Kwikset Premis Touchscreen Smart Lock, Works with Apple HomeKit, in Satin Nickel

I had high hopes for this item. I installed it last week and a few hours later, the touchscreen wouldn't work. I reset the lock 3 separate times after replacing the battery. Touchscreen would work for 3-4 hrs afterwards and then stop working. Contacted support and they advised to reset it again. Not reliable. Also not sure if it works in cold weather.

I initially purchased one Kwikset Premis lock in Venetian Bronze to try on my Front door as a test. I had the following wants from a "smart" lock:⦁ HomeKit Capable - I already have an iPhone 6 Plus and an Apple TV 4th Gen, so I wanted to take advantage of HomeKit.⦁ Easy Install - I am not very good with home upgrades, so I did not want to have to significantly change anything with my door. I have a newer home (2013) that already had Kwikset locks throughout, so I was expecting an easy replacement.⦁ Reliable - I want to be able to get in no matter what. This means I needed a lock that can be operated physically with a key. PIN-only locks are a non-starter for me.I did not have 100% success with the first lock, however I additionally purchased two more Premis locks in Satin Nickel to complete my back patio entry door, and my garage entry door. Below is a review and troubleshooting from some problems I ran into, hopefully they can help if yours has had issues.Installation - HardwareInstallation of the hardware itself I found to be quite easy. I have a lot of experience with technology, but not so much around the house. The box does not contain much in the way of install instructions. It points you to use the Kwikset app, which contains a PDF of the installation procedure. (You can easily access this at any time by going back to the Help menu in the app). I used a Philips screwedriver and was able to remove my existing Kwikset deadbolt assembly within a few minutes and get the new hardware mounted a few minutes after that. I kept my existing strike assembly in place, as the new one had different screw orientation and would not have fit in the existing wood trim cutout. I used the latch with rectangular faceplate that came with the new lock, as it fit perfectly with the existing wood cutout in the door.The plug for the single cable that goes from the outer assembly to the inner assembly, was a bit difficult to wrap nicely with the cable inside the housing so that it was out of the way. I am slightly worried over time that operation may degrade the cable connector/sleeving, but it seems fairly durable.Installation - App / HomeKit IntegrationInitially getting the lock to talk with your iPhone using Bluetooth is pretty easy. I was able to use the QR code to take a picture and pair using the on-screen instructions. Upon naming the lock and completing setup steps, I was immediately able to use Siri to unlock and relock. I checked my Apple TV 4th Gen which was already in use, and it said it was Connected with HomeKit (I have one existing HomeKit capable smart plug which is why it was already connected).However, I was unable to use any remote features after moving out of Bluetooth range of the locks with my iPhone, or disabling Bluetooth on the iPhone. I found this video by Kwikset and had checked all settings and made sure everything was correct: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFlQ7qo9vGwiPhone 6 Plus Settings:⦁ Updated to iOS 11⦁ iPhone on Wifi network (same network as Apple TV) and Bluetooth enabled.⦁ Configured with Passcode to unlock.⦁ iPhone logged into iCloud.⦁ Two factor authentication set: Settings > iCloud > Username > Password/Security > Two Factor Auth⦁ iCloud KeyChain On: Settings > iCloud > Keychain - On⦁ iCloud Share My Location: Settings > iCloud > Share my Location - Choose the same device being used to manage the locks.Apple TV 4th Gen Settings:⦁ Updated to latest tvOS.⦁ iCloud logged into same account as iPhone, Home Sharing On.⦁ Settings > iCloud > HomeKit - Connected - This is "automatic" if everything works right, but it didn't. Read below for troubleshooting steps.⦁ Do not go to Sleep: Settings > Sleep After > NeverTroubleshooting - Remote AccessAfter verifying all these steps/settings I still was not able to use any remote features, despite HomeKit saying it was connected, and I could use Siri on my Apple TV to lock my doors. (Note: It seems unlocking doors with Siri is a built-in Homekit security feature... it does not allow you to do it. You must use an iOS device.) One troubleshooting step for remote access was to sign out of the Apple TV iCloud and sign back in. After doing this, HomeKit status completely disappeared and I was unable to get it to return, and all HomeKit integration on the Apple TV was broken. Rebooting the Apple TV and iPhone did not fix the issue.Fix: My fix was to do a factory reset of the Apple TV. It downloaded the latest version, and I used the "Use a Device" to set up the Apple TV with my iPhone 6 Plus. After completing this, surprisingly, HomeKit was connected again. I turned Bluetooth off on my phone to test connectivity, and was successfully able to use the Kwikset app (and Siri) to unlock my doors via the Apple TV. I then took it a step further and was able to leave my house and operate the locks remotely via 4G network, completely off the Wifi network. This was a relief and much closer to the operation of the locks that I was expecting when I purchased them.Troubleshooting - "Jammed" IndicationAll 3 locks I purchased all completed the initial lock orientation procedure successfully. However, my back patio entry door frequently gave me "Jammed" indications even though the lock was actually locking successfully via the app or Siri, or manually with the latch. I took some time with manual key operation and noticed that halfway through locking or unlocking, there was quite a bit of resistance that had to be overcome to fully operate it, and I suspected this was what made the app think it was "Jammed".Fix: I decided to pull the batteries and follow the procedure to make the lock re-learn the orientation process, even though it had successfully passed this procedure when I first set up the lock. After completing this again, the lock operation is much smoother and I have not had any "Jammed" indications on the lock since.Troubleshooting - Fast Battery DrainAll 3 locks I purchased, I used the new batteries that came with them. My front entry and garage entry locks started at 100% and are still at 100% in the days following installation. However my back patio entry lock started at 90% and quickly went to 80% after only a couple of days.Fix: See above for "Jammed" fix. It appears that when I made the lock re-learn itself, and re-inserted the batteries, it now shows 100% battery life where it showed 80% before. I am thinking it may be related to the not-so-smooth operation of the lock before I made it re-learn orientation. Try this if your battery life is decreasing quickly even if it seems like the lock operation is fairly smooth. It should be "butterknife smooth" with almost no resistance when using a key.Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars - I will update later after spending much more time with the locks.Positives:⦁ I am no longer required to use a key to lock or unlock my doors!⦁ Nicely designed, heavy duty hardware with 10 year warranty (Electronics 1 yr)⦁ Fantastic color diagrams in the instructions made it very easy to install, very clearly labeled parts.⦁ Nice colors and design, relatively neutral, can fit with different decors.⦁ Brightly and uniformly lit numbers, responsive touchscreen.⦁ Kwikset App is very clean and uncluttered, logical operation was easy to learn.Negatives/Annoyances:⦁ Sometimes lock operation is intermittent with Siri and the App... on occasion it simply takes more than one attempt to make it do something. This is the single biggest detriment to the system, as reliability should be the #1 factor with a lock.⦁ One of my locks shows no firmware version or model number in the Kwikset app, I don't know if this is a problem with the lock or the app at this point. Minor annoyance but hopefully it does not cause problems during future firmware updates.⦁ When adding Users/PINs, it appears you may only add them per-lock. If you want to set up one person to access all 3 locks in your house, you have to set each one up individually. Relatively minor annoyance.⦁ Lock timeouts are only adjustable from 30 seconds, 1/2/3/4 minutes. I would like a user-configurable timeout, or selection up to ~20-30 minutes.⦁ Homekit integration - Clunky and not very easy to troubleshoot, however this is more of a knock on Apple than Kwikset. If HomeKit could have better diagnostics or indicators of whether or not its working, it would be much easier to set up.⦁ Absolutely cannot be used with an Android device (You should know this ahead of time when purchasing however).

