patterns in their smart locks, come in brass, bronze and nickel finishers. Therefore, there you can literally pick whatever suits you best, depending on other parameters.
Installation and User Interface
In terms of user-friendliness of smart lock setup and useability, Schlage utilizes a transparent setup model – set up a PIN, activate it with the said PIN, press the button below the ‘Dial’ on the panel and you’re finished. Then, you’ll see the password you’re typing on the screen and will be able to edit it in case of errors in typing. On top of it, you can open your door even if you don’t have a handle (though you’d better still have one) a handle – opening the Schlage lock will open it for you this instant as you press the ‘Dial’.
Yale locks, on the other hand, won’t let you see the pass you’re typing, although devices from this brand have a similar setup procedure. Only with the “Checkmark” option on the panel instead of a separate button – and that’s all the difference in the setup procedure. Sadly, you’ll need to have a door handle installed to open it, or you won’t have something to turn and open – almost no Yale locks have no auto-opening mechanism.
Speaking about the longevity of the devices, Schlage can work up to 6 months on a single battery. In turn, Yale devices have a 12-month lifespan. But, just like with any other devices, average longevity highly depends on the usage of the locking system and its additional functionality like backlights, auto-locker, auto-opener and Wi-Fi or Bluetooth modules.
Product variety and security
If you look at the available assortment of smart lock models, you’ll notice that Schlage focuses on variety and offers a whole lot of devices in various configurations and sets, from simple and sturdy to top-notch ones. Also, this brand has a whole lot of accessories, hardware additions and spare parts for them.
- Latches, knobs, levers and handles, including customizable and space-specific models – pick whatever you want that will fit in your home’s design.
- Smart and electronic locks with varying functionality and a vast range of security features from touch- and keyboard-controlled devices and up to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth systems.
- Hardware parts and accessories for repair routines to get the best out of locks and smart lock devices.
Yale, on the other hand, sacrifices variability in exchange for providing complete systems for improving door functionality:
- Access control systems and door closers, including hardware compatible with Yale Accentra to provide mobile-friendly remote control to home security doors.
- Safety doors hardware for ones who need a safe and secure emergency exit in their home or business.
- Various locks, including smart lock systems compatible with Yale Accentra.
Sad, but true – while Yale provides better security options as a brand, its assortment lacks complete and independent smart locks that can work without the support of the other products from the same brand. On the other hand, Schlage offers smart locks with full-fledged functionality without the need of buying additional hardware.
Price range
Cost-wise, the price of devices from both brands is inside the similar range from $50 to $60. It highly depends on a variety of factors, including the specific model and its functionality as well as the country and the retailer.
User Reviews and Feedback: Yale and Schlage Smart Lock
In terms of making the right choice when picking the best product, no matter which one, including smart locks, there’s no better thing than to at least read through reviews from actual users. Especially when it comes to specific devices from the brand you prefer – sometimes it can even change your own opinion.
Shriram Jessy
Surprisingly, there were a couple of issues with Schlage Encode Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt, but nothing too major to decide on another model.
Onboard wi-fi is handy – most other models, even from other brands, need a separate module. But it adds some to the battery drain And manual literally forgets to mention it has a wi-fi installed, so call support for help with the whole setup process.
The only seriously bad part of Encode is its size – you might need some adjustments to install it after a manual lock. And if your door is not perfectly placed (and I bet it isn’t), the deadbolt will scratch the door after auto-opening.
Arabella Lee
Schlage BE469ZP CAM 619 Connect is not my first Schlage lock, and personally I think the brand is the best. User-friendly, easy-to-install (just use a screwdriver to put it in place if your door is already prepared) and comes with a great app for door control and monitoring. And couples with Alexa just fine, alarm system included. And though it needs a smart bridge to work with smart home devices, it’s still great.
Enrique Wilson
Purchased Schlage FE575 CAM 619 ACC after a bunch of reviews and it was right on the mark. Reliable like a grandpa’s old rifle and just as easy to set up. Think it’ll work for decades and will be useful even when I’m old enough to be called a grandpa myself. Though I think I’ll need to remember to press the ‘Schlage’ button to turn on the keypad backlighting to make the numbers easy to read.
Though, its battery should be replaced once in a couple of years, and you’ll need to take off the lock to do the job. So it’s not too much of a major con if you need a simple and reliable smart lock for your house.
