Product Library / Smart Locks

Schlage Encode Plus

Compiled by SmartHomeWorkflow Research · Schlage · Smart Locks · ~$329 ($329 MSRP on schlage.com on 2026-08-10. The 2026-08-08 note that Schlage published no price anywhere on its own site is no longer true: the encode-plus page now carries a product-comparison widget stating '$329 MSRP' against the Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt by name. At time of research — never treated as a live price.)

Compatibility

Protocols: WIFI · BLUETOOTH · THREAD^[1][10]

What it can do^[12]

Listed capabilities are what we could establish from vendor documentation. An ability missing here is unestablished — not necessarily absent.

Subscription reality^[2]

✓ Works without a subscription: Yes.

Vendor account required: Not established — we have not sourced this yet.

Maintenance reality^[4]

• Batteries: AA x4 — expect roughly 6 months per set
• Works without the internet: Not established — we have not sourced this yet. It does not mean the product fails without the internet.
• WiFi radio is the battery hog; HomeKit path uses Thread. 4xAA alkaline (Schlage recommends alkaline, not lithium/rechargeable). Dead battery: physical keyway backup (1 key included) — NO jumpstart terminal of any kind (the 9V trick belongs to Schlage's Touch series, not Encode). Warnings: app history entry at <=20%, critical alert at <=8%, flashing red battery icon on the lock.

Security updates^[13]

Schlage publishes no security-update support date for this model. That is a gap in what the manufacturer has published, not evidence either way — some makers declare a support period and some say nothing at all.

ABSENCE RECORDED ON 2026-08-20 WITH ONE RUNG REFUSED, AND THE REFUSAL IS NAMED RATHER THAN COUNTED AS SILENCE. (a) REGULATORY DECLARATION: no UK PSTI statement of compliance or EU declaration naming BE499WB (Encode Plus) was located. (b) VENDOR SECURITY POLICY: Allegion's cybersecurity resource (us.allegion.com/en/resources/cybersecurity.html) — the surface most likely to carry a support-period statement — returned HTTP 403 to our fetcher and is UNREAD. It is named here with its URL so a reader can open it directly; we are not treating a refusal as evidence of absence. (c) VENDOR SUPPORT PAGES: Schlage Residential's own "Schlage Encode Series: Firmware Update" article (schlage-res.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/41069061615124), read in full today, states that "The Schlage Encode Series locks automatically update their firmware periodically" and that they "download and install the latest firmware from the cloud as long as they are connected to your home Wi-Fi network and paired with the Schlage Home app" — a delivery MECHANISM, with no support period, no end-of-support date and no duration anywhere in it. So: Schlage documents how updates arrive and, on every surface we could read, does not say for how long. ⚠ Read this as bounded: one first-party surface refused us, so this is "no published period on the surfaces we could read", not "no published period anywhere".

The catch

No Matter (see the newer Sense Pro); WiFi mode drains batteries faster.

Who it's for

BHMA Grade 1 security with Apple Home Key — the Apple-household staple.

Sources & method

Numbered sources below back the facts marked with the matching number above. This is a research profile: compiled from manufacturer documentation, certification registries, and published testing — we state facts, not verdicts, and we have not physically tested this unit. How we work →

