Battery Life on Yale Keyless Touchscreen Z-Wave Deadbolt

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1

We have two Yale Keyless Touchscreen Z-wave deadbolts integrated into our 2GIG system.

We probably use the touchscreen to lock/unlock the doors 1-3 times per day, and we lock them through the system when we set the alarm every night.

We’re having to replace the batteries pretty much every 30 days. Is this normal? We had different Z-Wave deadbolts on a system at our previous house that seemed to last MUCH longer than these.

2

Unfortunately I’m going to have to say yes. I’ve got two of them as well and every 30 days they gobble up another set of batteries too.

Which ones did you have previously? I’m looking to add a third z-wave deadbolt here but don’t want the burden of the battery dance if I can avoid it this time.

3

At the old house we had Kwiksets; I believe they were model 910s but am not positive. The entry panel was not a touchscreen and had raised push-buttons. Each button shared two numbers (1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, 9 and 0), and there was also a “lock” button.

Those sets were very reliable and did not tax batteries very hard at all. Seems like we might have changed batteries once a YEAR, instead of once a MONTH like these Yale sets. I guess the touchscreen on the Yales must suck a lot of juice?

4

There are a few things that can affect battery life on a lock.

  1. Frequency of use, although 5-6 times a day should be very normal.
  2. Physical struggle at the bolt. If the bolt does not retract and extend cleanly, or if the door has enough play that the bolt can scrape against the strike plate, this can chew through the batteries pretty fast.
  3. Z-wave network strength. If the Z-wave network is not strong enough or the deadbolt is too far away from the network/controller, the deadbolt battery can be drained pretty quickly by strained communication and repeated status signals. If you do not have enough (or especially, any) repeating nodes between lock and controller, this can be the problem. Locks have a very limited optimal range.
5

Nope, sorry Warren but none of those are true for me. My struggle with the battery life on these locks is well documented here over the past year. The Yale touchscreen deadbolts are battery hogs. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look and the functionality but I buy AA batteries by the 100s on Amazon.

6

Thanks Warren. I don’t think I’m dealing with those issues either, but those are all good thoughts.

At this rate I’ll be going through nearly 100 AAs a year to keep these two locks fed. I’m probably going to get rid of them for something similar to what I used to have. In the long run that will be cheaper, more environmentally-friendly, and less of a pain in my rear.

7
At this rate I’ll be going through nearly 100 AAs a year to keep these two locks fed

Have you tried a factory default of one of the locks to see if that makes a difference after re-adding and running a network rediscovery?

See the manual on page 3.

8

I did remove and then re-add one of them, and then ran a network rediscovery. I’ll status-check the battery every day to see if that reduces the drain. If it works I’ll repeat with the other. If it doesn’t I’ll do a factory default too.

9

I have one touch screen and 2 push button Yale locks that average a battery replacement every 2.5 to 3 months. I never thought it was an issue and honestly still don’t, but I’m going 2 to 3 longer on my locks. I’ve switched to rechargeables earlier this year which is helping out a bit.

10

Some follow-up:

About a month ago I removed and then re-added the lock that was closest to the panel (about 6 feet). This seems to have worked; the battery is still at 85% status.

The other lock was in the garage. I added a repeater to one of the outlets out there, and that seems to have fixed that one as well. It is still at about 70% status.

Before, both of these locks would have had dead batteries by now.

My thanks to Warren, Jason, and everyone else for their suggestions.

11

Glad to hear it is working out! Communication and status issues are a big cause for Z-wave battery drain.