Schalge Sense Smart Deadbolt Now Works With Android

As if the smartphone platform wars weren't bad enough, the rivalry between iOS and Android also threatens to invade our homes. Lines are drawn between Apple's HomeKit and Google's Android, with some smart home products supporting one but not the other. Fortunately, companies like Schlage want to be embrace as many as they can. Better late than never, the security company is proudly announcing Android support in their Sense Smart Deadbolt. The cherry on top is the new Sense Wi-Fi Adapter that will let you keep in touch with the Smart Deadbolt no matter where you are.

There is no lack of smart door locks in the market, and some of those do take sides. What makes Schlage Sense unique, even when it supported only one mobile platform, was that you didn't actually need an existing smart home setup to use it. This makes it an easy way into the whole smart home trend. Next to smart light bulbs, of course.

Part of that is because the Sense actually relies on keycodes rather than sometimes easily spoofed wireless control. It does use Bluetooth to help ensure that the person entering the code is really the person linked to that code. The closest you can get to an automated smart lock is if you have an Apple TV nearby, allowing you to remotely control the deadbolt.

Android users need no longer feel left out, now that the free Android app will let them access almost all those functions, save for the Apple TV part. You can set as many as 30 unique access codes for family and friends, set times for when you allow guests to use those codes, or view which codes have been used. All without having to connect the Schlage Sense to a smart home system. You also don't need any paid subscription for such functionality.

But with Schlage's new Sense Wi-Fi Adapter, the deadbolt gets some new powers when you do decide to connect it to your home network. You can easily check the Sense's state remotely or have it send you notifications when it gets unlocked. And, no, you still don't need to connect to or pay for a smart home platform.

The Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt is available for $229 from Apple, Lowe's, and Home Depot, both online and in brick and mortar stores. Meanwhile, the shiny new Sense Wi-Fi Adapter retails for $69.99 from the same stores.