FOR RESIDENTS: If you believe your smart lock battery is low and needs to be replaced, please contact your maintenance/property management team as soon as possible to avoid a lockout.
Full Batteries = Happy Residents
Maintaining smart lock batteries in your Homebase community is a key part of a healthy and happy smart building for both residents and staff.
That being said, here are a couple of things to note:
We recommend changing batteries annually to avoid lockouts. It's best to pair battery replacements with other annual tasks your maintenance team is already handling (i.e., air filters, swapping smoke detector batteries, etc.)
Homebase actually will alert you when a resident's lock battery is low, but only if your residents and staff are interacting with locks using their mobile apps.
You can see the last time each lock was talked to (and what the battery status is) in both the Homebase Manager App and on the Homebase Manager desktop site by clicking on the lock(s) you want to view. We show you how to do this in the steps below.
That means that using a key fob won't tell you what the battery status is, as fobs aren't connected to the internet. Smartphones, of course, are connected to the internet.
Each time either a resident or staff member uses their Homebase app, it checks the battery levels of the lock(s) it's talking to.
If your community only uses fobs (or your staff rarely uses the Manager App), you will not receive updates on battery statuses. Thus, it's good practice to swap out batteries annually, as mentioned above.
Even if your community rarely uses mobile phones, the locks will tell you when their batteries are low. They will start to move and beep more slowly, and take longer to unlock. Please educate your residents to look for these signs and to contact your team immediately if they notice this change.
In Summary: If you're not currently using your Homebase App, start doing it. The App is far superior to using key fobs and will save you and your team tons of time and headaches.
How to Check Battery Levels in Homebase
You can check battery levels in Mobile Manager as instructed below.
First, you must stand within 30 feet of the lock to interact with it using your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone.
After opening your Mobile Manager app, select the lock that you would like to check. If you are near multiple locks, they will show up in the list so it's important to select the correct lock. The lock will blink red when you are connected to it.
Scroll down and select "Update Lock" (or "Update Key Access" depending on the version of Homebase you're on). Once the update is completed, you can view the lock's battery level on this same screen.
Please note: if the light above the Schlage logo blinks red even when no buttons have been pressed, the battery is critically low and MUST be replaced immediately. See battery replacement instructions below.
HOW TO REPLACE SCHLAGE SMARTLOCK BATTERIES
When replacing the backplate after swapping out the batteries, do not over-tighten the screws on the lock's backplate. This can bend the backplate causing the battery connections to be warped and the batteries to drain & lose their charge very quickly.
Schlage recommends using Premium Alkaline Batteries for all electronic locks. Lithium, rechargeable, and older battery technologies may cause undesirable operation.
All Schlage smart and electronic locks are equipped with low battery warnings. When presented with this warning, it's best to replace your batteries immediately to ensure continued, reliable operation. When replacing the batteries, it's best to use new, unused alkaline batteries.
IF A SMART LOCK APPEARS TO BE COMPLETELY DEAD
If a lock appears to be completely dead, you can try jumping it with a 9V battery and a key fob to gain entry and swap the batteries. Please see the instructions here:
https://kc.allegion.com/kb/article/how-do-you-unlock-a-schlage-control-lock-that-has-a-dead-battery/
Homebase installs the following Schlage Smart Lock Models:
Schlage BE467
Schlage FE410
Schlage NDE
Schlage CTE
Let us know if you have any questions, we're here and happy to help!