Which Smart Locks Work with Ring and How to Connect Them to Ring

Ring has emerged as one of the premier home security systems with the Ring Alarm and the Ring Protect Plus plan. Despite being one of the top home security companies, they do not have any of their own smart locks. Instead, they partnered with companies who have a solid reputation for making locks.

What smart locks work with Ring? Ring has partnered with Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale to allow users to unlock their smart locks from the Ring app. The following Smart lock brand lines work with Ring: Schlage Connect, Schlage Encode, Kwikset SmartCode, and Yale Assure and Yale Pro SL.

For the most updated listed of locks, Ring maintains a webpage located here. Ring has publicly stated that they are working on integrating more locks with their ecosystem, so I expect locks will be added in the future.

Now that you know which locks are compatible with ring, how do you get them connected?

How Does A Smart Lock Connect to Ring?

The similarity between all these smart locks listed is that they all use Z-Wave, as Ring intends for these locks to be paired with your Ring Alarm Base station. The Ring Alarm Base Station has a Z-Wave controller built in to it.

The exception is the Schlage Encode, which is a Wi-Fi connected locks. Wi-Fi locks are less common than Z-Wave locks because Wi-Fi consumes more power. People generally don’t want to be replacing batteries every month or every couple week.

There is one key difference when setting up the Schlage Encode compared to the Z-wave counterparts, and that is when the Ring app asks “How will you connect your lock to the Ring app?” Therefore, I’ll be separating the steps into two different sections.

Using the Wi-Fi connected Schlage Encode will allow you to pair the smart lock to a particular Ring Video Doorbell or Ring Camera. Once integrated, you will be able to control the lock while viewing the video feed from that camera. This is great for when someone rings the doorbell, and you want to unlock the door to let them in. The Z-Wave lock currently do not have this feature; therefore, it is unique to the Schlage Encode.

How to Connect a Wi-Fi Smart Lock to Ring

Note: As of 2021, Schlage Encode is the only compatible Wi-Fi smart lock.

Follow the Manufacturers instructions for initially setting up the Smart Lock.
Use the Amazon Key app to connect your Smart Lock to it.
Open the Ring app

Open the Main Menu by tapping the three bats in the top left corner
Select “Set Up a Device”
Select “Locks & Access Controllers”

Select “Connect via Key by Amazon”
Select “Connect”
Ring will connect to the Amazon Key API to get a list of locks
Select “Connect” after selecting which locks you want to connect Ring to.
If you only have one smart lock connected to Amazon Key, it will automatically be selected and you can tap “Connect” to proceed.

Select which Ring Camera of Ring Video Doorbell you want the Smart Lock associated with
Select “Connect” after choosing the camera
Select “Done”

If you want to test out locking or unlocking the door while viewing the live video feed, here is how you do it. It’s easier than you might think!

From the Ring app home screen, select the camera that the smart lock is linked to

Tap the deadbolt to lock or unlock your smart lock.

How to Connect a Z-Wave Smart Lock to Ring

Note: Not all Z-Wave Smart Locks work with Ring. Only those listed on the Ring website will work.

Follow the Manufacturer’s instructions for initially setting up the Smart Lock.
Open the Ring app
Open the Main Menu by tapping the three bats in the top left corner

Select “Set Up a Device”
Select “Locks & Access Controllers”
Select “Connect Using Z-Wave”

Select the specific model of Smart Lock you have.
A list of all the compatible smart locks will be displayed.
Select “Ready”
This page just displays some information about your particular smart lock and a larger picture to confirm you have the same model.
Pair your lock with the Ring Alarm Base Station
The Ring app will guide you through this process. The exact process you need to follow will vary depending on which brand of smart lock you have. Schlage will usually have a QR Code, and Yale has a paring mode you can enter on the lock itself.

Once paired, ring will automatically move to the next screen.

Select the room where the smart lock is located.
If you don’t have a room, select “No Room Assigned”.
Setup shared users if desired, or press “Don’t Add Any Users”
Select “Continue” to move to the mode settings
You may want to read about the settings before continuing to learn more about their functions.

Set Disarmed Mode Setting, and press “Continue”
This setting will allow you to disarm your Ring Alarm system when the smart locked is unlocked using a code. Using a key to unlock the smart lock will not disarm the Ring Alarm.
Set Away Mode Settings, and press “Continue”
This page has two settings that allow you to put the Ring Alarm in an Away mode alarm state when you put the smart lock in a locked state.

One option is to do this with the one touch feature on the smart lock, and the other option is to do this when a code is entered on the smart lock
Select “Done”

Your Smart Lock is now integrated with the Ring app and your Ring Security system. You can lock and unlock it from the Ring app, and also have the lock automatically arm or disarm the Ring Alarm if desired.

In Summary

Ring is an innovative company at the forefront of smart home security. They are constantly adding new integrations, so if the smart lock you have or want to install isn’t an option yet make sure to check back. Or e-mail support, although they tend to give canned answers of, “It’s planned for the future.”

Can you lock and unlock your door with Ring? The Ring app can control (unlock or lock) select Z-Wave smart locks from Schlage, Kwikset, and Yale. The Schlage Encode is the only Wi-Fi option that works with Ring, but it does allow you to lock or unlock your door while live viewing the Ring video feed.

The Schlage Encode connects to your Ring system through Amazon Key, whereas the Z-Wave locks directly integrate with Ring and become part of the Ring Alarm system.