In the past few years, I have become very particular about the pants I wear.  Simply put, I have so much stuff that I carry around that I need pants with literally “deep pockets” and trust me, the problem isn’t that I have wads of cash. Let’s take a quick inventory of my pants’ contents: one dumb cell phone, one smartphone, wallet, medicine bottle, and — the biggest problem — a massive clump of keys. There are 21 keys on my doubled key ring — keys for two cars, three houses, front and back gates, garages, and a few that I’m not sure what they are for but I’m afraid to remove them as one day I will likely need that specific key. My pants must have pockets deep enough so that all of this stuff doesn’t fall out when I sit down. Instead of looking at a pair of pants as some kind of fashion statement, I see them as storage compartments for all of this really important stuff that I carry around.

Recently I checked out a new product line that can help reduce my load of keys. The Kwikset Signature Series of SmartCode® deadbolt locks with Z- Wave control are innovative replacements for traditional door deadbolt locks that provide some very attractive features for end users.

Replacing the existing deadbolt door lock in most cases is very simple and requires no additional drilling or fitting of the lock onto the door. Once in place the battery power pack (it uses standard AA batteries) is installed, then the lock’s keypad can be programmed to provide access from the outside for people who either do not have keys or have misplaced them. The keypad’s keys can be lighted and/or can provide audio beeps when key inputs have registered.

Along with the electronic keypad, the Kwikset Signature SmartCode deadbolts have both Zigbee and Z-Wave connectivity options, allowing users to have remote local or Internet-based control of the door lock through a controller device such as some of the Honeywell Vista alarm control panels. 

There are four things I really like about these Kwikset locks. First, they are basically “drop in” replacements of standard deadbolts in standard doors, so the installation should be able to be done very quickly. Second, the lock has a programmable “automatic relock feature,” which I think is the single most important benefit of these locks. There are times when I’m in a hurry or distracted when I leave the house and have come back later to discover that I hadn’t locked the door I used to exit my home.

The third cool feature of the Kwikset Signature SmartCode deadbolts is the fact that they combine “fancy” keypad access while retaining standard key functionality — so old-school guys like me who like keys still can have and use them. 

The ability to control the lock’s actions and position through a Zigbee controller and smartphone apps such as Honeywell Total Connect provide a very important peace of mind benefit.

When rekeying the lock is necessary, Kwikset has devised a unique technology that allows for dealers to quickly and easily provide new sets of functional keys for the end-user. Called SMARTKEY®, this technology uses the existing key and a special SMARTKEY tool to reset the lock mechanism to only accept the new keys. Keys used for these locks are in the “KW1” series from Kwikset, and they recommend that the re-keying of the lock only be performed with the door open. That’s a good idea.

I congratulate Kwikset for “cracking the code” in the production of its installation instructions. A total of six pages with lots of pictures (and three languages) contain everything an installer needs to know.

Quality locks are the first line of defense in a comprehensive intrusion detection and prevention system.  Officials have released figures that show that the majority of burglars enter their victims’ buildings and homes via the doors.

  For information about the locks visit www.kwikset.com/SmartSecurity/Electronic-Locks.aspx.