How many locks have a built-in alarm, like Schlage BE469 ??

[grndslm]

Have three doors at my house. Thinking of replacing all three deadbolts with this BE469... but they are kinda expensive, and I'd be content with only having this on the main, front door. If there are other deadbolts with an alarm built-in for half the price, I'd love to know what they are?

This Schlage Connect BE469 deadbolt looks extremely impressive to me... what do the pros think about it? Obviously, I'd need to make sure nobody behind me can see the code....

[zeke79]

A monitored alarm would probably go further for your money. Just my $.02.

[billdeserthills]

You know this lock can be bumped or picked open, right?

[grndslm]

A monitored alarm would probably go further for your money. Just my $.02.

These are very, very similar to monitored alarms and much more. Since they can connect to "smarthub", zwave, whatever devices... these locks can, at minimum, send me a text... both my GF and me a text. I think I'd even be able to hook it up to the Amazon Echo, so that when someone knocks on the door, and I see thru the living room window it's someone I know... I can just say "Open Sesame", and it will unlock the front door. Or I can unlock the door while I'm at work and a relative needs to come drop something off without having to leave it outside. This lock is easily worth the $135 I just paid for each on Amazon Warehouse's Cyber Monday 15% discount deal in "Like New" condition with just some "damaged packaging". I think it's EASILY worth it. When I move... the locks are coming with me!!

You know this lock can be bumped or picked open, right?

It could be bumped, but there's going to be a very obnoxious noise every time they bump it... similar to a smoke detector. Pretty sure they won't be bumping it a second time. The common criminal, who I'm most afraid of... would easily be deterred more by a beeping noise upon [attempted] entry than from a deadbolt. There's always the rock thru the window method, remember?

Plus, I hear that Lowes and Home Depot both re-key locks, provided you have the old and new key or something like that. For ~$5, it can't be beat. Hopefully they can drop a couple spool pins in each one. Would probably prevent 96% of illegal lockpickers out there. If they won't do it, then I'll just do it myself. But they *are* all going to be keyed alike... so I will be putting some type of security pins in them. Think spool pins would suffice for me.

[zeke79]

Glad you found a deal on them. I hope they fill your needs.

[billdeserthills]

The common criminal won't give a darn, he will just smash your windows

[grndslm]

Where should I buy some spool / serrated pins from? Home Depot said they'd install them for me if I brought them in, because they're no different from installing regular pins. But I think that's incorrect after getting off the phone. They likely won't replace the top pins, while I was thinking those pins were the bottom pins. Maybe I could get her to replace the outter top pins with spool pins. That should be easy enough, I'd think.

But where's the cheapest place to buy a few of each Schlage pins? Anybody know the diameter of the pins in this deadbolt? I see there are a few available to purchase.

[GWiens2001]

Where should I buy some spool / serrated pins from? Home Depot said they'd install them for me if I brought them in, because they're no different from installing regular pins. But I think that's incorrect after getting off the phone. They likely won't replace the top pins, while I was thinking those pins were the bottom pins. Maybe I could get her to replace the outter top pins with spool pins. That should be easy enough, I'd think.

But where's the cheapest place to buy a few of each Schlage pins? Anybody know the diameter of the pins in this deadbolt? I see there are a few available to purchase.

He means that installing the spool driver pins are no different from installing regular driver pins. And he is right, they are easy enough. As for where to get them... there are many places. Here is one that popped up in a Google search. They have serrated driver pins and spool driver pins. (They list the serrated as 'serrated spool pins', but there are just serrated).

The pin diameter you are looking for is .115". So don't buy the ones that say A2, since those are for SFIC and are .108" diameter.

When it comes to driver pins (plain, serrated, spool, etcetera) for your Schlage, the length of the driver pin is not going to matter very much. You can use ones from most common lock brands without problems. Kwikset spool pins will fit. Yale will, too. Brinks, Master (deadbolt pins, not padlock pins), Corbin, Sargent... the list could go on all night. So if you decide to go to eBay, and they only list Sargent or Emtek or Kwikset or Dexter spool pins, they will fit.

Good luck, and have fun!

Gordon

[grndslm]

Ahhh.... yes,I ran across that site as well. But at the bottom, it just said "Sizes available", so I thought they were referring to diameter. Had I just looked at the drop-down menu, I would've noticed the size they were referring to was length.

Even still, tho... out of the available lengths (.155, .160, .170, .172, .190, .200, .235), I'm assuming I should either go with the shortest available (.155, .160) or perhaps somewhere in the middle (.170, .172, .190). Shortest or mid-length?

And then the last question is whether serrated pins or spool pins would be a better deterrent against bump keying? Spool pins are a good enough deterrent for "traditional" lockpicking, IMO. But are either serrated or spool pins better against bump keying than the other?

[GWiens2001]

Sometimes serrated is better than spools against picking, especially if you thread the pin channels.

Neither have much effect on bumping. For that, you can get Schlage T-pins, which also come with strong springs. They help. Varying spring tensions (strengths) also help, since the rebound rate is different, throwing off the timing when bumping.

Not an expert at bumping, as I prefer not to do things that so easily damage the lock. But when I set up a lock for friends who are concerned with bumping, I put in a couple T-pins, and have at least one cut of the key be the deepest cut possible. Then put a very weak spring on that pin stack. This makes it so if someone is bumping, it is very easy to overset that pin stack. Also, I make the pin stack at the tip of the key very shallow (short key pin) and have an extra strong spring there. That means you have to really whack the key to get that pin to go high enough to set that pin, pretty much assuring that the deep cut pin has to be over-set.

If you do use an extra heavy duty spring, only put it in the pin stack at the tip of the key to reduce key wear on all the pin stacks.

And, of course, if you get a disc detainer lock such as an Abloy, or a driverless lock like a BiLock, then you have no concerns with bumping.

Just a few ideas you may consider. Members who do a lot of bumping may have better input, or may think my ideas don't work. If so, hopefully they will speak up, as bumping is not my forte.

Gordon

[grndslm]

I just tried to pick this lock last night with the two picks I own, and I'm willing to bet this thing has 3 or more security pins in it. I'm confident that it's pick resistant enough to my standards. I wish someone would but one and try to bump it open... But I ain't gonna do it.

Maybe I'll just see if I can get them re-keyed alike and THEN I'll try to see what the driver pins actually look like.

What does Grade 1 Security mean anyway? Is there a standard definition of this, or is that a Schlage specific understanding?