My initial review below is valid and the lock was working great for a month or so. The problem now however is that since iOS13 came out, the App doesn’t work!!!!!Interacted with service, no help... say reset lock, reinstall app, etc... all works fine for a while then the app “forgets” the lock and have to go through whole setup again.Lock works fine through Apple Home app, but only via the Kwikset app can you set user codes and options. Since it’s on a rental property and I depend on being able to set user codes remotely, the lock is now unusable for me until they fix the App to make it iOS 13 compatible. Even after updating to iOS 13.1.1 it doesn’t help... Apple might have changed something in HomeKit but Kwikset’s app is now no longer compatible!!!Obviously reducing to minimum stars until they update and fix the app so I can use the lock as intended.———Seems a little silly of the large price delta between this and the non-HomeKit version, particularly because the only difference is a tiny little module on the lock. Anyway, works fine and I like the features. Hope it does not chew through batteries as other people have complained about... I'll definitely report here if it does. I have a good comparison since I just replaced the exact same (but not homeKit version) lock with this one. The non-HK version I could get about 6-10 months from 1 set of batteries. We'll see how this one goes.One issue I did have is that there's no way to manually set the time/date in the lock. This is a problem if you enable a user access code to only work during certain days or certain times. After calling support, they confirmed it's not possible to manually set the time/date but the lock should do it by itself once it connects to the wifi and internet. In fact it eventually did, but took a few hours to do so for some reason. Not for the connection to be made, that worked right away... but for it to update it's own internal clock. This should be a feature within the app... to set it manually.Docking 2 stars because of those 2 issues (overly expensive for no real reason, and quirky app with inability to set date/time manually). Also, the app has not been updated in YEARS! It works fine, but is a little buggy.

