Schlage describes itself as a brand built around strong, durable security products, ranging from mechanical locks to electronic access-control systems. According to Allegion, Schlage products serve homes, multifamily properties, commercial buildings, and institutions.[1]

Walter Schlage

The history of Schlage begins with Walter Schlage, an inventor and engineer whose work focused on improving the functionality of door locks. Before establishing the company, he was already developing innovative door hardware. His first patent, dating to 1909, concerned a door mechanism capable of controlling an electrical circuit, which allowed a door to turn lights on or off.[2]

His most significant contribution to the lock industry was the development of a cylindrical lock design that could be installed using relatively simple holes drilled into the door. This offered a practical alternative to the more complicated mortise-lock installation traditionally used in many applications.[2]

Foundation in 1920

Walter Schlage left his previous employment and established his own shop in San Francisco in 1920. The original company was established with approximately $30 in capital, contributed by Schlage and three businessmen who became equal partners.[2] This small operation eventually became the Schlage Lock Company.

The company’s cylindrical-lock technology proved commercially significant. By 1925, Schlage was reportedly manufacturing approximately 20,000 locks per month, demonstrating rapid expansion during its early years.[2]

One of Schlage’s most important historical contributions was its work on the cylindrical door lock. Traditional mortise locks generally required a relatively large pocket to be cut into the edge and body of a door. Schlage’s cylindrical approach allowed the lock mechanism to be installed through comparatively simple drilled openings.

This innovation helped make lock installation simpler, faster, less expensive, easier to standardise, and suitable for mass-market residential and commercial construction. Schlage’s patents during the 1910s and 1920s progressively developed this concept, with the A-Series becoming an important commercial embodiment of the technology.[2] This history established Schlage’s association with door-hardware engineering rather than merely lock manufacturing.

During the 1920s, Schlage expanded beyond Walter Schlage’s original workshop. The company developed a reputation for manufacturing robust mechanical locks and door hardware while continuing to develop new mechanisms and designs. Walter Schlage remained associated with innovation throughout his career and received the Modern Pioneer Award in 1940. He died in 1946.[2] Despite his passing, the Schlage name continued to grow into a major American lock brand.

Schlage’s product portfolio extends well beyond typical residential deadbolts and can be broadly divided into several categories.

Mechanical locks

Mechanical locks form the traditional foundation of the Schlage brand. Products include cylindrical locks, deadbolts, door knobs, door levers, handlesets, keyed entry locks, privacy locks, passage locks, mortise hardware, and master-key systems. Schlage continues to sell conventional mechanical door hardware alongside its newer electronic products.[3]

Electronic locks

Schlage produces keypad and touchscreen locks that do not necessarily require a traditional physical key. Examples include keypad deadbolts, keypad levers, touchscreen deadbolts, touchscreen levers, and electronic access-control locks. These products bridge the gap between traditional mechanical hardware and fully connected smart locks.[3]

Smart locks

Smart locks are among Schlage’s most visible consumer product categories. The current lineup includes:

• Schlage Sense Pro
• Schlage Encode Plus
• Schlage Encode
• Schlage Encode Lever
• Schlage Arrive
• Schlage Connect

Depending on the model, these devices provide Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Matter, Apple Home integration, mobile-app control, keypad access, and other smart-home functionalities.[1][3]

Schlage entered the smart-lock market relatively early compared with many traditional lock manufacturers.

Schlage Connect

The Schlage Connect line was introduced as a connected deadbolt supporting technologies such as Z-Wave and, in certain versions, Zigbee. It was designed to connect physical door security with home-automation systems.[2]

Schlage Sense

Schlage Sense followed as a Bluetooth-enabled smart lock and became notable for its integration with Apple Home.[2]

Schlage Encode

In 2019, Schlage introduced the Encode, which incorporated built-in Wi-Fi, eliminating the need for a separate Wi-Fi bridge in basic setups.[2]

Schlage Encode Plus

Introduced in 2022, the Encode Plus added Thread and support for Apple Home Key, allowing compatible iPhones and Apple Watches to be used for entry.[2]

Schlage Sense Pro

The newer Sense Pro represents a step toward hands-free digital access. Schlage describes it as supporting UWB-based hands-free unlocking through its Converge technology.[3]

The technological evolution can be summarised as: mechanical key → keypad → Bluetooth/Z-Wave → Wi-Fi → Apple Home Key/Thread → Matter/UWB and advanced digital access.

Modern Schlage smart locks are designed to participate in a wider smart-home ecosystem. Current smart locks can integrate with platforms and services including Amazon Alexa, Google, Ring, Apple Home, Matter, and Z-Wave.

The Schlage Home app allows users to manage locks, create access codes, check lock status, remotely lock or unlock compatible products, configure notifications, and manage access.[1][3] This represents a shift in the role of a door lock from a purely mechanical device to a component of a home’s digital access-control system.

Schlage is not exclusively a residential brand. Its commercial portfolio includes sophisticated electronic access-control hardware designed for offices, hotels, universities, hospitals, multifamily buildings, government facilities, commercial properties, and institutional buildings.

Examples include the AD Series, NDE wireless cylindrical locks, and LE wireless mortise locks. Some Schlage electronic locks can work with credentials from systems such as HID, allowing organisations to integrate Schlage hardware into existing access-control infrastructures.[4]

This commercial capability distinguishes Schlage’s operations at two levels: consumer Schlage serves homeowners purchasing individual deadbolts or smart locks, while commercial Schlage serves property owners and organisations deploying hundreds or thousands of locks with centrally managed credentials.

