Kwikset - Kevo 99250-203 Kevo 2nd Gen Bluetooth Touch-to-Open Deadbolt Smart Lock featuring SmartKey Security, Venetian Bronze

I’ve had this lock since 2022. I didn’t want a keypad, because the numbers would wear and I didn’t want biometrics. I didn’t want it on WiFi either. Power goes out, no problem.I installed the device myself. If you can install a regular deadbolt, you can install this one.I keep the app open in the background on my phone, touch the lock and voila. Pretty simple. If anyone else ever needs access to my home, I just send an e-key and I can control access from there. I have replaced the batteries several times. It’s been fairly painless and a joy to own.It’s very simple for my kids to just touch the lock on their way out and lock the door. If you forget to lock it, you can open the app and lock/unlock from the driveway or bedroom.

I wanted to like this: desperately so. I ignore all the negative reviews...and now I'm a little wiser.I'm 350 bucks in the hole. Let me loss be your gain: buy any other lock product. I'm going to just go down the list.1. I have Kwikset locks in the house with their smartkey system. This lets you easily re-key the lock to a different key. Kevo has the same system. This allowed me to have a single key to operate the deadbolt and latch. The key works. Great...it's a manual deadbolt.2. Install was a little longer than anticipated. I had to loosen the main bolts to allow the lock motor to function. (This is covered in their troubleshooting.) I did not crank down the bolts. I used a firm screwdriver torque. I had to loosen them a half-turn. The deadbolt seems firm on the door.3. Programming is a PITA. I finally got my phone, Android, to work. You've got to stand there, bluetooth on, kevo app running, and lock/unlock the door twenty times. Yes, twenty times. It's in the book. And, it still has been "iffy" about sensing.4. The included batteries died after 2 1/2 weeks. Latest ones have lasted 4 weeks. (6 1/2 weeks total ownership.)5. Kevo hub, the 100 dollar device which allows web-based locking/etc. My first one was inop. I spent an hour on the phone with tech help. They sent a replacement...which took 3 weeks to arrive. THREE WEEKS.6. I bought two key fob e-keys. They have to touch the lock to work.7. Yesterday, the deadbolt broke. Something inside the motor is broken. (Thank goodness is broke when it did! It was the last day for me to RMA with Amazon.)8. In operation, if all your devices (fob, phone, web-browser) are working, you walk up to the lock and touch it. Then, because it didn't "take", you touch it again. Okay, one more time. There! Now, the blue led circles for a few seconds. Okay...it turned green (to unlock, otherwise yellow to lock), and the lights circle for a few seconds. Finally, you hear the grinding sound of a small, overworked, motor turning...and in 3 more seconds the deadbolt is unlocked.If you just had your key in your hand, you'd be through the door MUCH faster.And, since this is just the deadbolt, you still need a key for your latch/knob lock. (I tried just locking the deadbolt and leaving the knob unlocked. Do you know how fun it is to see people grasp the knob, turn it, and then push forward, thinking the door is unlocked? Their faces left funny imprints on my door's window. The locked knob is an indicator that the door is locked. So, both locks are now used together.)9. It may be "key-less", but you still need a piece of hardware, be it a phone or a fob, to operate the lock.The concept is flawed.The implementation is flawed.The quality is flawed.This is not ready for prime-time. Save yourself money.

I've owned the Kevo (1st Gen) and after it wouldn't lock / unlock my doors as frequently I figured it would upgrade it to the 2nd Gen. It's very easy to install but had a small problem when pairing the new Kevo lock with my phone app. It kept on reading the 1st Gen. lock so I went ahead and deleted the app and reinstalled it. After playing with it for a few minutes it finally recognized the new lock. So far I am very amazed with the functionality of the lock and love the fact that I can unlock the front door from anywhere in the world for my family or friends. The Kevo Plus Connected Hub has to be purchased separately (with a heavy price tag) but it was well worth it. Compared to the 1st Gen the 2nd Gen has come a long way. Once in a while the door won't unlock right away but I believe it might be because my phone is trying to switch from Cell tower to WIFI when I get close to the house. Other than that I don't have any complaints so far with the new Kevo lock.

I installed the Kevo lock on my front door, along with a matching Kwikset handle set. My front door hardware was in need of an upgrade, as it has been over 10 years since we replaced it.Installation: It took me about an hour to install the lock, but half of the time was trying to find screws that I dropped, my tools, etc. I didn't have to do any chiseling or any other modifications to my door, it fit perfectly where the prior Schlage deadbolt hardware was (not counting a little bit of a residue from the ring on the old deadbolt). The video that was provided in the app was helpful and well done.App: The main reason for buying this lock is if you are going to use the app and the "smart" features. I first downloaded the app for my iPhone. My wife and I both have an iPhone and we created an account and installed our keys no problem. Also sent an eKey to my mother-in-law, who also has an iPhone. No problems on iOS. I also wanted my teenage daughter to have a key, and by this point I needed to purchase an additional eKey (as only 2 are included). It cost me a few bucks after tax. I wasn't excited about purchasing another key, but the price isn't too bad for the convenience.After purchasing the key and unsuccessfully downloading the app, I learned that my daughter's phone (an LG Flex 2) isn't one of the 3 brands that Kevo supports (a few models of Nexus, Samsung, or the HTC One M9) although it has Android 5.1 installed. I didn't see the fine print that only "select models" were available until after I purchased the eKey. CHECK THE WEB SITE TO MAKE SURE YOUR PHONE IS SUPPORTED BEFORE YOU BUY A KEY. I removed one star for this information not as clear as it could have been.UPDATE TO REVIEW: based on some research, I found that this lock appeared to be easily broken into. However, Kwikset provided me some useful information about some of the top locksmiths attempting to break in (in fact, I think it's in a response to this review). I really appreciate how they not only replied to my review, but also a few tweets. They really did their detective work and want to make sure the proper information is getting out there.There does appear to be a "Smart Key / Dumb Key Force Tool" that may be able to pick the lock which costs about $100. Kwikset told me that by law, these aren't supposed to be sold to anyone but Locksmiths... Hopefully that is the case, and the average criminal probably isn't carrying one of these around. Fortunately, I have an alarm system and will continue to be relying on that. It is really a tradeoff of security vs. convenience and I wish I knew more before I bought this and installed it. Hope this is helpful to you.I raised my review up to 4 stars from 2 stars, because of the updated information that Kwikset provided and taking the time to do the research. It made me feel more comfortable with my purchase. Hopefully they will make additional apps available.