Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Smart Locks for Common House

[Scott Drennan (scottd]

We chose fobs/cards instead of cell phone or keypad. 
The fobs are individually assignable and can be activated and deactivated 
separately.
We wanted something which operates independent of Internet and WiFi access, for 
improved privacy, security and long-term usability. We have one person who 
manages activating/deactivating/changing fob permissions, with a backup person 
for resiliency.

How many locks do you have on your Common House? We have a total of 10 across 3 
buildings, so your needs may be simpler, but I'd still recommend something 
which is locally controlled. And what do you currently have? Locks with keys?

cheers,
Scott
Treehouse Village Ecohousing
Bridgewater, Nova Scotia

On Thu, Oct 23, 2025, at 1:16 PM, Diane Craig via Cohousing-L wrote:
> Gainesville Cohousing is looking to upgrade its common house locks.  We are
> looking at two that can be opened with a cell phone (Apple or Android),
> along with a keypad.  We want to be able to change codes more frequently
> without frustrating the community, assign or remove guest codes to
> non-members, and lock/unlock the door remotely.
> 
> The two we are looking at are the *Ultraloq Bolt Fingerprint (with u-tec
> app)* and the *Schlage Encode Smart Wifi Deadbolt Lock*.
> 
> Does anyone have experience with either of these products or another smart
> lock with remote access?
> 
> If yes, do you have one person who logs into the app to manage the codes or
> multiple members who can do this?   What are the pros and cons of using
> these locks in your community?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Diane Craig
> Gainesville Cohousing
> Gainesville, FL
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