Eneloops would only last about 3 weeks. And disposable last 2 months. This door is used a lot and since it has Zwave and a door open sensor it sends info on every open.
Bonus, since it can handle the lipo AA batteries that put out 1.8v and it gives the motor more oomph I made the battery pack give 7.2v and it never sticks anymore.
This is a garage-door so its not critical access but is used a lot.
Wait until you hear about this neat invention called a “key”. They are quite wonderful, they can securely lock and unlock your door in any conditions and don’t need those pesky batteries.
Wait until you hear about this neat invention called a “smart lock”. It uses this marvelous key invention you kindly detailed but it also uses magic powered rocks that can send small vibrations in the air to communicate with other magic rocks at home. If their magic energy source is depleted the object you refer to as a “key” may also be operated on this mystical lock to which the lock then whispers: “just let people enjoy things”.
Now grant access to someone you’ve never met but then revoke that access after a some time without involving another person or machinery in the process. You also have to do it while you’re on vacation in another country and not physically present.
Leave it open, then close it later
Sounds like a you problem, you should work on that.
They did. With an electronic lock. And now many of us with similar needs are in an forum talking about how to make that experience better.
Meanwhile, you’re spending effort being a dick to people over a topic you clearly don’t have any stake in. You need to find a healthier hobby. It will make everyone happier.
the batteries in mine last a year and I don’t have to carry around any keys but my car keys (when I take the car).
definitely worth it. I can leave the house with nothing but my phone or bank card and run errands etc. people can access my house when I want them to without issue. it’s a huge QoL improvement for me
that said, I’d still prefer an electronic lock that had a key as well, and wasn’t a touchscreen
Agreed. The kids can open the door now quickly, and it’s easier. When we were looking for electronic locks, it had to have no wifi and a key. It was harder to find then you might think. 
Any recs then? That’s basically my criteria as well. I’m already paranoid enough to carry keys any way but it would make things more convenient.
It’s not a deadbolt (they have some), but we found a Schlage we liked. I can’t find it on the site, but search for electronic not smart. It might have been Home Depot.
It was easy to install and the battery hasn’t run out after over a year. I’ve used the key maybe once.
I want to replace mine with one like this. what’d you end up going with?
It’s not a deadbolt (they have some), but we found a Schlage we liked. I can’t find it on the site, but search for electronic not smart. It might have been Home Depot.
It was easy to install and the battery hasn’t run out after over a year. I’ve used the key maybe once.
It’s one fucking key, it’s not exactly difficult to carry or keep track of.
it is non-zero
also yes, one small key is exactly the kind of thing that can be difficult to keep track of. did it fall out of my pocket? which backpack pocket was it in? did it clip in properly? do I need to carry a lanyard now too to keep track of it?
or like just don’t worry about that at all. clear improvement.
Enjoy your self imposed helplessness, I’ll keep using a fucking keychain.
you’re on a weird mission here
I’ll keep enjoying my freedom and not being chained to paying attention to carrying around a tiny object
Not op. I hear what you’re saying, and it’s a valid point.
But once you go digital lock, it’s hard to go back. So convenient.
Heck, mine was just a standalone lock with a keypad, I’ve had one on every rental in some form or another for the last 15 years. Until this year…
We just moved into our first house, and the main door we want to use is seemingly incapable of fitting a keypad onto it. The handle is so close to the window frame, that it won’t fit. It’s very annoying. So for the last few months we’ve been using a regular key, and it’s annoying.
First, my in laws needed to watch our cat while we were gone, so I left out a spare key, which they then kept 😖
It’s rude to ask for it back, while simultaneously hoping to ask them for help again in the future. But, they are also the type to just come over whenever, without calling ahead or asking, whether we’re home or not. They are kind, but oblivious, so it’s hard to be firm.
Anywho this was never a problem FOR US in the past, because we’d just make up a random access code for them that was only valid on the days we were away.
I might have to replace the door.
Oh thanks I’ll never forget my keys again, awesome, I hadn’t thought of it like that.
glad to help
Damn, didn’t know they made keys that automatically lock the doors when I leave the house so I can’t forgetfully leave the doors unlocked.