1 Year update: Since my original purchase I’ve added 2 more locks and will add 1 more shortly (rental units). There are 2 features I think are must haves: 1) 3 modes of entry (key, keypad, and HomeKit to provide failsafes, 2) ability to re-key lock as old tenants leave and new ones come in. I do use these on the back doors as daily constant use will quickly drain the battery. My only concern is that Kwiset’s reluctance to update the app will render the product useless for HomeKit use.1 month update: Hit the 1 month mark on 8/24. On the 2.5 week mark the Premis app battery indicator was at 70%. Also noticed that the Home app and Premis app were very slow in updating the status of the lock. Right before the release of iOS 12 public beta 6 i was having an issue where the lock was not being recognized and i had got do a factory reset on 2 different occasions. After downloading public beta 6 the Home app/Premis app/Premis lock have been working exactly as it’s supposed to. The status updates on the Home/Premis apps take less than 3 seconds and excessive battery drain does not seem to be issue. I was averaging more than 10% drain per week for the first 2.5 weeks, and in the 2.5 weeks since i upgraded to public beta 6 update the battery indicator has not moved past 70%. Overall very satisfied and I ended up purchasing a second Premis lock (for the main entrance). This will be a good test for durability as the main entrance is used by the individuals on my unit and 2 additional units of tenants. Rating changed to 5 stars.Haven't written a review in a while but figured I'd write one for this product as my experience with the Premis seems to be a little different than what I've read from other reviewers. I purchased the product via the Amazon Warehouse to save a few bucks. The lock came in its original packaging and everything was included. Even the screws were in their own individual, unbroken packaging. Not sure how that's possible for something that's used but THANK YOU Amazon Warehouse for making it happen.Installation of the lock was fairly straightforward and I didn't need to do any drilling. Pairing the lock with the Kwikset app was the part that took by far the longest. Kwikset is not a fault. I didn't realize that since someone else had previously paired this lock with an app I needed to do a factory reset. Once I did the reset the Kwikset app recognized the lock immediately. Pairing with Apple's Home app was a breeze.I view the Kwikset Premis as a first generation product and as such I've come to expect that they will be a little glitchy. And a further wrench is thrown into the equation when it's a third party product designed to integrate into Apple's ecosystem. With that being said the Kwikset Premis does everything I expected it to. At is most basic level I find it to be a sturdy deadbolt and I was able to easily rekey the lock so I can use the Premis with an existing KW1 key. Per the instructions touching the screen for a second or so will activate it and from there I can type in my code to open it, or hit the lock button to close it. HomeKit/Siri integration is where it gets fun. Via the Home app, or Siri, I can check the status of the lock and open or close it. It's kinda cool to be able say "Hey Siri, is the front door closed?" or "Hey Siri, can you open the front door?" I've even asked Siri to lock the door about 1/2 mile down the road from home as I forgot to do it as I left.I commend Kwikset's engineers and designers for the work they put in creating a product that moves the deadbolt into the 21st century but also keeps it within the easy use and installation of a traditional deadbolt. However, I docked the Premis a star for 2 reasons: 1) the back housing needs to be removed in order to replace the batteries. 3 screws hold the housing in place, one of which is underneath the housing. Seems like the engineers forgot that the door handle would be there making the removal of this screw a major pain. 2) there is no mention of the installation manual or the Kwikset app on the instructions that come with the box. You an easily find the manual online and it's also located within the Kwikset app but a simple "Download the Kwikset app from the Apple Store for installation instructions and to get started" would have been an easy time saver.I am keeping an eye out for the battery drain issue I've read about time and time again. I've had the lock in place for 4 days now and it's at 90%. Not sure if that's good or bad. Kwikset claims up to 6 months before battery replacement is needed and I've read some people saying weeks. I'm shooting for the 3 month mark. I'll keep you guys posted.Overall, not a perfect product (as no 1st gen product ever is) but I'm happy. So far, so good!P.s. I've attached some pics. Pardon the color on the door. Removing the paint and staining it dark brown is on my list of summertime projects :-)

I could not get this setup. After hours of trying to follow the app guide, I decided that it was defective. I got a replacement, and it was missing several pieces, including the keys! Between the pieces from the original lock and the replacement, I was able to get 1 lock working, and I returned the remaining parts. Something that should have been easy took up many many hours of my life. It was very frustrating.It has worked fine since then. It’s been about 2 weeks, and it has worked through Siri for about 90% of that time, which all things considering is pretty bad. When you’re laying in bed and ask Siri to lock the front door and it doesn’t work because the lock is offline, it’s pretty frustrating.The number pad is very hard to get turned on. You basically have to bang repeatedly for it to wake up.From reading so many reviews, it sounded like all HomeKit smart locks weren’t very good, but this one seemed like the best of them, but still not great. I’m buying another HomeKit smart lock for our back door and it won’t be one of these.