So what is the go to smart deadbolt right now? I have a Schlage Lock that’s a few years older. It seems to work most of the time but I don’t trust it as it took a few days off from working with my rules and automations Etc combined with peoples other Negative exp. Its on my 2nd garage so it’s not a every day lock. I also have a Nest/Yale lock. I love the lock but hate that it’s Google/Nest and won’t place nice with any other systems. I’m looking for whatever will have the most reliability, geofence so it locks when I leave the house, and I don’t have to plug in yet another module (like the nest lock and I believe the August locks). The regular Yale locks look appealing but was wondering what other people are using and liking?
I have Schlage zwave, and Yale zigbee. The Schlage suck. If you unpair from one hub and try to pair to another... Good luck. And, the codes on the the Schlage get messed up in lock manager.
The Yale zigbee locks work perfectly. I have the touchscreen ones. The first one I had the screen got all scratched up and the finish rubbed off after a couple of years. I turned it in under the lifetime finish warranty and they sent me a new one without a problem. I highly recommend the Yale.
I used to have Schlage locks (BE469, FE599). Now, like @signal15, I have Yale zigbee locks - one deadbolt (front door) and one lever lock (back door). Here are the ones that I purchased in February
Yale Assure Lever Touchscreen Key Free
I had to buy a zigbee module separately for the lever lock. All put together (both locks and the zigbee module), it cost me $350.
I'm currently on my third Schlage BE469, which haven't given me much trouble. The first one was replaced due to finish issues (Lifetime warranty 
), and the replacement had electronics die within ~9 months. Their support has been great about both replacements shipping new locks both times.
I did splurge recently splurge on an Alfred DB1 lock, which I am still testing. The only issue I have noted thus far is the battery life not reporting - and the batteries dying within the first week. I'll be following up with their support if the replacement batteries also exhibit the same short battery life. @april.brandt did a nice review of the DB2 lock here: My Alfred Lock Review
My recollection is that @april.brandt said that battery life was greatly improved after she added a couple z-wave+ repeaters and repaired the z-wave mesh.
Awh thanks. I've found that you need a good strong connection to the hub. I ended up adding an aeotec repeater 6 to my environment. My batteries were going dead within a week. Adding one repeater has improved this considerably. Battery life won't ever be accurate because of they are lithium, but I can say with confidence that all of my locks are talking (I have 2 Alfred DB2's keyless and one schlage BE469) and since adding the repeater, the battery life has not been an issue as they seem to have been searching hard for that signal before.
I've run into some other issues with these locks, but they are all signal related. If you're adding locks to your environment, I highly recommend adding a repeater. It's definitely solved my woes with my locks. I am now officially running 3 z-wave locks on my network and I am free of any 3rd party lock reliability application to keep them connected. The key is placement with the repeaters. You have to be able to convince the lock that the repeater is a friend. I got lucky with mine. I only had to move the repeater twice to accomplish this.
this is my schlage lock - batteries replaced 3 weeks ago
This is my front door lock - alfred
Batteries 3 weeks - battery saving mode on (bluetooth feature)
This is the other alfred, which has had an unconnected zwave module sitting in it unpaired becuase it was old firmware. Probably hated on my batteries- Batteries 3 weeks old - battery saving mode not on. Which I'm turning on right away, holy cow. This was also paired today with a new module and is hitting and taking codes like a champ
All 3 locks are hitting every time so far. I'll sit on that for a bit before I make the true call, but I'm optimistic about this.
I have two aeotec 7 repeaters now. One about 18” away from my hub and the other about 12” away from my Schlage lock in the 2nd garage. I’d like to replace the Nest lock and then add two more locks to the most commonly used deadbolts in the house. The Schlage can stay in the garage assuming it works. Ideally I’d replace it and it’s friend In the garage as well (another Schlage but the key pad is dead and I havent done anything about it yet) but buying 5 locks is a small fortune.
I like the look of the Alfreds but wasn’t sure how reliable they are compared to the Yale units. My Nest Yale lock is awesome and my only complaints are with google as the lock will not geofence and google support is not helpful (they say it’s a issue with my phone meanwhile my nest cameras turn on when I leave but my lock won’t lock but this is a story for another day)
I think you would be happy with the Alfred as there are a lot of nice features that come with it, but keep in mind that there are obstacles with using a zwave lock. I've managed to make mine work without a 3rd party application, but I recommend you know what you're up against if you choose a zwave lock and understand that you will more likely need to troubleshoot for placement of repeaters if you go the zwave route. You will need well placed repeaters and a bit of patience. I would explain, but I'd need an easel and flipcharts. 
As of today, I have 2 alfreds and one schlage be469 and they are all hitting spot on with repeater well placed. I am very pleased with the performance and features of my locks. They all work with lock code manager as well.