Alyssa Thompson
Picked the Yale Security Assure Lock 2 as my first ever smart lock, given its mobile-friendly device with key, code and fingerprint access modes. Yale Access is great for monitoring guests with their own separate PIN and it really records who and when opened the lock.
For another point into account of this one I think its deadbolt is one of the strongest I’ve ever seen, though you need a near-perfect door alignment to prevent it from scratching the door.
And I needed to call a support in the end, because installation is kind a complicated and not too obvious for a newbie in smart locks.
Caleb Harris
Got myself a pretty nice Google Nest x Yale Lock combo to start a smart home with it. Easily installable lock with an easy setup and easy Google Home connection with door control even without the Yale app.
Also, you can set up a number of codes for different people to log who opened the door and when. This thing also works as a kind of backup if you forgot the main PIN. The main con of the system is that the auto lock delay has only too short 10 seconds or too long 60 seconds.
Jorge Bailey
Yale Assure Lock is a great newbie-friendly device for smart home starters – it’s easy to install and can work with literally all assistant hubs via Wifi or Bluetooth. The best thing is that auto-lock locks the door as soon as you’re out of the lock range. Of course, it unlocks it as soon as you’re back.
Could seem not too secure if someone steals and hacks your phone when you’re out, but actually highly secure if you tend to forget about locking the door. The app will even notify you. But there’s a delay between entering the Bluetooth range and door unlocking.
Expert Opinions
From an expert standpoint, both Yale and Schlage smart lock brands have a high reputation in the field and provide a high degree of security with a variety of locking and logging options. Their devices are highly versatile and can work both with or without smartphones in the ecosystem.
Deadbolts and locking systems are good in both cases, security level is high, especially when you’ve set everything up properly and configured emergency response settings. Although, smart locks from both brands can have some compatibility issues with assistant hubs during the initial setup process.
Making the Right Choice for Your Home: Schlage Smart Lock or Yale?
Finalizing your decision-making, you should pick only those things and devices that suit your needs, wants and budget. That’s why you need a short guide about things you must consider after a thorough research on the matter:
- Security. Smart lock devices from both brands, that are specializing in protected door-locking solutions, Yale and Schlage, come in a variety of models with differing levels of protection. So it’s your pick – thoroughly take into consideration what level of protection you actually need, in what situations you could possibly find yourself at home when you could need additional measures to keep your home and yourself safe.
- Smart Home compatibility. Essentially, all smart locking devices from both brands are highly compatible with hubs like Nest, Alexa and the like. The only thing that is actually worth thinking about when picking a smart lock is how easy it’ll be for you to set up a connection and integrate it into your smart ecosystem.
- Functionality. Taking into consideration that it’s you who’ll be accessing your home protected with the picked lock, you need to decide what you need from the smart locking device. There are a lot of devices, differing in functionality – from simple keypad locks with no auto-lockers to complicated Wi-Fi connected systems with Bluetooth connectivity functions and lock-unlock logging – both brands have a lot to offer.
- Accessories. Yale has less accessories available but has a wide assortment of support systems for locks and doors. In turn, Schlage has a very wide variety of accessories and hardware parts for smart locking systems to offer.
- Budget. Price-wise, both brands are in the same league around $50-60, so it’s your choice on that matter.
All things considered, pick Schlage Encode or Yale Security Assure Lock 2 if you want a top-notch hi-tech device with versatility, extensive functionality, secure deadbolt locking and high compatibility with smart home apps. If you need something simple and sturdy with minimum additional functionality but maximum reliability, then choose the oldschool Yale Assure Lock model or Schlage FE575 CAM 619 ACC.
Conclusion
The safety of your home is a vital part of everyday life that everyone must take care about, and with maximizing its priority by any means. Sweet home is a sweet home, after all, especially when it’s smart. That’s why the best smart lock systems from the two most-renowned manufacturers in the industry – Yale and Schlage, will surely come in handy. And both of them have a lot to offer for anyone, no matter the preferences, wants, needs and budget.
Therefore, it’s literally your own choice to make when you think about which one to pick. Because all of them come with their own pros and cons. And you’ll be able to find whatever you want in the assortment, whether it’s a top-notch top of the line hi-tech system with high level of security that’ll neatly fit into your smart home ecosystem, or a simple and reliable sturdy smart lock that’ll surely keep your sweet home safe and protected.