Customer Reviews

Schlage BE365VCAM716 Camelot Keypad Deadbolt, Aged Bronze

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

For years we have been using a key pad activated deadbolt for front doors in our various homes - no keys to lose or give to various family members - only four digit codes. Up until now, all of the key pad units we have installed, extend and retract the deadbolt using a small battery powered electric motor.

This issue we've encountered is when the batteries become weak, the motor (in some cases) does not have enough power to retract the bolt and we must revert to another entrance to get into our home. Although these unit allow one to use a key to override the electronics, we never seem to have the key "on us" when it's needed. Fortunately we have a keypad on our garage door and that serves as an alternative entrance when this occurs. These deadbolt retraction failures have been occurring more and more often even with fresh batteries. I suspect the motor is or has worn out.

With this in mind, I shopped the market for an electronically activated dead bolt with manual bolt action. In other words, instead of a motor extending and retracting the deadbolt, one would use a lever or knob to perform this function. The keypad (electronic segment of the unit) would serve to activate the manual knob or lever. I found the Schlage BE365VCAM619 Camelot Deadbolt Keypad, Satin Nickel on Amazon at an extremely reasonable price and it has all of the features I wanted - electronic key pad activation, manual extension and retraction of the deadbolt upon activation.

The unit arrived yesterday and after a few problems with the unit being confused as to whether the bolt was retracted or extended (my fault), the unit works perfectly. Note, I already had a deadbolt lockset on the door, so it was a simple process of removing the old, and installing the new.

It's an extremely high quality unit without the cheap plastic casing my prior unit had on the inside casing. It's all metal. Changing or adding key pad codes (combinations) is relatively easy. One must enter the units six digit master code (don't lose this code, keep it in a place that you can go to each time you wish to change the codes - Using a permanent marker, I wrote it on the inside of the lock), and then enter your personal four digit code. We use two codes however the unit can store many codes. You may want to add a temporary code to let a service technician into your home, then delete that code when the work is completed.

One feature I like is the lighted key pad which our old unit did not have. If we forget to turn on the porch light, by simply pressing the "schlage" button at the top of the keypad, the keys light up.

Here's the basic operation.

When you're leaving the house, close the door, press the "schlage" button, wait for the click, then extend the deadbolt. You'll hear a confirmation click confirming that the locking knob/lever has been disengaged from the deadbolt after the deadbolt has been extended.

When you arrive home, simply enter your four digit code, you'll hear a click, then manually retract the deadbolt and enter the home. I you wish to use the keypad light; simply press the "schlage" button to light it up. Obviously this is not needed during daylight hours.

Basically the nine volt battery is operating the keypad, a knob/level engagement solenoid and the keypad back light and should last for hundreds and hundreds cycles.

Bottom Line - I highly recommend this high quality unit.

I have had the brass version of this deadbolt for bout a year and I love it. It is th best one that I have come across (and yes - the most expensive - but you get what you pay for). It is eye-catching rather than an eye-sore. Be careful, some of the cheaper competitor's models have a plastic back that is very unappealing for a main door. The unit is smaller than many by requiring only a 9 volt battery because it does not lock/unlock the deadbolt for you. You do it manually.

Pros:
1) Appealing design (front and back - no plastic)
2) Smaller than most (due to use of 9v battery)
3) Keypad lights up when you touch it for nighttime entry
4) Never get locked out. Give the neighbor a temporary code to get in.

Cons:
1) Pricey ut you get what you pay for

I installed one of these for a client and it seems to be a good product as all the reviewers say. What no one has talked about however is the standard Shlage key that can also be used to open the lock. It seems to me that this would allow the possibility of using a "bump key" to open it. One of the benefits of digital locks is their immunity to bumping. If you want the keypad just for convenience, that is fine. Just remember that any lock that can be "bumped" provides zero security.

We were consistently running into problems with the number of house keys we had given out to: contractors, landscapers and house cleaners. At some point there's no way to track who's coming and going into your house and whether or not they left the keys.
This little gadget eliminates the issue. I can now program the lock with one-time or multiple use codes unique to each individual coming to my house. It installs as easy as any other deadbolt and programming new codes takes about 10 seconds. This has quickly become my favorite new gadget.