I personally really like the Look and Touch controls for the Schlages. Like others I had issues keeping them happy on HE, but after installing Aeotech range extenders, they have been good as @april.brandt talks about.
On thing to note though - is at least some models- are horrible about battery reporting. About every 6 months or so my door stops working, and I realize that 80% for 4 months straight actually means it's close to dying.
Others (you'd need to search), I believe are having more success with their newest Zigbee lock, which assuming those results are real, is what I would do now if I was starting from scratch or had a 3rd door I cared about.
I would think having four zwave switches within six inches of the lock would be sufficient. All of my zwave devices (largely GE Switches/Outlets and Inovelli switches/bulbs) are within about 10' of each other.
This might be more of a @bcopeland question, but what are the repeaters doing differently than hardwired devices? I'm not opposed to adding repeaters, but that does delay adding some 4-in-1 sensors.
I've got two zwave switches right next to each lock and they do nothing for the locks. So, I wondered about that too. What the repeaters do, essentially, is hold the commands and delivers them. I will refer you to this post that puts everything into perspective. The Aeotec 6 supports beaming and this is why they work so well for locks.
Depends on the “hardwired device” .. If the device is up to date and supports beaming etc, then not much.. But a lot of pre-700 series devices don’t support beaming...
700 series mains devices it is a required feature so this will become less of a thing in the future... Which is probably why I am seeing 700 series battery powered sensors coming out LSS (FLiRS) like locks..
A few aeotec gen 7 repeaters would do wonders to any mesh (700 series repeaters)
These threads often have a tendency to devolve to " security shaming" people who don't buy NSA-Fort Knox-Pentagon HD-Super double secret-MI5 grade locks...but I will say I've been absolutely thrilled with my Kiwkset 914s. And more importantly, so have my family. My wife, who thought at first it was eyeroll-inducing that I was changing out our locks, pretty much immediately changed her tune and now can't imagine not having them.
Rather than offer a strong recommendation for a particular BRAND, though, I want to throw this out there in case you haven't thought about it:
I went with the 914:
over the 916:
for a reason that I think bears mentioning: First of all, I prefer the look of the 916 (that I didn't buy) somewhat. It looks more futuristic, and when it's not in use, the keypad is just black and sleek. The numbers appear when you touch it. Very cool. But that lack of buttons is not, in my opinion, for something you use as crucially and as often as a lock, a very ergonomic choice. Think about how you may use a lock...groceries in your hands, bag of food in one hand, a drink in the other...the flush glossy keypad isn't going to be your best friend. Or even just coming home beat after a long day. --A vertical keypad that requires perfect aim on multiple axes around waist high forces you to touch it in just such an unnatural way.
In contrast, the backlit bumpy rubbery buttons of the 914 allow you to rest your fingers on top of the lock and quickly input your code with your thumb. Stable, steady, sure homing when you select your button, a positive click to push it in. --It's satisfying and just makes good sense in the same way people prefer physical buttons on remotes and physical knobs and buttons and controls in cars over sleeker, cooler touchscreen ones.
Again, I'm sure there are those who think I'm sentencing my family to death by buying Kwikset locks, and on that we can agree to disagree. I will say they have been a pleasure--rock solid, no battery issues, very enjoyable to use. But whatever brand you buy, if there is a choice between physical buttons and touch panels, I would give serious consideration to the button ones.
My own research also showed me that by and large, people seem to be far less satisfied with the 916s in general, for reasons that the 914 is immune to. And I think it's fair to say the owner satisfaction stemming from pleasurable everyday use weighs into how favorably they are reviewed online.
Good luck!
Unless @Eric_Inovelli was kind enough to add that functionality - it looks like I'll be monitoring the Gen 7 stock to beef things up some. The batteries make it about a week, which isn't going to win me any point if someone ends up locked out 
I'm a bit lost, what functionality am I adding lol?
Beaming support
I own multiple 914 and multiple 916. If kwikset would let me exchange the 916s for 914s I would in a heartbeat.
The 914 might not be as flashy, but the buttons work 100.0000% of the time with no fuss. I can't say that for the 916.
Exactly. Thanks for the validation on that. And yesterday, after I wrote this, I noticed a thing I do when I'm leaving the house: I close the door, and without even looking, I reach up, rest my fingers on top of the lock housing, and push the lock button with my thumb as I'm stepping away. I never look down, never even fully stop walking. My arm does it, and there's no fumbling or needing to know where the lock button is. I'd probably miss that more than anything if I switched. Buttons, buttons, buttons.
According to their zwave documentation the Inovelli devices do support beaming? This is from the Red Series Dimmer. Not sure if it is different across the line.
