Schlage BE469 Woes

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I have 4 of these locks. 2 of them are directly within 5-10 ft from my hubitat hub, along with an aeotech range extender close-by, 2 locks are are farther away, also near aeotech range extenders. The two closest to the hubitat hub consistently stop working. I have removed them, reset them, re-added them, and put them back into my automations (via Swap Apps) and they only work for a bit. I reached out to Schlage about my issues, and this was their response:

Thank you for contacting Schlage Support. I am sorry to hear you are having issues with your lock and your Z-wave hub. The best advised we have is to exclude and include within 5ft of the hub.

However, this process still might not resolve your issue. Due to a recent update with the habitat hub, Schlage is no longer a partner for their operating system. So, your issue comes down to the compatibility of the hub you are using. We would recommend contacting Hubitat to see if they have a work around as your hub was previously paired.

I followed back up with them that they are within 5 feet of the hub, they successfully pair, but then stop working shortly thereafter. They responded with this:

Thank you for replying to Schlage Support. You are correct that our older Connect locks often could pair with the Hubitat hub. When they did an update to their hub, Schlage locks are not always operable with their system. Which is why we have removed them from our Z-wave partners and are no longer on their compatible device list. Please see the link below.

List of Compatible Devices | Hubitat Documentation

Schlage smart locks works with Voice assistants, Home automation, Security

We have also updated our locks to the new Z-wave Plus function. Our Z-wave plus firmware is known not to pair to the Hubitat hub. This is why we are referring you to Hubitat as a replacement lock will not resolve your issue.

After you have communicated with Hubitat, can you let us know their resolution? You can reply to this email or call us at 888-805-9837 referencing your case number, xxxxx, and anyone would be happy to help.

So they are now saying that their updated Z-wave Plus locks will NOT work with Hubitat. What does Hubitat have to say about this? I was hoping they would swap my locks for ones that would work. My next plan is to move everything from my primary hubitat hub (C5 with a external stick from my C4) to a C7. I have tried pairing the existing locks with the C7 and they appear to be more responsive (of course there is nothing else on that hub).

Any thoughts from Support? @bravenel @bobbyD

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Years ago we removed Schlage locks from our list of compatible devices because they just don't work for some customers. We don't know what the deal is with these. The ones we've tested always worked, but lots of customers have reported problems with them.

That's pure fabrication on their part. They never were a partner, and updates to our hub have not caused new problems with Schlage locks.

Unbelievable! This is the only "Z-Wave Plus" device that we know of that won't pair with our hub. Go figure. At least we've been outspoken for 4+ years about Schlage locks being a problem, without mincing words about it.

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I have had 3 in use for years without issue. One is the main use entry with several automations. (I know this does not help. Sorry)

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Thank you for your thoughts. Do you suspect their z-wave plus devices do work on Hubitat, but they don’t want to claim they do so they don’t have to support them? I don’t mind calling them out on it.

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Frankly I have no idea. There is a natural tendency to point the finger at the other company when something doesn't work. The very fact that Schlage support knows about Hubitat suggests you aren't the first to have contact with them about problems. In fairness, they probably have no idea either.

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There are a bunch of users using them with C-7 hubs. @672southmain and @rlithgow1 for instance.

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The combination of Schlage and Aeotec repeaters seems to be the common denominator in may reports I have seen. It is not a scientific conclusion just an empirical observation. As with any battery operated devices, they tend to pick the furthest mains powered device that is closer to the hub and not a repeater that is in proximity of the lock. With that being said, Z-Wave Plus Schlage have performed better on C-7, according to the feedback we received. Too bad their older radios cannot be updated with the latest improved firmware, that may solve the many issues we have had over the years with their locks.

My suggestion to you, if you decide to move forward with the C7, is to build a strong mesh first, with solid repeaters placed strategically, and then add the locks. Not doing so may have negative effect in the long run.

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Hi Bobby, can you share the repeater, that according to user reports, is best able to work with these locks? I have an Aeotec within 2 feet line of sight, and the lock is not reliable.

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That is the plan. Restore from backup. Re-add zwave mains and repeaters. Swap device apps for them. Then go back and add battery devices. Swap device apps for them. Re-pair zigbee and hope they fall back in line.

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Yep. I have 2 BE469ZP locks, both with Ring Extender Gen 2 Repeaters very near, with Ring Gen 2 Repeaters spread throughout the house. No Z-Wave non-plus. The mesh is made strong by all the Ring Extenders. C-7.

Now, I haven’t tried excluding and re-pairing since the recent Z-Wave radio update. Everything just works, and works well. I’m not going to break something that works.

Now, I am using Denny Page’s (@dennypage’s) Ring Extender driver because Refresh is broken in the built-in driver (or was as of several months ago, and I haven’t seen any updates to the built-in driver to fix).

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Unfortunately people don't reach out to support when things are working well.

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Well, I'll add my experience, I have tried Aeotec & Ring V2 repeaters, and still unreliable

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I tried a repeater once and didn't have good luck with it improving my network. I decided not to waste any further time with them. Instead, I just absorbed the cost of some GE/Jasco receptacles and placed them strategically to improve coverage. Over time, I kept building on this.

I'm also only speculating this 'may' be part of my success as I have two Schlage BE469Z deadbolts and have had no problem with them to date. I still even have a few non-Plus devices in my mesh but they are all line powered.

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I have 3 of the older non-plus locks, I can't remember which firmware, but it was pretty old (16.x) on 2 of them. They have been behaving themselves pretty well on C7, better than on the C5. Maybe that was a side effect of knowing more about how to build a strong mesh when I updated hubs. I did not use the protect service to migrate, I built the Z-wave mesh manually when I upgraded via a backup from the C5.

My mesh is largely Zooz and Jasco switches, and a couple Ring repeaters. I have nearly 50 Z-wave devices total, and only the 3 locks and one door sensor are not Z-wave plus. Only about 10 of my devices are battery powered (non-repeaters). About half of my devices are direct routes from the hub. The rest route through one old 2017 era Jasco dimmer, the rest through a couple Zooz 700 series dimmers.

I did just like BobbyD says above, I built the whole line powered device mesh first, then added sensors, and locks last thing. It seems to have worked out OK for the most part.

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I have one Schlage Z-wave (469) on HE, functions perfectly, always has. Purchased in 2016, three years on ST, three on HE. Has many mains repeaters nearby, but connects directly to the hub, which is nearby. Originally joined to hub with hub on Ethernet cable sitting close by. Other lock is Zigbee.

Maybe move just a couple of your locks to the C7 and see if splitting the load helps?

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Mine have worked for 2 years on a c-5 and the last few years on a c-7. The only issue that I have, and I have 3 of them, is that the batteries seem to go dead every 18 months or so but I have not called them as I am sure they have no excuse for the issue.

It is all about the mesh.

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The z-wave plus works fine... Pair next to the hub and enjoy. I have 3 of them and honestly have not ever had a misfire on them... (unless one of the kids didn't close the door all the way. Little a-holes)

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18 mos???? That's fantastic! Mine go dead about every 9 months, though they get a lot of use through automations. And they all route through the nearest repeater...

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I have a good 20 Aeotec repeaters among my 200 or so devices. I am sure that is why they work so well. The one with multi daily use I am sure that I replace more often. My main point is it is a bad lock transmission range not hubitat. A buddy of mine with a similar size location has a smartthings hub by each door that relays to hubitat for his to work. His mesh is nowhere near as robust as mine. Signal/mesh from the lock is the issue.

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Interesting. This is what I have. They seemed to do worse when I added the Ring devices, so now it’s just 3 aeotec’s spread out.