1. [1] Schlage residential support article 'How to Set Up Schlage Encode Series Locks with Bluetooth Only' (schlage-res.zendesk.com, read 2026-08-09): 'The entire Schlage Encode Series, including the Schlage Encode (BE489) and Encode Plus (BE499), can be temporarily set up to operate via Bluetooth only'; Bluetooth-only pairing 'allows limited remote access through the Schlage Home app' but 'lacks full functionality such as real-time notifications, advanced integrations, and smart home compatibility'; caution that a lock which previously had Wi-Fi will 'continuously search for a Wi-Fi network' and that 'this constant searching can cause batteries to drain rapidly, requiring frequent replacements', with the recommendation to 'ensure the lock is paired to Wi-Fi as soon as it becomes available'. — vendor-support-doc research, verified 2026-08-09
   Backs: Protocols
2. [2] Schlage's own site, read 2026-08-08: the Encode Plus family page and per-trim product pages BE499WBCAMFFF (Camelot) and BE499WBCENFFF (Century); the smart-locks lineup navigation listing Sense Pro, Encode Plus, Encode, Encode Lever, Arrive and Connect; a live 'schlage-encode-plus-quick-start-guide-BE499WB.pdf'. No price is published for this lock on any of them, and no subscription, plan or tier is named anywhere — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-08
   Backs: Product identity, Subscription, Market availability, Service status, Research status
3. [3] Home Assistant official documentation for the Schlage integration (read 2026-08-08): IoT class 'Cloud Polling'; approximately 3,110 installations; supported locks 'Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt', 'Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Lever', 'Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt'; 'Other devices not listed above have not been tested and may not function as expected' — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-08-08
   Backs: Service status, Home Assistant compatibility
4. [4] schlage.com product page BE499WBCAMFFF (C keyway, 1 key, 4xAA, ~6mo) + Schlage Residential support: 'Can Schlage Encode Locks Be Jumpstarted' (no jumpstart feature; use mechanical key) + 'How Do I Know If the Battery Is Low' (20%/8% thresholds, red icon) — vendor-page research, verified 2026-07-15
   Backs: Maintenance, Product identity
5. [5] Schlage official 'Encode Plus Works With' page (schlage.com/en/home/smart-locks/schlage-encode-plus-works-with.html, fetched 2026-07-21): 'When paired with the Schlage Home app, you can enable the Alexa skill and ask Alexa to lock the door and check the status' — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-07-21
   Backs: Amazon Alexa compatibility
6. [6] Schlage official 'Encode Plus Works With' page, Google Assistant section (fetched 2026-07-21): 'When paired with the Schlage Home app, you can lock or unlock your door and check the status of the door by simply using your voice.' — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-08-20
   Backs: Google Home compatibility
7. [7] Schlage Residential support KB, 'Encode Plus — Pairing with Apple HomeKit and the Schlage Home App' (schlage-res.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/34656258279828): 'To make your lock part of automations or to control it remotely with the Apple Home app, a Home Pod or Apple TV set up as a home hub is needed.' Non-Matter status per Schlage KB 38334433946260 (updated 2025-06-30): 'the Schlage Encode Plus is not a Matter-enabled device' — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-08-20
   Backs: Apple Home compatibility
8. [8] Schlage Residential official support KB, 'Is the Schlage Encode Series Compatible with Samsung Smart Things' (schlage-res.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/38314596434324, dated 2025-06-10): 'No, Samsung SmartThings is not compatible with the Schlage Encode Series.' No Matter fallback exists either (Schlage KB 38334433946260: not Matter-enabled) — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-08-20
   Backs: SmartThings compatibility
9. [9] Home Assistant official docs, home-assistant.io/integrations/schlage — 'Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt' named in the tested-devices list; integration classified Cloud Polling — vendor-and-ecosystem-page research, verified 2026-07-21
   Backs: Home Assistant compatibility
10. [10] 2026-07 web research sweep (docs/02 catalog; primary sources cited there) — registry-and-press research, verified 2026-07-12
    Backs: Price, Protocols
11. [11] schlage.com/en/home/smart-locks/encode-plus.html, read 2026-08-10 — product-comparison widget: 'Schlage Encode Plus™ Smart WiFi Deadbolt' with '$329 MSRP' (adjacent options are distinctly priced: Encode deadbolt $299, Encode lever $309, Connect $241, and a $399 model, so the widget is per-model, not templated) — vendor-page research, verified 2026-08-10
    Backs: Price
12. [12] Schlage's official 'Encode Plus Works With' page (schlage.com/en/home/smart-locks/schlage-encode-plus-works-with.html) — already cited on this record for both the Alexa and Google cells — evidence read against sources this record already cites (BQ-187 capabilities population), verified 2026-08-20
    Backs: Capabilities
13. [13] Three rungs walked 2026-08-20 for BE499WB (Encode Plus). (a) No UK PSTI statement of compliance or EU declaration naming this model was located. (b) Allegion's cybersecurity resource page (us.allegion.com/en/resources/cybersecurity.html) returned HTTP 403 to our fetcher and is UNREAD — recorded as a refusal, never as silence. (c) Schlage Residential, "Schlage Encode Series: Firmware Update", read in full: "The Schlage Encode Series locks automatically update their firmware periodically. These locks will download and install the latest firmware from the cloud as long as they are connected to your home Wi-Fi network and paired with the Schlage Home app." No support period, end-of-support date or duration appears anywhere in it. — first-party security-support sweep (BQ-192, method note 69 precedence) — rungs walked and the outcome recorded whichever way it fell, verified 2026-08-20
    Backs: Security-update support period
14. [14] schlage.com's Encode Plus product page, read 2026-08-20. Its product-comparison table carries both a "Built-in WiFi" row and a "Home Hub Required" row, and **both are marked for the Encode Plus column**. The page publishes no footnote defining what "Home Hub Required" means, which hub it refers to, or which capability it gates. — vendor-page research (BQ-191 provider backfill, population (b): the `hubs` axis), verified 2026-08-20
    Backs: Required hub or bridge
15. [15] Schlage's own page 'What you need to know to use Amazon Alexa with your Schlage smart locks' (schlage.com, read 2026-09-04): 'Set up automation routines. With Amazon Alexa, it's easy to set up automation routines like "Goodnight Alexa" to turn off lights, shut down connected devices and lock the door.' On unlocking, separately and NOT in a routine context: 'The unlocking feature is disabled by default for your security. Log in to the Amazon Alexa app and enter your password to enable this feature in the locks device settings.' — vendor-page research through the conduct gate (HTTP 200), verified 2026-09-04
    Backs: What your assistant can automate
16. [16] Apple Support, ‘Set up your HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV as a home hub’, read together with ‘Identify your Apple TV model’ at support.apple.com/en-us/101605. — first-party browser-rendered read (interactive session), verified 2026-09-06

Compatibility and lifecycle information reflects the last-verified date above and can change without notice (firmware updates, cloud-service changes, discontinuations). It is provided as-is, for information — verify with the manufacturer before purchasing. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it. Full terms: Terms of Service.

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