Never Pry a Dead Smart Lock Before You Try These 3 Fixes

On Sunday, July 7, 2024, the airport in Las Vegas hit 120 degrees, the hottest reading the city has ever logged. Picture walking up to your front door that week with groceries, tapping your code, and getting nothing back. No beep, no light, no bolt. We understand why the heat gets the blame, but the makers' own numbers point at something else.

A smart lock with dead batteries stays locked, but you are not stuck. Use the backup key if your lock has a keyhole. If it has no keyhole, hold a fresh 9 volt battery to the two contacts on the outside and enter your code. If you have neither, call a licensed locksmith who can open it without damage.

• Dead batteries leave the bolt where it was, so a locked door stays locked
• Keyed locks like Schlage Encode, Kwikset Halo and Yale Assure Lock 2 open with the mechanical key
• Keyless locks like Schlage Touch wake up with a 9 volt battery held to the outside contacts
• Your codes stay saved when the batteries die, at least on Kwikset Halo
• Every lock below warns you before it quits, so the real fix is acting on the first warning

What Happens When the Batteries Run Out

A smart lock runs its motor, keypad and radio on its own small batteries. When those run flat, everything electronic stops at once. Allegion, the company behind Schlage, says its Encode locks rely solely on their internal AA batteries. With no power, the keypad goes dark and the app has nothing to talk to.

The bolt itself does not move. A door that was locked stays locked, and a door that was open stays open. Inside the house you can still turn the thumb turn by hand, because that part is plain metal.

Power cuts are a separate worry, and a smaller one. Schlage's Touch tip sheet says all of its electronic locks run on batteries. So a blackout on your street does not lock you out. Only the lock's own batteries can do that.

Step One Is Finding the Backup Key

Most smart deadbolts still have a keyhole, and that keyhole works with zero power. Allegion says to use the mechanical key on an Encode lock until fresh batteries go in. Kwikset says the same thing in one line on its Halo FAQ page. Yale ships a physical key with the Assure Lock 2 keypad for this exact reason.

The trouble is where that key went. People buy a keypad lock so they can stop carrying keys. Then the key ends up in a kitchen drawer, on the wrong side of the locked door.

Think about who else might have a copy. A family member, a neighbor, a landlord or a property manager may hold one. A retrofit lock like the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock mounts inside over your old deadbolt. August says you keep your existing deadbolt and keys, so your old house key still opens the door.

How the 9 Volt Jump Start Works

Keyless models solve the dead battery problem a different way. They have two small metal contacts on the outside, usually under the keypad. A fresh 9 volt battery held against them powers the keypad just long enough to take your code.

Schlage spells out the steps for its Touch deadbolt in its tip sheet.

1. Hold a new alkaline 9 volt battery to the contacts below the touchscreen.
2. Wait for the long beep, and keep the battery touching the contacts.
3. Enter your user code and turn the thumb turn toward the hinges.
4. Once inside, replace the dead battery right away.

Yale's support page for its keyless connected lock works the same way. You hold a 9 volt battery to the emergency battery terminal at the bottom, enter your master code, and press the star button. The Assure Lock 2 page also says a 9 volt can bring the lock back.

Do not try this on every lock. Allegion says plainly that Encode locks have no jump start feature at all. On those, only the key opens the door from outside. A 9 volt pressed to the wrong spot just wastes your time.

Many grocery stores and gas stations sell 9 volt batteries. If your lock has the contacts, a short drive can end the lockout for the price of one battery.

Dead Battery Options by Lock

Find your lock below. Each row uses only what that maker says on its own page, linked above.

Not on the list? Check the outside of the lock for two small metal dots, and check the face for a keyhole. If you see neither, skip ahead to calling a locksmith.

Does Las Vegas Heat Kill Smart Lock Batteries?

Heat gets the blame, but the numbers point somewhere else. Yale rates the outside half of the Assure Lock 2 from 22 below zero to 140°F. That is 20 degrees above the city's all time record of 120°F, set on July 7, 2024, as FOX5 reported from the National Weather Service.

The batteries also tend to live on the cool side of the door. Schlage puts the Touch battery on the interior side of the lock. Kwikset tucks the Halo battery pack behind the interior cover. A common Energizer AA alkaline cell is rated to work from 0°F to 130°F, and a house with air conditioning stays well inside that range.

So what does drain them early? August gives the best clue on its smart lock FAQ. Its battery life figures assume a door you do not have to push, pull or lift, and a deadbolt that is not sticky. A bolt that drags makes the motor work harder on every turn.

If you have to lean on the door or lift it to lock it, fix that first. Our lock installation and repair page covers sticky bolts and strike plates.

Catch the Warning Before It Strands You

No lock on this list dies without notice. Each one warns you first, then keeps warning.

• August. A low battery note shows on your phone at 25%. Ignore it, and August sends daily emails and push alerts near the end.
• Kwikset Halo. The lock gives sound and light cues at three different low levels and alerts you in the app.
• Schlage Encode. A low battery icon flashes after you enter a code. Low and critical events also land in the app's history log.
• Schlage Touch. A battery icon means low. A flashing red icon means critical.

Battery life varies a lot from lock to lock. August lists up to 3 months for its Wi-Fi lock. The same FAQ lists up to 6 months for its first and third generation locks. Put a reminder on your calendar that matches your lock, and swap batteries before the warning shows up.

Use the batteries the maker asks for. Schlage says to avoid rechargeables on Encode. Kwikset says no rechargeable or lithium ion cells in Halo. Allegion says rechargeable cells may not give the steady power a lock needs.

Locked Out Tonight With No Key and No Contacts

Check every other door first. A back door, a slider or the door from the garage may be on a plain key or no lock at all. Do not pry at the smart lock or the frame. A bent bolt or a split jamb can cost more than the lockout itself.

Then call a licensed locksmith. In Nevada, a locksmith needs a permit from the county sheriff under NRS 655.070, and the holder has to carry it. Ask to see it. Ask for the total price on the phone, too. Our list of questions to ask a locksmith before hiring helps you sort the good ones from the rest.

Once you are inside, put in fresh batteries, test the lock with the door open, and only then close it. Kwikset says Halo access codes stay saved when the batteries die or come out, so you should not have to set it up again.

Smart Lock Dead in Henderson or Las Vegas?

Call Lockout Rescue at (702) 979-7566. We open deadbolts, knob locks and smart locks on houses, apartments and condos, without damage to the door or frame. Our house lockout service page explains how a visit works.

Official Pages

More to Read

• Locked out of your house in Henderson
• What to ask a locksmith before hiring
• Keys locked in the car with no spare