
Electronic Keypad Locks
Technology has come a long way since those old mortise locks with skeleton keys. I remember as a kid I could play a prank on someone by locking them in a bedroom, leaving them yelling for help while looking through the classic shaped keyhole hoping to catch a glimpse of the little snot who did it. I, of course, never did that to anyone (especially my older sister)! They say "they sure don't make them like they used to", and this is a very good reason. Not only are these lock a huge fire hazard, but they don't really provide much security, and someone could possibly defeat this type of lock with little resistance.
Things changed for the better, and much safer in the late 70's when the dimensions of the holes to be drilled into new doors for lock instillation was all but standardized to a 2 1/4" bore at a 2 3/8" backset. Finally residential locks, for the most part, had a thumbturn on the inside of the door so nobody can lock you in a bedroom.
Not too much changed for many decades. There was expensive commercial electronic hardware available for those who could afford it. As for residential applications, many companies gave their best shot at mass producing an electronic keypad lock that was affordable, reliable, and didn't require battery changes too often. They failed time and time again, all of those late 90's - early 2000's product was missing one of those 3 requirements to be a best selling products.
That all changed in 2013 when schlage launched their now staple product the BE365. With over 40 million units sold worldwide to date, this is still the one product that has all 3 attributes and is my go to recommendation for anyone's front door.
I have had keypad deadbolts on all of my doors for almost a decade and I'll tell you that personally, worrying about, and keeping up with less keys in my life has helped me allocate more mental energy on more important things. There are still a lot of crappy products out there so if the BE365 doesn't fit your needs, please let me help get the right product for you.
