This weekend, I installed a new Schlage touchpad motorized Z Wave deadbolt onto my front door.  Read on for details!

This weekend, I installed a new Schlage touchpad motorized Z Wave deadbolt onto my front door.  A few weeks back, I installed a Nexia Z Wave system and a manual deadbolt, and was pleased enough with the results to upgrade the lockset on the front door.  We wanted the ability to control who has access to the house, to track when people came and went, and to be able to remotely unlock the door using mobile devices when we have contractors and babysitters entering the home.  Key considerations for the product that we wanted to use were:

• Top-grade security.  This is the lock on the front door of the house, so no compromises on quality were acceptable.
• Aesthetics that blended with the pre-existing door.  We had to replace the entire front door assembly several years back and we wanted to make sure that any lockset that we installed on it looked consistent with what was already there.
• Motorized bolt assembly so the door could be remotely unlocked.
• Z Wave compatible and supported by Nexia.

We found the Schlage BE469NXCAM716 Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt with Nexia Home Intelligence and Alarm, Aged Bronze (Z-Wave) on Amazon for $206.60 and decided to install it.  Here is how Schlage describes this lock:

• ANSI Grade 1 Highest Residential Security
• Durable Resistive Touchscreen with matte finish to protect against fingerprints and smudges
• Anti-pick shield protects against lock tampering
• Strong motorized bolt automatically locks and unlocks when a user code is entered
• Built-in Alarm Technology senses movement of the door and alerts homeowners with an audible alert
• Select between three alerts- activity, tamper or forced entry alert- and customized to meet fit your security needs
• With Nexia™ Home Intelligence, lock or unlock your door from anywhere with your cell phone
• With Nexia™ Home Intelligence, schedule lock codes to be active only on certain days at specific times
• With Nexia™ Home Intelligence, receive text alerts when an alarm triggers or when specific codes are entered at the lock
• Holds up to 30 user codes
• Easy installation with just a screwdriver- no wiring required

This looked like a perfect fit.  At this point, I heard from the PR firm representing Schlage and they offered to provide a free unit for review purposes, so they mailed one out and I installed it this weekend.  How did it go?  Let’s see.

Hardware Installation

Installing the Schlage Touchscreen Deaddbolt With Alarm was an easy process as I was replacing a similar grade Schlage lock in a pre-existing door.

First, remove the old lockset and bolt assembly from the door.

Second, measure the diameter of the round hole where the old lockset was installed. My hole was 1 1/2″ in diameter, meaning that I was going to have to remove a spacer from the lock assembly in a later step.

Next, measure the distance between the middle of the lockset hole to the edge of the door. The bolt is set to a 2 3/4″ length out of the box; I needed to rotate the bolt assembly to set it up for a 2 3/8″ length to ensure proper bolt operation. Once the bolt is adjusted, insert it into the hole in the side of the door, ensuring that the portion marked Top is indeed on top and that the bolt is straight and true in the door. Screw in the bolt using the two screws provided.

OK, now install the reinforcement plate into the doorframe using the provided 2″ screws. This ensures BHMA Grade 1 security. Install the decorative plate over that top of the reinforcement plate.

Then install the touchscreen to the outside of the door, passing the wiring harness below the bolt assembly. There is a cam that inserts into the bolt; make sure that the tab on the cam lines up with the bolt assembly properly. If your door hole was 1 1/2″, you’ll need to remove the spacer before you can install the touchpad. This was done by removing a screw, rotating the spacer out of the touchpad assembly and re-installing the screw.

After the touchscreen is on the door, screw the support plate onto the inside of the door with the two supplied screws. This is the tricky part; make sure that you have a buddy to hold the touchscreen onto the door as you screw in the support plate. After that, make sure that you properly route the wiring harness through the support plate.

Remove the battery cover from the alarm assembly (the part that is visible on the inside of the door), connect the wiring harness from the touchpad to the alarm assembly, route the cable into the channel in the housing, and snap the alarm assembly onto the support plate. Attach the alarm assembly to the support plate with the provided screw.

Pull the battery tray off of the alarm assembly and install the four AA batteries (provided). Slide the battery tray back into place and attach the wiring connector to the battery tray. Replace the cover for the battery tray.

Test the lock operation; if it extends properly and responds to the built-in codes, you are ready to add the device to your Nexia bridge.