There are bolts with a clutch, so they are always locked from the outside and unlocked from the inside. Pretty handy.
I’m not sure I understand how that’d work. How would they know when the door was closed so they could automatically lock the deadbolt? Or would you need to use a key to close the door from the outside?
The one I’ve seen was mechanical, not electric. The interior handle can open the door irrespective of the door being locked or not.
They are expensive, but they do exist, it’s called a mechanical keyless deadbolt. A local makerspace put one on their back entrance so that members/employees can come and go after hours without having to give everyone a key or use a smart app.
Ohhh, there is a keypad but it’s mechanical. Neat!
Wait till you hear about memory
Pretty sure I can’t afford that these days
You can’t figure out how to lock your door? Damn I don’t think I’d admit that.
You can’t read? Damn I don’t think I’d admit that.
In case it still isn’t clear, I said I am forgetful.
Oh perfect it’s lunch time, I needed some salt for my fries.
Hey I haven’t used this model specifically but a PSA to anyone with a motorized lock:
If your battery is dying seemingly too fast (and it’s not an old battery), your deadbolt is probably misaligned. The friction takes a huge toll on the motor and battery life. They should last MONTHS at minimum.
and it’s not just vertical alignment, but horizontal too!
the problem with mine was that the weather stripping was pushing the door inwards, not that the hinges needed adjustment. had to move the latch plate inwards / file clearance into it so the deadbolt would catch where the knob latch let the door sit
Great point. The deadbolt should move with no external Resistance.
Sound is a good indicator. The motor doesn’t just “get bad” over time like that unless it’s struggling so if it’s louder than when you got it, reassess the installation
This is why I haven’t replaced mine. There’s no real “fixing” this door. It needs to be replaced. That being said if you shoulder check it hard enough it will break open. Ah the fun of inheriting a house that sat vacant for 3 years and had no maintenance for longer than that.
I take it the frame is busted? If not you might be able to just adjust the hinges. I was amazed when I learned how many door problems can be fixed by shimming and carefully smacking the hinges
The frame is rotting. Thank fuck we have a roof over it because you can see through it a bit. Well, you could before I temp fixed it with spray foam. Gotta get the roof leak fixed first then that.
Oh the joys of homeownership lol
Pretty sure my foundation is sinking and I’m just not prepared to deal with it. Hopefully it holds for another year
We just discovered a wide ass step crack in ours. Did I mention ive been jobless since April? 🤣😭😭😭 I just accepted a job offer thank god but the on boarding process is loooong
Brutal! There’s so many DIY projects I’m willing to tackle but that is definitely not one of them
Yeah that’s for sure.
The pedantic ludites on lemmy baffle me.
Cool thingy my dude
woah ten kilo milli amp hours!
rechargeable AA suck.
No they don’t
They do … 1.2v output is low compared to the 1.5v alkaline … they lose charge as they sit there doing nothing unless Enerloop which is expensive and still 1.2v - I recently converted the wife’s led candles (2 x AA) each to 2 18650 each and now I don’t have to charge the things for 15 or so weeks. This guy knows.
Low self discharge is the standard now, Eneloop is no longer unique.
The internal resistance is much lower than that of an alkaline, so for some applications, a 1.2V NiMH will match or beat a 1.5V alkaline, but if you really need the extra 0.3V, then they’re really pants.
I bought rechargeable AA lithium batteries. They have a usbc slot on the positive end. Really handy. They do 1.5V.
Ah, portable fire hazard. Love it! :)
That’s only relevant for NiMH batts. If you use Lithium rechargeables, their curve is flat around 1.4V until they’re close to dead.
1.2v
The range is actually 1.4-0.9v with drop only at the end of the discharge cycle. Much better than regular AA that drops voltage proportionally to the discharge level. Also more amps than alkaline and no leakage.
Self discharge is a thing and putting it in clock or led candle is just doing it wrong. Use alkaline for these use cases.
Why not a cable for power? Does the door need to be able to go somewhere that doesn’t have electricity?
I can’t answer for the OP - but “it would be a pain in the arse” would be my answer.
