• "Space-age lockdown"

Review excerpt:

Initial impressions:

* Installation is fairly straightforward. If you're replacing a deadbolt, this shouldn't take much time at all (maybe half an hour). Kwikset even has an online tutorial to help out. If this is a new installation, as it was for me, having a 1" wood bit really helps (rather than using a 5/8" twice and boring those snowman-lookin' holes that you need to chisel out). Even with new installation, it's easier than installing a double-cylinder deadbolt.

* Once installed, this thing is fun to mess around with. When your fingerprint is recognized, it sounds like a coffee burr grinder for about a second, as it locks or unlocks the door.

* Because this unit scans deeply, if your finger is cut or dirty, you will still be recognized. Because of the deep scan, a photocopy of your fingerprint will not be recognized.

* "Swiping" technique is a learned trait. It took me 5 tries before it learned my fingerprint. It took my wife 7 tries (Ha! I win!). Our 4-year-old son still hasn't been able to do it. The device needs 3 good scans, with all of your finger "swipes" at relatively the same speed. Once recognized, you need to be able to replicate that motion to get the door to unlock. This can be troubling at first (even though the key will let you in, should you get sick of trying). On the first day of operation, getting this thing to work was sort of a grab bag. Today (1 day after installation), neither my wife nor I have had failures. Our son doesn't want to try anymore (he's still not recognized in the system).

* If you are installing this on an exterior door that has windows, you might want to consider a double-cylinder lock instead. A thief could smash the window and easily open this lock, due to the interior lock being a turnbolt. Of course, that's why you have a big, angry dog in your house.

* The interior unit may be larger than most would like, although it accommodates the Intel chip and programming functions. Not too bad though. It looks very similar to one of those screwy little door-mounted doorbell ringers... the kind where you turn a twisty-knob on the outside, and the inside box makes a mournful, yak-choking-on-an-apple sound.

* The interior turnbolt is stiff. This is due to your turning not only the bolt, but the gears that drive the automated lock function. Our child, who is really strong, cannot turn the inside bolt to leave the house without a ton of grunting, leverage, and requests for a ball-peen hammer. In case of fire, this could preclude a smooth exit from the house for young ones.

* I've gone through the easy-to-follow menu on the lock, and can't wait to scan in friends/family who visit from out of town. They'll have access for as long as I want them to, then I'll disable their scan. Our babysitter is scanned in, and has access only on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3PM to 9PM. You can modify each user's settings to give them the access you want (or don't want).

* This thing comes with SmartKey technology. It took me a while to figure out what this meant, but in about 6 seconds, I was able to key both of my new deadbolts to a Kwikset key that I already have on my key ring. The keys that came with these units are now worthless (by design). This turned out to be very handy.

Overall, a very techno-cool functional lock that offers ANSI-1 and bump-guard protection. The only modifications I would prefer to have would be to do away with the interior turnbolt altogether and use a scanner/key to throw the bolt from the inside.


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Follow-up (1 month after installation):

* Still a pretty cool lock, but I've deleted my fingerprint twice (on purpose) to load an image that is more in line with how I've been scanning my finger. My wife has little trouble getting these locks to recognize her imprint on the first or second go, but I sometimes try 4 or 5 times unsuccessfully, and then just use the key. When I rescan my finger, I tend to have better luck for a while thereafter.

* Based on the above, I wonder how quickly I could get into the house in an emergency. My wife could probably pop right in, but I'm slightly perturbed by either my inability to scan correctly, or the unit's inability to recognize my print. My finger is large and doesn't "fit" along the scanning window as well as her does, which *may* be related to success rates. Still, I know that the unit works well enough for my wife to be happy with it. I'll keep trying.

* All in all, I'm still happy with the purchase.

(4 Stars)

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