Customer Reviews

Kwikset 99080-006 Signatures SmartScan Biometric Deadbolt, Venetian Bronze

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

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.

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Follow-up (>1 year after installation):

* Still having difficulty getting the lock to recognize my finger swipe, and still carry keys whenever I leave the house (I have one unit on the house and one on my office/studio, 50' from the house). I find that when I reprogram the unit with a new finger swipe, all goes very well for a month or two, but then need to reprogram again. Also, if my hands are damp (even slightly) it will not recognize my scan, and will sometimes not engage the lock (unless I use a dry finger after wiping off the "eye" of the unit), which is something that anyone can do, regardless of whether their scan is in the unit (3 taps on the eye engages the lock).
* I am no longer enthusiastic about the unit, although I will say that there have been many times where I've been very happy with its functionality, especially when I'm carrying packages and can't dig around for my keys. Conversely, when it refuses to unlock the door, I cuss it up and down.
* I am happiest about the general ease of locking the door with a series of taps, but grow tired of trying to unlock the door with my fingerprint.
* Initially, I couldn't help but think that I was doing something wrong, but after a year of use, I can only conclude that the unit needs improvement.

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Follow-up (>2 years after installation):

This lock is not my friend. My success rate is 10 - 15%, and I only use its features to lock the door. I cannot recommend this lock.

I have had this lock for about 6 months now. As long is the weather is good, the lock works OK. Installation instructions were good and programming was easy. However, the lock seems to be influenced by changes in the weather. Normally, it takes me 3 or 4 swipes to get the lock to open but if it is in direct sun on a hot day, it takes 10 to 15 swipes before the lock opens. If it is wet - forget swiping altogether and just use the key! I would not recommend this product unless the door is completely protected from the elements.

This is a very nice product, but it does have some drawbacks. It was relatively easy to install, but I had a few difficulties in getting it working completely properly. First problem was that I had difficulty getting the software to recognize the bolt position (it's all motorized, obviously). Once that was done (it's in the settings) it worked properly. The biometric part of this is amazing and frustrating at the same time. You have to be very consistent or it does not recognize you. My children had a very difficult time getting three consistent scans. Sometimes it takes three or four swipes for it to recognize me. I would consider the biometrics to be a backup for a lost key, not vice-versa. The software for programming is a little cumbersome, but not impossible. I like this lock, but would suggest that if you don't absolutely need the 'no key' function that you wait for the biometrics to get better.

The folks who gave this product a positive review must all work for the company that makes it. They cannot possibly have this product installed on their doors because it does not work. You program the lock to recognize your fingerprint. This may take several tries because you swiped too slowly or to fast, but eventually it says that it recognizes you. The instructions suggest that you enter yourself again, under a different ID with a second set of swipes, the idea being that you may swipe your finger somewhat differently when you actually try to enter the house. I entered myself 4 times under different ID's, presumably covering all the bases in terms of variations in the way I swipe. They also suggest lowering the sensitivity so that it will allow a print that looks somewhat like yours as opposed to a more exacting match. I did this as well.

Here is what happens...you swipe and get a red light indicating that it did not recognize your print. You swipe again and again until you finally get a green light, meaning that it recognized you, and then it unlocks the deadbolt. But very soon after that event you try to get in, get a red light a few times, but then finally get a green light meaning it recognized you, but inexplicably it does not unlock the deadbolt. There have been occassions when I have gotten a green light four times in a row, meaning that it recognizes me, but it refuses to unlock the door.

I reported this problem to the manufacturer and they cheerfully sent me a replacement product which I installed, but soon experienced the same problem...green lights but no unlocking of the door. I reported the problem to the manufacturer and again they offered to send a replacement. I asked that before they send this third replacement to me, that they test it to make sure that green lights resulted in an open door. I installed the third product they sent and guess what...same exact problem. What I thought was a manufacturing glitch in the first, and maybe the second product I received, was actually the way the product works...or more accurately does not work. This product should never have been brought to market in its current condition. If any of the executives of this company had this product installed on their door it would be taken off the market immediately...it does not work!!!

It's weird to see so many negative experiences with this lock because I'm having a blast with it! NOTE: I've only had it about a week so far, so I haven't gotten to test in rain or at an extremely different temperature, but I suspect that worst case you could add another set of finger prints taken while it's really cold out as well as really hot?