I have an electronic lock on my holiday condo; it’s handy to be able to remotely let someone in if I need them to service the AC when I’m not there or something, and just in general it’s just, well, useful.
The batteries last at least 6 months, so honestly I wouldn’t bother wiring it in even if it was an option. And the “batteries run out” failure mode isn’t exactly a disaster - there’s a traditional key I can use in an emergency, and the other “plan B” is the USB-C port on the bottom of the handle on the outside - worst comes to the worst you can just plug in a USB powerbank to power it up.
Idk how they are built but i’d guess any power outtage would lock you out right?
So the same as a battery running out?
Pass through charging is also a thing, so the 10Ah battery can charge when mains is up and then continue during a power cut.
In my experience some may need to be reset to start charging. Depends on what you have though. Either way give it a test first.
May be an access issue. Enough distance and running a cable becomes a pain in the ass in a way that can make this more appealing. It’s why I don’t have an Ethernet cable in one room of my house; I’d have to climb either across the attic, or in the crawlspace, and neither are gonna happen voluntarily. So I deal with a crappy wifi dongle for the ancient PC in that room instead.
Have you tried puttting in a wired power supply instead?
I have this thing and you just turn it. Thats it.
Rechargeable Eneloops are Ni-Mh which makes the nominal voltage 1.2V where as the voltage on an Alkaline battery is 1.5V. The rechargeable ones are worse than normal Alkaline batteries. You can get rechargeable 1.5V Lithium AA batteries from Nitecore. Those are much better than Ni-Mhs.
The only issue with the rechargeable lithium batteries is that their voltage curve is extremely sharp, so they hold the 1.5v right up until they die.
Depending on how the electronics and battery match up, your deadbolt might not be able to warn you about a low battery condition, which might mean you get locked out. I currently have two doors, both with a keypad entry, so it’s extremely unlikely they’ll both be dead at the same time. If you only have one keypad entry, then you should probably avoid using lithium rechargeable AA’s.
fyi there are some Lithium rechargeables that have a “low voltage” indicator, where they drop from 1.5v to around 1.1v when low so that it’ll set off any low charge circuit
brand I found is XTAR, but I’m sure there’s others
Just my 2c but I have 15 year old Eneloops still going. They do have a lower voltage output which isn’t good for certain applications, but they are great for kids toys, remotes, flashlights/headlamps in my experience. Of the probably 60-70 I’ve bought, the only failures I’ve had are with the Pros, don’t waste money on those. I’ll have to check out Nitecore though.
Ostations rechargeable lithium AAs are freaking great for mine.
Yeah I’m a huge fan of the rechargeable lithium AAs but they do just die pretty much immediately since the power curve just falls off. But they last a long while and charge nicely.
Yeah, it’s because of the buck circuit regulating them down to 1.5v. No warning, they just die because the safety cutoff turns off the circuit when the lithium voltage drops too much. I can live with it though.
Does anyone know of rechargeable lithium that can report proportional voltage to emulate what alkaline does? I really want to use rechargeable for everything but not knowing any estimate of when they will die is a huge downside for something like a lock
They do NOT.
One key benefit of these AAs batteries offer full voltage until they die. They’re stepped down to 1.5v from 5v. But any low voltage indicators are based on dropping voltage and don’t work with the tech. They just straight up die.
I just stopped using them in things that are time sensitive like my game controller, but I’m fine with an electronic toothbrush or milk foamer using it since they perform better with full voltage.
Oof. My Yale has a hub and the AAs last 9-12months.
What about mounting a wireless charging pad to the doorframe to keep it charged? Is that an option?
This is great, so far I have only seen hardwired options, never seen someone do a expanded battery mod for their smart lock.
Battery eliminators are the way I hardwired my smart locks. You can find these on amazon in various battery sizes and combinations. Combining this with a Voltmeter Adjustable Boost Modul, doing some wiring, and then plugging all this into the wall means no battery changes every 3-4 months.
Here’s a video of something similar to my setup.
I have a Nuki lock that lasts 8 months on 4 AA rechargeable batteries it also has a door sensor sending info via MQTT over Thread. Your lock probably has to overcome a lot of friction so the motor uses more juice than normal.
