A smart lock is only as good as the door it sits on, and Denver's housing stock runs from century-old mortise hardware to brand-new stucco tracts. Picking the right model starts with knowing which problem you are solving.
The right lock depends on your door and what you want from it, not on which brand has the slickest ad. The three names most Denver homeowners weigh are August, Schlage, and Yale, and they solve genuinely different problems. Match the lock to your situation and the install goes smoothly; pick by marketing and you fight the door.
| Lock | Best for | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| August Wi-Fi (retrofit) | Renters and anyone keeping their keyed deadbolt; mounts inside only. | Relies on your existing deadbolt's physical security; battery in a small housing. |
| Schlage Encode | Full-deadbolt replacement with built-in Wi-Fi and a keypad; strong physical build. | Bulkier; needs a standard bore, so older doors may need prep. |
| Yale Assure 2 | Sleek keypad deadbolt, key-free or keyed versions, swappable smart-home modules. | Module choice matters; key-free versions remove the physical backup. |
Here is the part the spec sheets skip: for a historic home, fit beats brand every time. The Victorians and brick rowhouses of Capitol Hill and Five Points often carry mortise locks and odd bore sizes that none of these were designed around, and that is where a retrofit model or a measured door prep earns its keep. We cover the security trade-offs in depth in our deadbolt vs smart lock comparison.
This is the first real decision, and it splits cleanly. A retrofit like August keeps your existing keyed deadbolt and mounts a motorized thumbturn over the inside, so the exterior and your physical key never change. A full replacement swaps the whole deadbolt for a smart unit with a keypad or app on the outside. Each suits a different homeowner.
Retrofit makes sense when you rent, when your current deadbolt is solid and recent, or when you want app control without touching the door's exterior. Full replacement makes sense when your existing lock is old or builder-grade, when you want a keypad anyone can use without a key, or when you are upgrading security at the same time. If your deadbolt is the flimsy builder unit common in newer tracts, replacing it is the better spend, and our deadbolt upgrade guide explains why those fall short.
One caution on key-free models. A keypad-only deadbolt with no cylinder removes your physical backup entirely, which is convenient until a battery dies in a cold snap. For most homes we recommend keeping a keyed backup, and the security grading behind that advice is in our ANSI grade explainer.
Professional installation usually runs $150 to $350 per door, plus the hardware, which you can buy yourself or have the locksmith supply. A clean swap on a modern, square door sits at the lower end and takes well under an hour. The number climbs when the door fights back, and in Denver's older housing it often does.
Door prep is the hidden variable. An older door may need the bore enlarged for a modern lock, the latch backset corrected, the strike repositioned, or an out-of-square frame addressed before anything seats properly. That is real carpentry, not just driving screws, so it adds time and cost. The upside is a lock that sits flush, throws cleanly, and lasts, rather than one that binds and feels cheap within a month. For full per-job pricing across services, see our Denver locksmith cost guide.
Quote everything in writing first. Colorado has no statewide locksmith license, so a written total, hardware included or excluded clearly, is your only real protection against a number that grows once the work starts.
They do, with one honest caveat: cold eats batteries. The keypad, the motor, and the wireless radio all keep working through a Front Range winter, but battery life drops noticeably when the temperature does, so plan on changing them more often than the box promises. A lock that claims a year may want fresh batteries by late winter on an exposed north-facing door.
That single fact drives our main recommendation: keep a physical key backup whenever the model allows it. A dead battery in January should be a minor annoyance, a quick swap with a spare set, not a lockout on your own porch in the cold. Buy a couple of extra battery packs at install and stash them inside the door.
The other cold-weather note is mechanical. A smart lock bolted to a misaligned or swollen door will strain its little motor every cycle and fail early, and Front Range humidity swings move doors around through the seasons. Squaring the strike and reinforcing it at install is what makes the difference, which is exactly the work a locksmith does that a DIY swap skips. You can see full coverage on the Denver and Centennial service-area pages.
Professional installation usually runs $150 to $350 per door plus the hardware, which you can supply or have the locksmith provide. A straightforward swap on a standard door sits at the lower end. Older doors that need the bore enlarged, the strike adjusted, or the frame squared up run higher because they take real door-prep work, not just a screwdriver.
It depends on your door and your goals. August suits renters and anyone keeping their existing keyed deadbolt, since it retrofits over the inside. Schlage Encode and Yale Assure are full-deadbolt replacements with strong physical security and built-in Wi-Fi or keypads. For a historic home with a mortise lock, the fit matters more than the brand, and that needs a look in person.
Yes, but cold drains batteries faster, so plan on changing them more often through a Front Range winter than the box claims. Keypads and motors keep working in the cold; the weak point is battery life and the occasional sluggish motor in a deep freeze. Keep a physical key backup, since a dead battery should never lock you out for good.
Usually, but older doors are where the work hides. Century-old homes in Capitol Hill and Five Points often have non-standard bore sizes, mortise pockets, or out-of-square frames that a modern smart lock was not designed around. A retrofit model or some door prep solves most of it, but it is worth having a locksmith measure before you buy a lock that will not seat.
A clean swap on a modern, square door is a reasonable DIY job. Hire a locksmith when the door is older, the deadbolt sits crooked, the latch sticks, or the new lock will not seat flush, because a smart lock mounted on a misaligned door fails early and feels cheap. A pro also squares the strike and reinforces it, which is where real security lives.
We match the lock to your door, prep older frames so it seats flush, and square the strike where real security lives. Local, insured, full price quoted before we start.
Last updated: May 28, 2026.
