Very nice!
I have 3 of these and at first they gave me fits. I moved over from Wink where they worked flawlessly. Here are some tips that I have found to stabilize their operation:
- Pairing...
a. The hub has to be very close (4-5 feet) from the lock.
b. It needs "brand new" batteries to pair. - Operation...
a. It needs good batteries, weak ones cause intermittent disconnects (>60%). Use battery monitor to alert when they fall below a certain value.
b. It needs a Z-Wave (always-on) repeater within 5-8 feet of EACH lock within good range to the hub.
c. If you have a rule that includes the BE469 it should include delays between commands or even better a separate rule to handle it. Firing off too many commands causes it to "miss" things.
d. The latest firmware has definitely helped. - Lock Code Manager...
a. If you intend to use Lock Code Manager, You will need to reset the lock back to factory and start over with NO codes in the lock. This includes deleting the 2 - 4 digit codes that came from the factory. You will need the factory programming code.
b. Reset to factory, delete the 2 factory codes, set code length, use Lock Code Manager to set the new codes from the start and ALWAYS maintain the codes through Lock Code Manager. If you maintain them elsewhere, Lock Code Manager for some reason may work on a couple of codes but the ones that get changed elsewhere will hang on programming.
Once you get the locks "world" set and stabile it should improve the reliability. Once I fumbled through it, mine are finally working good.
I hope that this helps...
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Thanks for all the tips. I bought two of the aeotech range extenders and so far, it still hasn't helped. The HE is about 30 ft away from the BE469 in almost a direct line of sight only blocked because the HE is inside of a cabinet. I put one of the extenders right outside the cabinet and the other about 5 ft from the BE469. Pretty much every time I manually open the lock to go outside, the HE logs only show the manual unlocking, but not the manual locking. I usually spend a couple minutes outside to let the dog out so it's not as though I'm rapidly cycling the lock. The only want to get the lock to communicate again with HE is to disconnect the batteries temporarily. Then it immediately reconnects.
I'm on the latest HE firmware, fresh batteries, and aeotech extenders. I'm sort of at my wits end. Is there any way to update the firmware of the lock itself? Is there any way to look deeper at the logs to see where things are crashing for the lock?
Just to verify, after adding the range extenders did you run a zwave repair?
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Yes I did. I know that the lock doesn't even participate in the repair but the extenders do.
Three things to try.
-
Give 2-3 days after you installed the extenders and performed the zwave repairs for your mesh to settle down, they should wake up occasionally and communication should improve.
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Install this app [Release] Reliable Locks and set your lock(s) to be polled every 5-10 minutes, you can see in the logs if the polling is communicating, as it will tell you the lock status (locked/unlocked) and battery %.
- If still no improvement do this last. Now that you have your Aeotecs included in your mesh. Exclude the lock(s) from your zwave network, and re-include them. This will force the lock to pair to your zwave network through the range extenders, instead of being rerouted now after you've added them.
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Just as another data point:
a. I paired all 3 of mine in place. The closest one is probably 20 feet away, the furthest closer to 50 feet away from the hub.
b. I don't know about new batteries, but known good ones are a must. I used what was in there when I switched hubs, and they weren't new. I also use rechargeables, which aren't quite as high a voltage as alkalines, and they work fine.
a. Similar to above, the locks get flaky in general with low batteries. I know when it misses lock events from the keypad to charge the batteries immediately.
b. Mine paired and worked just fine with probably 4-5 Z-wave switches in the vicinity. Again, they weren't particularly close to the hub. Admittedly, the battery life sucked a bit, about a month on a charge. Battery life appears to be much better with the Iris V2 plug/repeaters close by. I have only had them about a week, so time will tell here.
c. Delays are essential, I have locked up the hub many times by attempting to lock the locks too soon in a row, or worse yet simultaneously.
d. If by firmware you mean driver, yes it made a big difference.
Thanks, by firmware of the lock, I meant the firmware of the lock itself, not the HE driver for it or the HE firmware.
I'm also trying reliable locks now.
Thanks again. I wish it wasn't this hard. But if I can get this lock thing to be stable, it'll be awesome. Does the reliable locks app pass code usage too? For example if I want to have a rule that notifies me when codes are used, do I use the virtual lock as the trigger or the real lock device?
I don't use reliable locks app. I don't know if it is even needed. Maybe I just got some good locks? I use just the standard Schlage driver, and Lock Code Manager. I didn't even use LCM for a couple months after adding the locks, I just used the codes in there from the previous hub. I didn't do a factory reset or anything. Just excluded from Wink, and included into Hubitat.
