Schlage Connect vs Sense: Pros & Cons and Verdict

Home security is a major issue, and lots of people are trying to enhance their overall safety levels. There are dozens of gadgets on the market that promise to increase your security, and one of the most popular and frequently bought products is the smart lock.

Smart locks are innovative products that replace your traditional lock with a more intelligent and reliable deadbolt. Lots of manufacturers promise to create the best locks on the market.

Sadly, not all those promises can be trusted since the majority of those manufacturers advertise poorly-built and nonfunctional devices.

On the bright side, Schlage is one of the most reliable manufacturers and has released several best-selling smart locks that are highly-trusted and well-built.

In this Schlage Sense vs Connect article, we’ll discuss, compare and evaluate the most critical aspects of both smart locks. We’ll also present a few detailed charts, and lastly, we’ll come up with a reasonable verdict and crown either of these two as a leading product.

Installation Process

The first thing we need to write about is the installation processes of both smart locks since no one likes purchasing devices that are hard to install. Everyone looks for products that have simple setup processes that don’t require any professional interference.

Since both Schlage Sense and Connect are from the same manufacturer, they have similar installation processes (the pairing process is different since one of them works with HomeKit and the other with Z-Wave and ZigBee). I won’t write a step-by-step guide since there’s a beautiful guide uploaded on YouTube that perfectly explains how to setup your Schlage smart lock.

If you still find it hard to understand the steps that are required to activate your smart lock, make sure to check the user’s manual for further guidance. Alternatively, reach out to the support team of Schlage. Those guys are superb and will help with anything you think is relevant.

Design

The next topic to cover is the design of Schlage Sense and Connect. Today, everyone looks for products that are both functional and good-looking. If these two smart locks fail to satisfy the eye, buyers will start looking for alternative devices.

Modern shoppers always look for products that improve the overall appearance of the indoor and outdoor surroundings. If a device isn’t attractive, they don’t see the need for purchasing it.

Luckily, Schlage Connect and Sense are well-known for being well-designed and eye-catching smart locks. I’ve personally owned these two and have discussed the matter with other Schlage owners.

As it turns out, the majority is quite happy with how the smart lock looks. People even mentioned how their guests love to compliment the deadbolt’s design.

If you don’t know how Schlage Connect and Schlage Sense look, take a look at the picture posted above. It’s arguable that these two models are the best-looking products on the market.

Features

What we need to do next is find out the features of Schlage Sense and Connect. It’s important to know the features of both smart locks to know precisely how they differ and what they have in common.

To do so, we’ve created a detailed chart where we’ve included all the main features of both Schlage Connect and Schlage Sense.

So both of these smart locks have nearly identical features with some differences that might play a significant role while choosing the right fit. For example, if you prefer the Amazon Alexa integration over being HomeKit-enabled, it’s better to purchase the Schlage Connect since it’ll be more convenient and flexible.

Regarding features, the main differences are that Schlage Connect is Amazon Alexa compatible and the Sense model works with Siri. That can be considered as the critical aspect to determine which lock to purchase.

The Connect model is cheaper than the Schlage Sense. As well as being cheaper,  it seems more homeowners trust the Schlage Connect since at the time of writing this article it’s also one of the best-seller smart locks on the market.

Performance

The performance can be considered as the crucial aspect of our comparison article so we definitely need to talk about how well these smart locks perform. If Schlage Sense and Connect can’t meet the minimum requirements of a  buyer, it’s better to look for alternative products on the market.

Luckily, Schlage Connect and Sense are well-known for having excellent performance capabilities with outstanding features and high durability. These two locks are best-selling products on Amazon and have high ratings with thousands of positive reviews.

What we need to find out now is if those claims are valid. We must know how well these two locks perform and whether they can meet the high expectations and hopes we have.

Schlage Connect

Schlage Connect is an easy-to-use smart lock that is highly dependent. It never bugs, works well and delivers sharp results. We’ve personally tested the lock and talked about its capabilities with other Schlage Connect owners. As the majority noted, it’s the best smart lock they’ve used.

Whenever you want to unlock the smart lock, just tap the ‘Schlage’ logo and enter the four to eight digit passcode. If the green light shows up, you’re allowed to enter. As for the locking process, you can do it manually, or another option is to activate the ‘auto-lock’ feature that’ll automatically lock the door in 30 seconds after unlocking it.

The battery life of Schlage Connect is terrific. As the company stated and from our personal experience, it does last for about a year. Don’t worry about the lock suddenly dying; there will be a notification when the battery runs low. Just in case, you can carry the backup key for extreme situations.

