theuerkorn's Full Review: Kwikset 908 11P Venetian Bronze Fingerprint Electr...
It has been 18 months that the first Smartscan accepted the mission to manage access through the front door, and the initial concerns were all okay thorughout this period that another one recently follow (for the back door). It still wasn't so much for the biometric security feature, but more for the convenience to manage access (i.e. house sitter) without having to deal with keys. In fact, I had a friend stay for a few weeks and it was very easy to grant and remove access at any time without the possibility to copy a key.
IN A NUTSHELL
While the main feature is biometric (electronic) access control, both keyed entry and the interior lever are present, traditional hacking methods still largely apply and the electronic portion does nothing to address such issues (i.e. breaking windows in the door to reach the lever inside). According to one vendor, the hardware recently received a revision, but function and design are virtually identical. Both versions contain the bump guard to protect from a recently very popularized hacking process called "bumping". This is achieved by replacing the traditional susceptible pin tumbler design to a bump guard.
Overall usage under normal conditions is fairly simple, even though some users in the house had problems to repeatedly place and swipe the finger to have the lock read successfully. I myself had very rarely the situation that the first or second swipe were not successful, with exception of a cut in my finger during a home project which rendered the biometric function useless for a week (as it didn't recognize my print w/ the cut in it).
The subtle design and good flexibility in user control makes it a good choice for home owners that need to give access to others at times. The Venetian Bronze finish is very elegant and is only slightly brighter than the same finish by Schlage (the maker of my other door hardware).
DETAILS
Design: [*****] - Pick this one for curb appeal as it looks very much like a traditional deadbolt without the bulk of a keypad. It is only slightly bigger and it requires an "insider" that the little thumb tab gives away the type of lock. This is not the case on the inside where a large housing holds the batteries and electronics along with a manual knob to unlock or lock from the inside. Yet, outdoors the stealth design was certainly the main argument in favor of the SmartScan. It's available in three colors: Venetian Bronze, Polished Brass and Satin Nickel. The latter has been serving my for a while, and the Bronze version simply fit better in the new location as it virtually blends with the Schlage lock on that one.
Installation: [***--] - The deadbolt fits a standard 2 1/8" hole without any modifications. Smaller holes must be opened up in order for the control unit to seat properly. Provided you got the right size, it's relatively easy to install and only the (rather large) control unit on the inside requires three screws to mount to the door. Since that box extends to the top, the SmartScan needs to be the top most lock in the door. It is recommended for doors with windows to also have dual sided deadbolt added. In that configuration the SmartScan only fits on top. Important: the deadbolt has to fully extend in order to unlock via Smartscan again. Make sure the receiving opening is large enough or you might find yourself outside the home as it locks but apparently doesn't reach a sensor (limit switch) and appears to think it's open and won't do anything.
Batteries: [****-] - ... are not included. The unit runs off four AA batteries which are also in the control box and that makes the lock independent from an external power supply. However, SmartScan is restricted to standard (non-rechargeable) batteries and according to the manufacturer won't function with NiMH or other technologies that only supply 1.2V instead of the typical 1.5V. I've been using Energizer Lithium batteries, and one set lasts well over a year (18 months) with 3 - 5 daily activations. In fact, I simply replaced batteries because it sounded like it was working harder than it used to and not because the batteries were completely depleted. Don't know how much longer it would have worked, but possibly a month or more.
Setup: [****-] - Once in place, the computer needs to be told which way the dead bolt locks (left or right, depending on which side the door is hung). Then one needs to set up the administrator (the one who can add, delete or change users). Each user can be assigned a name (cycling through the alphabet to enter letters) and three levels of access. Two of these levels can be customized regarding which time of the day and what day of the week. - homeowners and family (continuous access 24/7) - temporary access, i.e. contractors (day of the week) - baby sitters or housekeepers (restricted time/day)
Usage: [****-] - It works just any other lock, with the additional keyless entry which opens the deadbolt by simply swiping your finger. Over the years this has become a fairly robust technology. At home you're unlikely to worry about the maximum of 50 users, or for added robustness you could also store more than one print per person to make sure cuts and burns don't keep you from entering your own house. Of course it's sometimes as simple as not having the scanned hand available (i.e. carrying groceries). While the SmartScan reads deep into the sub dermal layers to provide more reliability by being less susceptible to nicks, scratches and dirt; it's not without problems at least having a cut myself rendered the device unusable for a week. Otherwise that seems to work well, with one user having more "problems" than the other to be recognized. It helps to touch the sensor first and wait for the yellow light before attempting to swipe. Finger orientation and speed appear to have an influence on the recognition. (Sometimes is just good to have a key.)
SmartKey: [****-] - The SmartScan is also a SmartKey device which is a rather interesting answer to lost keys, even though in light of the SmartScan feature the question might come up why one needs a key anyway. Well, there are times when the electronic portion doesn't work and exhausted batteries being one of them. Anyway, the user is able to teach the unit to accept virtually any key that fits in the hole. Kwikset sell a re-keying set which includes both keys and the tool. In order to change keys, simply insert the old one and remove it at a defined position. Inserting the new one and returning to normal position teaches to lock to accept the new key (only). For safety reasons the old key is obviously required to start the change which excludes "lost keys" as an application for this feature.
Problems: [n/a] - While generally very reliable, it's not fool-proof and probably cannot be expected to ever be. The device reads of your warm hand and relies on your finger print to not only be repeatably presented but also to not change. Changes can render your prints unrecognizable. If you're getting into a lot of water (i.e. pool) enough to shrivel your skin like a prune, it's typically very difficult to get a positive reading for a few minutes. I already mentioned the effect of cuts and when deep enough they too can prevent access. In my case it took a week to heal and allow the biometric access again. Further, very cold fingers (i.e. after a snowball fight) may not be able to wake the device up. All these are good reasons to not discard the included key too quickly, at least make sure to scan one finger of EACH hand for backup.
Value: [****-] - At a retail price of over $200, the SmartScan is an expensive replacement for a lock that typically costs around $50. Further, the Venetian Bronze finish adds about $30 to the cost relative to the Satin Nickel. Special offers are very hard to find and I actually had an online store decline the order as they were out of stock. Hence it's very difficult to find any bargains and $199 appears to be lowest price anywhere. However, the true value of the SmartScan is not security. The detailed programming and restricted access of a number of frequent or occasional users sets it apart from traditional locks. It allows to control access without every having to hand out a key. Therefor they cannot be lost and unauthorized copies are a matter of the past too. Keys also don't give access only at a certain time of the day if desired.
Our innovative SmartScan biometric deadbolt featuring new SmartKey- technology, combines the convenience of keyless entry with the advanced security o...More at Handle Sets.com
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