Well-known locks company Schlage has recently announced that homeowners may now control the Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt Lock using Google Assistant. The device maker previously mentioned the support for the Google Assistant during the CES 2018, although it initially stated that Google Assistant support would be rolled out to consumers within the first three months of the year.
Homeowners may now use the Google Assistant either to lock the door or to check whether the device has securely locked the door. Aside from Google Home-branded devices like the Google Home Mini and the Google Home Max, users should also be able to control the smart lock using Google Assistant on their smartphones, or any other smart speaker that is powered by Google Assistant. However, homeowners cannot use the Google Assistant to unlock the door. Instead, users will have to open the smart lock using the Schlage Sense app, which could be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store. Moreover, to control the device using the Google Assistant, consumers will have to purchase the Schlage Sense Wi-Fi Adapter, an accessory that is sold separately by the manufacturer.
Aside from Google Assistant, homeowners can also control the smart lock using Amazon’s Alexa. Like with Google Assistant, users can lock the door and check the status of the device using Alexa, although the device maker has recently allowed Alexa-enabled devices to unlock Schlage Sense Smart Deadbolt Lock. Schlage has added a number of security measures to ensure that this feature will not be abused, too. For example, homeowners will have to set up a PIN to unlock the door using Alexa, and this feature will be automatically disabled once a person fails to enter the correct PIN three times. In addition to the features already supported by the two popular virtual assistants, users can still take advantage of the other functionalities of the smart lock. Among the key features of the smart lock include the ability to create up to 30 unique access codes that the homeowner could share with family members and friends. These access codes can be scheduled so that guests can only enter the home within a specific time frame.