As for the Amazon Alexa integration, it went smoothly, without any complications. From what we’ve experienced and tested, we never had a single problem with Alexa. The smart lock ideally followed all the commands.

Also, we also connected Schlage Connect with Z-Wave devices, and as expected, the sync was flawless.

Schlage Sense

Schlage Sense is nearly identical to its brother smart lock, Schlage Connect. The main difference between these two is that the Sense model is HomeKit-enabled. In other words, instead of being Amazon Alexa integrable, it follows Siri voice commands.

The unlocking process of the Sense model is a bit different. There was a request from the customer base to remove the ‘tap on the Schlage logo to unlock’ feature. Whenever you check the manual, don’t let it confuse you: it’s written wrongly.

Alternatively, you can give Siri a command to unlock the door; or using the mobile application is another option. Lastly, having the backup key with you grants another means of opening the door.

As for the locking process, you can activate the ‘auto-lock’ feature, tell Siri to do so or simply tap the ‘Schlage’ logo to lock the door manually. What makes the ‘Auto-Lock’ feature of the Sense model different is that it allows the owner to set when (in how many seconds or minutes) Schlage should lock itself.

You can also give temporary access to guests, dog walkers or grocery delivery services so that they can unlock the door at certain times of the day.

Security

Besides everything we’ve discussed, it’s essential to know if these locks are safe to use. We need to be sure that they offer superior safety levels compared to our traditional deadbolts. Otherwise, there’s no use in purchasing these shiny gadgets.

If they can’t enhance our home security levels and are as easily breakable as our traditional locks, we shouldn’t even bother paying for those devices.

Schlage Connect

ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 is the highest home security rating that a smart lock can have. Although some might consider the Schlage Connect as a smart lock that lacks some key features, no one can deny the superiority of the lock regarding security.

Besides having a bank-grade encryption, the Connect model has an anti-pick shield and a fingerprint-resistant finish so that it’s impossible to figure the code by looking at fingerprint marks.

What I love – and the feature that makes the Schlage Connect standout from its competitors – is the built-in alarm. For example, if someone tries to enter codes for too many times or if someone breaks into your house, Schlage Connect will activate the 90-dB siren, which is quite loud.

What makes the feature even better is the fact that you can configure sensitivity levels. Schlage Connect might sound the siren without reason; if it happens too often, simply lower the sensitivity so that it becomes more focused.

Schlage Sense

Schlage Sense is as secure as the Connect model. It also has the ANSI/BHMA Grade rating and offers an optional reinforcement plate for extra security measures.

Schlage Sense has an anti-pick shield and a fingerprint-resistant finish. If someone tries to mess with the smart lock, Schlage Sense will sound the 90-dB siren.

While these two smart locks have the highest security levels, it would’ve been pretty cool if they had something similar to Kwikset’s SecureScreen feature. It would’ve made the Schlage Sense and Connect extra-class.

Mobile Application

Before moving any further, we need to know how well the mobile application of Schlage functions. We need to be sure that it’s free of bugs and glitches. It’ll be a waste if it regularly crashes and causes an unwanted headache.

The Schlage mobile application is nothing fancy, and we won’t talk about it as something exceptional or extraordinary. It’s a simple, easy to use mobile app that gets the job done.

A huge downfall of the Connect is that you can only manually change the codes assigned to people and not easily add and remove entry codes like you can in the Schlage Sense app.

The homepage of Schlage’s mobile application displays the name of your house, installed locks, the status of the smart lock and latest activity.

You can control your smart lock from the mobile application and can add users and assign what level of control they’ll have over the Schlage.

Smart Home Compatibility

Both of these smart locks are third-party integration friendly. For example, Schlage Connect happily integrates with big names like SmartThings and Wink. Besides these two, Schlage Connect can integrate with all Z-Wave devices and Amazon Alexa on top.

As for the Sense model, it integrates with Apple HomeKit. Also, the Schlage Sense works with some HomeKit-enabled devices such as Ecobee3 and Ecobee4, Nest Cam and Canary, Philips Hue and others.

Frankly, Schlage Sense and Connect are third-party integration friendly devices that work with the majority of famous names in the smart home industry.

The Bottom Line

Schlage Connect and Schlage Sense are top-notch smart locks that offer high-quality features, superior capabilities and enhanced performance. These two have bank-grade encryption and are highly-secured locks.

The main difference between them is the integrations. If you prefer the Apple HomeKit integration, purchase the Schlage Sense model. If you prefer Amazon Alexa, then the Schlage Connect is the right one for you.

On the other hand, if none of these integrations means anything to you, consider purchasing the Schlage Connect since it’s cheaper and more homeowners trust this specific model since it’s the best-selling smart lock on Amazon.