I purchased the Schlage electronic deadbolt to allow entry into our house in case I didn't have a key with me. It works very well. Only drawback that I see is that it needs to be placed on a solid door without a glass panel as the lock has a lever on the inside that operates the deadbolt. There is no option for key locking from the inside, only the lever. Locks only keep honest people out, so it's better to have a deadbolt that is key lockable from both sides if you have an exterior door with glass panels. No need making it easier for a thief to get in than is necessary.

I have had the brass version of this deadbolt for bout a year and I love it. It is th best one that I have come across (and yes - the most expensive - but you get what you pay for). It is eye-catching rather than an eye-sore. Be careful, some of the cheaper competitor's models have a plastic back that is very unappealing for a main door. The unit is smaller than many by requiring only a 9 volt battery because it does not lock/unlock the deadbolt for you. You do it manually.

Pros:
1) Appealing design (front and back - no plastic)
2) Smaller than most (due to use of 9v battery)
3) Keypad lights up when you touch it for nighttime entry
4) Never get locked out. Give the neighbor a temporary code to get in.

Cons:
1) Pricey ut you get what you pay for

I bought this lock for my business. I recently bought a new building. My previous shop was in a multi-tenant building and usually there was some one from one of the other business that could accept my deliveries if I wasn't there, or the package could be left out in the common hallway in front of my office door. I am the only business in my new building and I am away a good percentage of the time doing installations at customers' locations so I don't have anyone to receive deliveries. I bought this lock and have programmed codes in for UPS, FedEx and my other vendors. I also have a generic code for the odd delivery. I leave a note on my door telling the delivery person to call my cell phone to get an access code. I only give out the code if I am expecting a delivery and I have to know the company I am receiving the delivery from or I won't give out the code. The generic code is erased after I give it out once and a new one is entered. This lock has worked great for this purpose. It has also saved the hassle of giving out keys to employees. I assign a code to each employee, leaving it up to them to give me a number they can easily remember. It also helps when recently I let an employee go. I didn't have to worry about whether he still had access to my building by secretly making a duplicate key, I just erased his code.

I had one problem with the lock a few days after installing it. The twist knob locked up and wouldn't turn. I had to disassemble the lock and found the shaft fell out of the hole it was placed in. I don't know if this was a problem with the lock or just that I did something wrong when I installed it. It has worked fine ever since. I also found it took a little work to program it but now that I figured it out it's pretty easy.

I bought this for my brother's new house since he hates carrying around extra keys. Awesome product, but the installation directions are overly and unnecessarily complicated. We replaced a standard deadbolt, so the holes were already in the door and installatin was easy (once we stopped trying to follow the directions). Comes with pre-set entry codes, but you can reprogram to whatever you want which is handy. Reprogramming is easy. Bought the Satin Nickel finish because it matched his door knob - it looks great.

This lock works as advertised, really great solution to avoid carrying keys around. My wife who hates technology even likes it!

One thing that might be useful if you purchase this is that you may think you are missing a screw because the inside latch plate only comes shipped with the upper screw attached. This screw is for SHIPPING and is longer than the 2 that are provided to actually attach this to the lock. It can be set aside, and is not used. The 2 smaller screws are found in the plastic bag that accompanies the lock. Also, you'll need to rotate the inner cam to the "use" position before removing the 2 INTERIOR screws that will allow you to take this lock out of the packaging (it ships screwed in to a piece of foam).

These are 2 simple issues, but not covered in the otherwise decent manual.

Also, if you plan to bore you own door, the manual says to go to the website, but doesn't specify the exact address. The address for all support for this lock is at

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We have been using this lock for over a month now & LOVE it! We got this lock to replace a finger scan lock (less than a year old & much more expensive) that had already been replaced by they manufacturer, & almost never worked!! Very frustrating. It had to go!! We love this lock so much, I wish I had not wasted my time or money on the the scanner. It was very easy to install, program & use. I highly recommend it.