In my first week with it, there have been maybe four times total that it failed to recognize me first swipe with the left finger. I think I need to redo the right finger though as I enrolled it with the door open. When the door is closed and the frame is in the way it takes 3 or 4 tries to get it "right" because my hand is in a much more cramped position.

I've also added 5 other people. Of those 5, only one person has failed to be recognized on first swipe after enrolling. Maybe I just got lucky with the hardware or something, but for me this lock is working amazing well so far! (TIP: The person having trouble was pressing way too hard on the scanner. I could hear her skin squeaking as it was dragged across the metal. After we redid it more gently, it worked perfectly.)

The only reason I'm not going 5 out of 5 is that there are a couple software things I would like to see included. First, I really wish it were possible to set user access by specific dates as well as by week day--eg, allow house sitter access from 6/1/09 thru 6/5/09 only. Secondly, something like last 10 house entries would be nice too so you can see who's entered and when.

I used to love this lock, mostly because it's so cool. I, at least, had no problems getting it to open, and as I said, it's way cool. However, nobody else in my family could get it to open in fewer than a dozen swipes. They ended up carrying keys, but after about six months the rather cheaply made cylinder gave up the ghost, so even the key didn't work. Then the fingerprint scanner stopped opening for me (even though it opened on the first try for at least a couple months). I eventually just gave up and replaced it with a Schlage combination lock (Schlage BE365VCAM716 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt, Aged Bronze), which has been working really well (even if it's not as cool :-).

My review of the Kwikset Smart-Scan Biometric Door Lock:

Since the day I watched the movie Back to The Future Part 2 in 1989, I have always been looking for a well designed and reasonably priced biometric home deadbolt for my Front Door. I'll never forget the fingerprint technology used in the movie to pay for clock-tower donations, a taxi cab ride, and especially the hand scanner used to enter a home.

My travels to CES 2007 marked my 10th annual CES visit, and my first CES visit where my vision of the perfect home biometric door-lock had now become a reality. I am talking about the newly released Kwikset Smart-Scan Biometric door lock available now in select Home Depot test-markets. As soon as I saw this wonderful biometric door-lock implementation at CES 2007, I had to get one as soon as it became available for purchase.

Historically, one of my main requirements for buying a biometric door-lock is that the lock needed to be backed by a major door-lock company in the USA. Previous to the Kwikset Smart-Scan, it seemed like only specialized internet shops were selling Japanese or Chinese manufactured proprietary biometric locking systems. It just didn't feel like I was buying into something from a major player in the lock-making industry. Kwikset brings piece of mind because your purchase is warranted against defects by a well established company in the USA, and that means a lot to me.

Choosing Biometric over the numbered touchpad:

When looking at other modern locking systems, the Kwikset PowerBolt and other touch-pad keyless deadbolts came to mind. I did some research on the Powerbolt and found that it was well built but seemed to have one minor quirk. The front outside-cover of the PowerBolt has two Phillips screws which, after disassembling one myself, can expose the electronics for all kinds of fun by a determined passerby. I decided to pass on this touchpad lock, but I did inform Kwikset that they should think about replacing the Phillips screws with TORX [security-bit] screws which would make me re-consider the purchase of this fine dead-bolt.

Another thing about touch-pad keyless deadbolts is that the keys may begin to show "replay" patterns after several uses where someone could make educated guesses to try and unlock your door. Now that the Smart-Scan is available, the only reason to try a PowerBolt is that it is half the price of a biometric lock.

Assembly and Installation:

The instruction manual for the Smart-Scan is straight forward and easy to follow. If you already have a Weiser or Kwikset dead-bolt installed on your door, this smart-scan biometric solution is a drop-in. It's that easy.

Some nit-picks on the installation process would be that one of the three screws which connect the electronics to the inside front door is positioned right under the battery pack. This causes the batteries to be slightly offset, yet the unit seems to still receive power despite this. I recommended to Kwikset that they provide users with a flat-head screw instead of convex screw for the top-center-hole where the battery pack is located. A flat screw would allow all four batteries to be inserted completely.

Setting up users:

The overall process was very easy to follow.

