Yale Keyfree door handle

mile3434

About 4 years ago I had a new composite front door on my house. It came fitted with a Yale Keyfree door handle. This required a code to open, or else there was a back up mechanical key. About 2 years ago, the kick started to play up. At this stage we realised that the keys had been lost (by my wife) due to us not needing them. I called Yale and they couldn’t help due to a lack of a proof of purchase (since the company who fit the door had no record). The lock eventually started working again, and then broke again and then fixed again but finally went entirely. We’ve been putting up with using the back door for ages when I decided to contact Yale again. They put me in touch with a local Yale locksmith who will come and attempt to fix it next week. He however is charging £75+VAT+parts and provides no guarantee of success. The lock has now been discontinued and replaced by s smart phone activated one (that I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole). I’ve suggested him simply replacing it for a normal handle but the holes cut in the door for the Keyfree prevent this. The locks break and are replaced so frequently that a 3rd party now supplies a plate (to cover the holes and return to a standard handle) at the cost of £46!

I’m just wondering if anyone else has any similar experience for advice. I’m also trying to put anyone else off buying a Yale Keyfree system. It’s only a matter of time before they play up in my opinion.

EachPenny

mile3434 wrote: »

At this stage we realised that the keys had been lost (by my wife) due to us not needing them.

There appear to be quite a few different models, but if the manual lock/key is a standard Euro cylinder as some images suggest then the locksmith ought to be able to change the cylinder so you at least have new keys which work.

Changing a Euro Cylinder is normally something a DIYer can easily do... or any competent handyman. Might be worth considering doing this and forgetting all about fixing the gadget part.

TheCyclingProgrammer

The lock has now been discontinued and replaced by s smart phone activated one (that I wouldn’t touch with a barge pole).

I was going to say that the newer model actually has replaceable modules so you can have the Yale smart home module, a Z-wave module or just a RFID module which behaves like the original keyfob version (which is the model I have) but I see they've actually discontinued the entire thing in favour of the Yale Conexis which is a shame - the reviews for that aren't that positive.

AFAIK the Yale Conexis does not require you to use the smart phone option - it also works with a keyfob and an RFID card, it has no keypad though (or even a backup cylinder).

What's actually wrong with your lock? It seems Yale still sell replacement parts including the entire motherboard, spindle and internal handle unit:
https://www.yalestore.co.uk/yale-keyfree-connected-mk2-replacement-motherboard.html