Having reliable door locks gives customers peace of mind regarding their house safety. You can buy the traditional deadbolt locks or choose smart locks for additional features. Depending on what brand you like, there are a lot of options available.
You can also refer to experts for their opinion using online forums. That way, other users can recommend hardware that will suit your needs perfectly.
The installation procedure for a deadbolt is not that difficult, and users with a small amount of hardware knowledge can install it within a few minutes.
Among other brands, Schlage has one of the most reliable smart locks. Let’s go over whether or not you can use the same key for multiple locks.
Schlage Multiple Locks Same Key- Possible?
Even though it is recommended that you use different keys for door locks inside your home if you’re the owner of an apartment building having the same key work on multiple locks can save you a lot of time.
With the Schlage locks, it is possible to use the same key to access multiple locks. Different methods can be utilized to get your Schlage locks to work with one key.
Once again, doing this might compromise the security of your home, and if someone steals one of your keys, he will have complete access to your house.
These are some methods that can be used to use the same key on multiple Schlage Locks.
Check Key Codes
So, the first method is to just look out for similar key codes while buying a lock. Similar key codes mean that you can use the same type of key to work on all of your locks.
It can take a lot of time, and you might not be able to find enough locks with the same key code.
This method is not that practical, and you need to be lucky to find the exact key code on multiple locks. However, you won’t have to go through the additional effort in rekeying the locks, and everything will work perfectly.
This is perfect for users that don’t want to bother with rekeying the locks themselves or paying someone else to do it for them. So, matching the key codes will be the most cost-effective way to get the same key to work on multiple Schlage locks.
The only drawback is the time and quantity of locks available at a particular store. You can also put in a special order at Schlage to get a certain number of locks with the same key code as well.
However, there are also other methods available that can be of help to you.
Keying Service
The next option that you can choose is paying a locksmith or contacting an online service like Door Locks Direct to key your locks for you.
This option will suit users that don’t want to go through the rekeying process or don’t know how to perform the rekeying process.
This option might be a bit expensive, but you won’t have to go through the hassle of learning to rekey your locks.
Moreover, the experts would be able to perform the work more efficiently and won’t damage your lock cylinders in the process.
The Door Locks Direct website also offers free-of-charge lock keying services on some products. Meaning that you can achieve your goal of getting the same key to work on multiple Schlage locks without paying anything extra.
So, if their service is available in your area, we recommend that you reach out to them and put in an order according to your requirements. This option will likely prove to be the cheapest and more time-efficient than anything else.
Moreover, there are also several other brands that you can choose from depending on which type of lock you’re looking for. This online service will take care of all of your keying needs.
Rekeying the Lock
Lastly, what you can do is rekey the lock yourself if you can’t reach out to any locksmith or service provider that will rekey your locks. The overall procedure is not that difficult, even if you have a little amount of knowledge about hardware.
There are a few tools you might need along with a rekeying kit that you can buy from the same store you choose to buy the Schlage locks.
We suggest that you watch some tutorial videos on YouTube for a better understanding of the whole procedure.
You will first need to remove the cylinder from the lock. To access the cylinder inside the door lock, you will have to take off the front part of the door lock from the door.
Then proceed to remove the lock cylinder from the door lock using the key and proceed to remove the key plug from the cylinder.
At this point, you can attach the plug follower to the cylinder and slide the outer layer of the cylinder onto the plug follower.
The hard part is done at this point, now all you need is to remove the pins from the inner cylinder attached to the key. Then remove the old key and put in the new key that you want to use for all of your locks.
Put in the new pins provided in the rekeying kit, and make sure to align them perfectly, as shown in the user manual.
The pins should be flush with the surface of the inner cylinder if you align the pins correctly. Attach the plug follower again and put the top cylinder back into its place.
Assemble everything back, and now repeat the process for all of your Schlage locks. Now you will be able to use the same key with multiple Schlage locks.
Should You Really Use One Key For All Locks?
While this method will make it effortless to manage the keys, it will have a negative impact on your home security. It is never recommended to stick to a single key for all the locks.
If you lose your key or it gets stolen, intruders will have complete access to your house.
So, be smart and use different keys for your Schlage locks. That way, you will be able to add multiple layers of security to your home. This is especially true for users living in high-risk zones.
Nowadays, people can replicate the keys by just looking at their images. Even if you’re careful with your keys and keep them in a secure location, you might still slip up. So, you shouldn’t try to make a single key work with all your locks.
Using keycodes is almost always the superior option. These locks might be a bit more expensive, but you’re not left with many options here.
For this reason, you should consider extending your budget by a small margin and then recheck the response from these smart units.
Are there any reliable Alternatives?
Schlage is no small player when it comes to the home security market. You will enjoy years of consistent performance from these units. Even if you’re new to the market, going with Schlage is the safer bet. However, the pricing can be a bit high at times.
In these situations, you can rely on options like Kwikset. While these locks don’t bring the same exceptional features to your home, you will still enjoy consistent security. Moreover, the pricing is pretty reasonable on some of the newer models.
However, these locks lag behind in terms of durability. In case of breaking, this look will put up a good fight, but it won’t last as long as the Schlage system. So, you should keep that in mind if you live in a region with frequent break-ins.
Ideally, you should stick with Schlage and don’t rely on other brands like Kwikset or Yale. Spending a few extra dollars will help you with decades of peace. You can’t really put a price on your home security. So, don’t go cheap on the lock purchase.
On the other hand, if you don’t mind a lighter frame and only want better integration features, then Kwikset is not a bad option. It all comes down to the budget you’re willing to spend.
So, just evaluate your options and go through the Kwikset and Schlage portfolio to find the best fit.
We recommend that you seek help from a local expert here. He will help guide you through possible options that will fit your security needs.
To Conclude
There are different methods that you can choose to get the same key to open your Schlage locks. You can choose the locks with the same key code, pay a locksmith or an online service provider to rekey your locks or rekey the locks yourself.
That should help you get to your goal of using the same key with multiple Schlage locks without any problem. However, it is not recommended as it can compromise the security of your house.
So, keep that in your mind while rekeying your locks to the same key combination.