No, it's strictly for polling/waking up the lock Once you set your device codes through the device page or Lock Code Manager native app (NOT the lock itself) then you should be able to write any rule that you can select the user code as a trigger.
I think months back I contacted Shlage and they stated the firmware isn't updatable (I could be wrong but I think that is what they told me)
We feel you pain, many of us dealt with this issue literally for MONTHS, and improvements (dedicated drivers) and learning of the Aeotecs have made significant progress.
On a side note, I have 5 aeotecs (but one of my 3 locks is outside on a metal building), many others have 3-4, I started one at a time until all issues went away.....again wait a few days before trying to add more as it may settle down.
I give up. I'm going to figure out how to put the lock back on Wink 2 and link the Wink to HE. It stops responding to the HE after only a few hours at times. Very disappointed.
I scrolled all the way to the bottom to read about the solution to this problem as I'm having same issued with my BE469 and just got done installing 2 Aeotec repeaters but seeing you giving up is bringing tear to my eyes 
I came from ST and this lock performed solid for years on that platform. If its Mesh or signal strength issue, you'd figure the repeaters would have addressed it?
What else can it be? I've tried both Generic and Schlage drivers. Tried moving HE closer. Installed reliable locks app. Frensh batteries. reset/exclude and paired half dozen times. Thoughts?
@mike.maxwell @bobbyD do you have any other suggestions for us to try with these stupid locks, please? I know they are a thorn in your side as much as they are ours. And I know you guys have spent loads of time on them, including making a specific driver. I am super appreciative of all you have done. Yet for some of us the issues persist. I have 5 Aeotec repeaters in a 1,600 sq/ft home with only 3 locks and Iām having much of the same issues as above.
Iām likely going to get another C5 hub in the next few days to see if that will help, but maybe you have some suggestions for us first? For better or worse these locks were something a lot of us home automation newbie enthusiasts purchased over the last 4 years and their flaky-ness is impactful. 
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I don't get how some of you are having issues. I brought all 3 of my locks from Wink, I simply removed them in the Wink app, and paired them in place with Hubitat. No funny business about resetting them, moving the hub to the lock, or anything of the sort. It worked fine with the generic and later with the specific driver. Up until pretty recently I didn't even have a repeater in the system at all. I only had a Z-wave switch in the general area of the lock (between 5 and 20 feet away), and about 10 powered Z-wave switches in the whole system. (remember battery devices don't repeat, only powered ones) I now have probably closer to 20 powered and/or repeaters among the 50 or so Z-wave devices now.
It is hard to pin this on Hubitat because I use rechargeable batteries, but the only complaint I have is short battery life. I only get about 2 months from them, but being rechargeable the voltage and discharge curve is significantly different on a NiMh than an alkaline battery. When the batteries get low, the locks are flaky and do what all of you are describing here.
My hypothesis is that only certain firmware versions of the Schlage locks are impacted by this issue in combination with Hubitat.
What firmware are your locks?
The older firmware versions, v7.1 and lower, tend to have the most issues from what people have posted over the last few years in this message board.
Schlage confirmed that firmware is not updatable.
Wink and Smart Things figured out how to deal with all versions of the Schlage firmware.
My locks all have different firmware:
- MAIN 8.0 (virtually zero issues)
- MAIN 7.1 (the most issues - falls off most frequently and hardest to get back on the network)
- 0.8.0 (moderate issues)
I am not sure what firmware I have, I haven't pulled the lock to check. My oldest two locks were from Prime day 2017, and my newer one is from Prime day 2018. From memory, I think they are one of the 0.X.X versions and not the newer ones.
The last three times that I have updated my hub, one or both of my BE469s have been corrupted. Maybe more than that. They start sucking down the batteries and quit reacting to the apps I have associated. This has got to be somehing to do with the updates. I wind up having to remove the affected lock(s) from the network, then reset the lock to defaults and then rejoin the lock. It is aggravating because I have to either remove my lock and take to the hub or vice/versa.
Also, on the the firmwares, one is relatively new 0.8.0 and the other lock is main_6.8
Updates wouldn't be the cause, likely your locks are taking a different route after the reboot with a Zwave device that doesn't support beaming or doesn't work too well with the Schlage locks. My BE469 locks have never dropped from updates.
Looking to make the jump from ST, but need to find out the current status for a BE469 lock.
Are the issues in this thread still ongoing?
