Hello, I am researching alternatives to using a wink2 hub to control my schlage be469 locks (9 of them). As wink appears to have a questionable future, I don’t want to wake up one day to find the app has gone dark. I remotely (100 miles from me) manage these locks. They are the only z-wave IoT devices I have, the rest are WiFi.
The “Things” documentation does not seem to mention the two features I really need, remote code changing and battery level. I do see posts where someone does change the codes but as a NOOB I can’t say I understand the post.
My questions are:
If you control these locks in your system:
what software resources do you use to do this?
what radio hardware do you use for z-wave?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to reply.
I use OH on a Raspberry Pi 3B+ and a Razzberry z-wave hat. I have several schlage connect z-wave locks. My Openhab is in a separate subnet, with restricted internet access which gives me some peace of mind. With habmin, we can set the access codes for the doors - something that is quite helpful to set a guest code. We set the guest code to some unique number from them - ie end of phone number - and de-activate it after they’ve left. I also have (modified) a rule that sends me an email whenever the guest code is used to unlock a door. We also have a separate notification if a cleaner code is used, but in the absence of having a cleaner hired, that’s a bit less useful.
OH with Zwave and schlage locks can offer a flexible solution for most needs. Be cautious whenever your home’s security potentially could be compromised. You can and should harden the security for your OH installation (passwords, ports, etc). Beyond that, we decided to keep the device separate from the outside world (intermittently connected for updates, etc) as a further precaution.
I use the same Zooz stick as @Bruce_Osborne, and it’s been very reliable.
I have a BE469 lock as well, and for changing user codes, I’m guessing you’re referring to this post by @5iver:
Once you’ve got your locks set up, each of them will show up in PaperUI, and you’ll be able to change/add/remove codes in the thing configurations. The next time a lock wakes up, it will pick up the changes from openHAB. That’s all you need, unless you want to build in more advanced functions like enabling/disabling guest codes via rules (I haven’t done that).
As noted in the linked post, you have to have the codes in sequential slots; so you can’t have code 1 and code 4, it has to be codes 1 and 2 (and 3 and 4…etc.). Also, you won’t be able to see the existing codes in openHAB, they’ll just display as “2A 2A 2A 2A 2A 2A 2A 2A 2A 2A”. There’s no syntax for entering codes, though. Just type the numbers without spaces (“123456”).
There’s one more thing you should know: older BE469 locks don’t have a channel to report a simple “locked/unlocked” state (I recall reading somewhere that newer locks have the channel, but don’t quote me on that). If you don’t have the channel, you’ll need to set up a rule that interprets the “alarm raw” channel so you know the status of your locks. I managed to do that with help from this post:
I wouldn’t get too concerned about this right now; it’s just something to be aware of when you’re ready to tackle it.
You’ll have to record the codes somewhere else. You can also put a label on each code so that you know which one is in which slot.
As @bdm pointed out, I think it’s important for you to be comfortable with the security of your network before jumping into controlling your locks remotely.
Okay, Thanks. On my wink app I can read the codes. I wonder if they are keeping my codes in the cloud or my device locally?
Networking is a core competency for me. Separate VLANs for everything, SSIDs that are locked down to only allow the exact number of devices on them, etc.
What I like is Zooz ( and their store thesmartesthouse,.com) have been working with us to be sure their devices work in OH.
Here is an interesting dimmer & fan switch combo.