For those folks having trouble with getting good finger scan results, try this:

After enrolling a few fingers, I can recommend that users should always enroll themselves with the door closed. Due to the position of the fingerprint swipe sensor, the freedom of motion required to swipe a finger can be limited when the door is closed. I found myself having to register all my fingers a second time with the door closed since none seemed to be working the first time around. I believe they were all failing because the finger samples I initially used were made when the door was open, and this provided more freedom of motion. The change in freedom of motion caused my fingers to be captured differently then during the normal operation of the lock.

It's also worth mentioning that the user should register their fingers as a complete walk-up-to-the-lock motion. This is more natural and is more real-to-life. If the user registers themselves while standing motionless in front of the door, their finger won't be scanned in a natural position.

It all about performance:

If it takes me longer to open the door with my finger than with a regular key, then Biometrics are not worth my time. The Smart-Scan delivers on the promise of a fast, reliable biometric door-lock, and is able to unlock the door in less than 1 second. Additionally, I noticed that you can unlock your door in the dark just by sensing the lock with your fingers. I am sold on this product.

Since nothing is perfect and I am here to give an unbiased review, here are some minor nit-picks on performance:

1st.

When adding and removing users, one should always move the battery cover up and away from the door. If this is not done properly, like when I used a swinging motion, the removal of the battery cover can cause door-paint scratches at the point where the top of the battery cover meets with the inside of the door. I suggested to Kwikset that a better solution would be to make the administrator module accessible through a sliding door on the battery cover.

2nd.

The neat thing about this Biometric dead-bolt is that the end-user does not give up any of the conveniences of using a regular key to enter their house. However, I did notice that when using the key, I had to apply more-than-average torque against the locking mechanism to open or close the lock with a key. It could be that the lock was still new and hadn't been used much.

Overall Impressions:

I love the design of lock and especially the outside look, it is very discrete! Most other Biometric locks are specialized and look very different from ordinary door locks which attract the wrong kind of attention.

Note: Kwikset says this unit comes with the SmartKey key barrel which is BUMP resistant, but my Smart Scan did not have the SmartKey barrel. I will call them and see about getting the SmartKey key barrel sent to me.

Fabian.

On paper, this lock is exactly what I want: it ensures that only the people I want to let in have access; it lets me grant certain people access only during certain times of the day or days of the week; and I never have to worry about locking myself out of the house again.

In reality, the lock can be incredibly frustrating to use. I'm pretty technically adept, but even after months of practice, I still occasionally find myself swiping my finger six or seven times before the darned thing recognizes me. This is especially annoying when I have a crying baby in my arms and just want to get inside. And just to throw me off, sometimes it just works perfectly the first time.

This makes the lock all but useless for the main reason I bought it: letting outsiders in without handing out keys. Good luck training your nanny or housekeeper to swipe their fingers in exactly the right position at exactly the right speed. Even my parents gave up and just walk around the house to the front door to use a key.

Finally I broke down and bought a Morning Industry Keypad Deadbolt to replace the Kwikset SmartScan. A keypad lock is not nearly as cool as a fingerprint scanner, but it works!

The quality of this unit compares favorably with the best commercial hardware available at a price more favorable to the consumer. This unit is a No-Modification replacement for existing deadbolt locks. Well illustrated instructions and templates are provided for preparing blank doors but you must provide the DIY skills and tools. Onboard LCD panel and colored indicator lights make fingerprint registration and operation easy to understand. After a lot of research on biometric lock systems, this one stands out above the rest for quality, price and convenience. Browse Kwikset's demonstration tour at http://www.kwikset.com/Products/SmartScan/default.aspx.

It's a nice product, but it's still in it's infancy. If you expect for the finger scan to work as well as the finger scan on your laptop or some professional scanners in large companies don't bet on it. This is not my first time using a finger scanner and it took me a while to develop a proper swiping technique to satisfy the lock. Not only that you have to position your finger just right if you do it too slow or too fast it won't work so you have to repeat 3 or 4 times to get it to open (older people or kids will definitely have a problem with it). It's a nice product to have as an emergency if you ever forget your keys and get locked out of your house but for an every day use it's just too much hassle (I found that i can reach to my pocket and pull out the keys faster then to get the scan to recognize my fingerprint correctly).

Installation was simple and the instructions are easy to fallow.

Overall I don't think the product is bad but for a price tag like this it should work much better, or at least come as a part of a set, with matching door handles and everything (this is deadbolt lock only).

Update...

After only 2 years of use the scanner stopped working and all I get is a sensor error. After going to the manufacturers website I found that the product is no longer sold or supported.