Schlage is currently part of Allegion plc, a global security-products company specialising in security around doors and access points. Allegion’s portfolio includes numerous brands in mechanical and electronic security, such as Von Duprin, LCN, CISA, Interflex, and SimonsVoss.[1]

This relationship provides Schlage with access to the resources of a larger global organisation while allowing it to retain its distinct brand identity. Effectively, Schlage serves as the consumer-facing and product brand, while Allegion acts as the corporate parent.[1]

Schlage generally occupies the mid-to-premium and premium segments of the door-hardware market, particularly in North America. Its reputation is built on several key themes:

• Security: The fundamental purpose of the brand remains physical access security.
• Durability: The company emphasises long-term mechanical performance and durable construction, stating that products are designed around more than a century of experience in durability and strength.[3]
• Design: The residential range includes various styles, trims, finishes, and architectural aesthetics, treating locks as visible design elements rather than purely industrial components.
• Technology: The modern portfolio combines traditional mechanical security with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Thread, Matter, mobile apps, digital credentials, biometric or touch-based technologies, and hands-free unlocking.

A distinctive characteristic of Schlage is the coexistence of security and interior design in its branding. A residential door lock functions simultaneously as a security device, a frequently touched piece of hardware, a visible architectural element, and increasingly, a smart-home device.

Consequently, Schlage offers products in multiple visual styles, ranging from traditional-looking knobs and deadbolts to minimalist modern electronic locks. Its website highlights conventional categories such as door knobs, levers, handlesets, and deadbolts alongside smart locks.[3]

Schlage maintains a significant presence in Asian markets. Allegion’s Asia organisation describes Schlage as a provider of residential and digital access solutions, with products designed around different authentication methods and regional requirements.

The Asian portfolio includes digital locks featuring fingerprint recognition, touchscreen keypads, remote management, audit trails, anti-tamper protection, and electronic access control.[5] It is important to note that Schlage’s product lineup is not identical worldwide; models sold in the United States may differ substantially from those sold under the Schlage name in Asian markets.

Schlage’s primary competitive asset is its brand heritage. Associated with door locks since 1920, the company has over a century of history and states that it is trusted in more than 40 million homes.[5] While the brand’s historical reputation stems from mechanical locks, its modern reputation increasingly derives from smart access.

This distinguishes Schlage from newer smart-lock companies that often begin with software and electronics. Schlage began with mechanical security and gradually added connectivity, maintaining the premise that a lock remains fundamentally a physical security product even when equipped with Wi-Fi.

Availability and specifications vary by country and generation.[1][3]

• 1909: Walter Schlage receives an early patent involving a door lock and electrical switching.[2]
• 1920: Walter Schlage establishes the Schlage Lock Company in San Francisco.[2]
• 1920s: Schlage develops and commercialises cylindrical-lock technology.[2]
• Mid-20th century onward: Schlage becomes an established manufacturer of mechanical locks and architectural door hardware.
• 2013: Schlage Connect brings smart-home connectivity to the residential lock portfolio.[2]
• 2015: Schlage Sense introduces Bluetooth connectivity and Apple Home integration.[2]
• 2019: Schlage Encode introduces built-in Wi-Fi.[2]
• 2022: Encode Plus adds Thread and Apple Home Key support.[2]
• 2023: Encode Lever expands the connected-lock concept to lever hardware.[2]
• 2025 onward: Sense Pro pushes Schlage toward Matter, UWB-based hands-free access, and newer digital-key standards.[2]

Schlage’s identity rests on four pillars:

1. Long history: Developing door hardware since 1920 rather than entering as a recent smart-home startup.
2. Mechanical expertise: Historical strength in physical locks, cylinders, deadbolts, and door hardware.
3. Electronic access: Extension of expertise into commercial electronic access control and residential keyless systems.
4. Smart-home integration: Connection of physical security with smartphones, home automation, digital keys, and wireless protocols.

Schlage is best described as a premium mainstream security-hardware brand rather than a luxury fashion or architectural-hardware brand. Its products are positioned above basic commodity locks in terms of engineering, features, and finish options, yet serve a broad market. For example, the residential smart-lock lineup spans from the Arrive at about $199 MSRP to the Sense Pro at about $399 MSRP on the U.S. site.[3]

The brand competes through a combination of mechanical engineering, cylinder and key technology, construction quality, durability, security ratings, design, installation compatibility, warranty, electronic security, smart-home compatibility, and brand reputation. For smart locks specifically, Schlage emphasises both physical and digital security, including encryption, firmware maintenance, and platform integration.[3]

Current brand messaging revolves around combining strong security with modern convenience. While the historical proposition was simply to make a better lock, the modern proposition focuses on making access secure, durable, convenient, and intelligent. This philosophy allows the company to sell both traditional keyed deadbolts and advanced UWB-enabled smart locks under the same brand.

As of 2026, Schlage functions as a full-spectrum access-security brand. Its portfolio spans traditional mechanical hardware, electronic locks, connected smart locks, commercial access control, and digital credentials. The consumer business emphasises products such as Sense Pro, Encode Plus, Encode, Encode Lever, and Arrive, while the commercial business offers electronic access systems such as AD, NDE, and LE.[1][3]

The company reports that its products are used in more than 40 million homes, illustrating the scale of its residential presence.[5]

1. Schlage
2. Walter Schlage
3. Door Hardware & Door Locks for Every Style | Schlage
4. Schlage Electronic Locks with HID Credential Support | Schlage
5. Our brands | Schlage Residential