Best Smart Lock For Double Doors (2024)

For those of us that have double doors, smart locks can be hard to find. Lucky for you I have found the best smart lock for these situations.

The best smart lock for double doors is the August Smart Lock with 3rd Gen technology. Double doors are often really hard to install a smart lock since they both move, so the August smart lock, which integrates directly into your existing deadbolt, circumvents many issues that people face.

There is a lot to know about smart locks on double doors, so read on to become a pro!

Last update on 2023-10-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

 

Most Smart Locks will work

The truth of the matter is that double doors don’t truly require a special lock to get working. They can usually just take a regular smart lock that replaces your existing deadbolt and then you are ready to go.

That is why there really isn’t any information about this when you google it. There are very few specific things that are required in a double door set up, and therefore most smart locks will work just fine.

I recommend the August smart lock because it is a great lock, and it will actually work fine in any home.

Best Smart Lock For Double Doors

Things to Think About

The key with smart lock shopping is finding a list of things that you want your lock to do, and then finding a lock that matches those needs.

If you do it backward by looking at different smart locks and their features first, you might be disappointed with what you get after discovering the capabilities of other smart locks.

As long as you do plenty of research into what you want, then you will not be disappointed. Go to the bottom of this article for why exactly I recommend the August Smart Lock.

Here are some common things you should think about when you want to invest in a smart lock:

 

Will your doors work?

This really is the most important question when you are looking to install a smart lock. Many people order their smart locks on Amazon without doing much research and quickly learn that their door simply will not work.

The most important thing when it comes to knowing if your door can use a smart lock has more to do with the door than the actual lock.

You need to ask yourself if your door shifts at all.

Now what I mean by that is sometimes in the summer/winter, people’s doors will stretch and shift because of the temperature.

A great example of a door that will not work is one that in the spring requires you to lift the door a touch in order to lock it fully.

A door and door frame like this is a very bad spot for a smart lock simply because your smart lock doesn’t have the ability to put any other pressure on your door than it takes to slide the deadbolt back and forth. I wish they were that smart!

You should be able to lock your door very simply and easily with the use of one finger. That is a great indication if your door will work or not.

This is double as important with double doors since you will usually have twice the amount of shifting because of their size. Hopefully, you have been living in your current home for over a year and know all about this sort of thing.

 

Wifi Connectivity through a Wifi bridge

Smart locks are awesome, and what makes them awesome is more than just being able to open your door with your phone.

Imagine you leave your California home to go see what the beaches are like on the other side of the United States. You leave the care of your home in the hands of your neighbor Greg while you are away. Greg needs to water your plants and feed your dogs and cats. Greg really means well, but he loses your house key, and he doesn’t have a smartphone to access your smart lock either. What do you do? Well, if you have internet access, unlocking your house from a different side of the country is not only possible but actually really easy.

I tell that story because it illustrates a really simple situation where having a wifi-enabled smart lock is helpful, but in all reality when you are really going to find it useful is in emergencies.

Maybe your house is flooding and you need to let your neighbor inside so that he can shut off your water, or possible you are immobilized from a broken leg and can’t let anybody in to help because you are upstairs. That is where these locks really are lifesavers.

If your device isn’t wifi enabled, you are basically just turning your phone into an analog key and that’s it. You have the ability to add other people’s devices, but its a pain.

Okay, having wifi is all well and good, but if it’s hosted in your smart lock you are in for changing batteries a lot more often.

Many smart locks that have Wifi built into the lock itself have really bad battery life where you end up changing the batteries every month.

The best option is to get a smart lock that connects to some sort of hub that is plugged into the wall which connects you to Wifi.

Z-Wave or something similar is an excellent example of this. This is called a Wifi bridge, and they are great. You get the best of both worlds in terms of battery life as well as connection ability. I would say that you need this feature or you might as well not get a smart lock at all.

 

Keypad or analog lock

Many people think it is a good idea to get a smart lock and have your phone as the only way to get into your home. That is a really bad idea.

You really do want some sort of backup plan in case you do not have your phone on hand. I would say that 95% of smart locks have some sort of feature like this, so you don’t have to worry about it too much.

Is that being said, which one is better?

Personally, I actually prefer the keypad. A keypad makes it much easier to allow guests entry into your home and such, while an analog lock requires you to give them a key. of course there is a lot more to it than just personal preference on use.

In general, having a keypad on your lock is expensive. You are looking at double the price you would pay for a lock that uses your normal deadbolt. Some people really don’t need the added feature that is mainly for guests because they rarely have overnight guests.

Another thing about keypad locks is that they are a lot harder to install when compared to the August lock, and have a few more requirements.

The August lock only needs one set of requirements because it is only on one side of the door, while a keypad lock needs a whole other set of requirements because it is on both sides of the door as well as through.

This type of thing really comes down to how much you are willing to spend, what your needs are, and your level of technical experience in the field of installing things like door deadbolts.

If you have the cash, compatibility, and feel like you are up to the task of completely replacing your current door system then getting a keypad type smart lock like the ones from Schlage is definitely on the table.

 

Why the August Smart Lock?

Like I have said before, the main issue with double doors is that the lock might shift things around and make your lock unusable.

With double doors adding more complication to the deadbolt process, having a lock that just adds on to your existing lock makes the process of installing this a lot easier and headache-free.

The August smart lock doesn’t come wifi enabled from the box, but it can be if you buy the August Wifi Bridge for your home.

Now that it is Wifi enabled, you can have all the features that I consider necessary to really enjoy having a smart lock. You could even invest in the smart lock now and buy the bridge later, breaking up your costs a little bit.

For both the Lock and the Wifi bridge you are looking at a $$$ USD investment, which really isn’t bad all things considered.

As long as your doors aren’t too finicky, installation should be a breeze. This lock really is awesome!

 

Related Questions

Can Smart Locks be Hacked? There have been a few recorded cases of a smart lock getting hacked, but it is a lot easier to pick the deadbolt than it is to hack a smart lock.

Do all smart locks require a hub? Many smart locks use Bluetooth to connect directly to your phone, and others will connect directly to the internet. A hub is not required by all smart locks to have internet access, but many use them because it helps preserve battery life.

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Author

Edward Clark
Edward Clark, with 15 years of hands-on experience, is a distinguished expert in smart locks and home security systems. He holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering with a focus on Cybersecurity and is a member of the Electronic Security Association (ESA). His credentials include certifications from ASIS International, IAPP, CompTIA, NTS, and CEDIA. With expertise spanning risk management, electronic security, and data privacy, he's been featured in The Guardian, Forbes, Wired, and more. Edward's mission: guiding individuals toward secure homes using the latest technologies.

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