The catch
Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
Neither Apple home keys nor Apple Home can be added with a firmware setting or a separate hub.
Side by side
Schlage BE489WB CAM 619 vs Schlage BE499WB CAM 619: App and code entry work on both, and Plus adds Apple home keys
Quick verdict
If you have no Apple requirement and want code, key and Schlage app access, Encode does the job. Encode Plus is the model for Apple home keys or Apple Home, and you should plan on the hub that your chosen household features call for.
Before you buy
Why, and what it costs you
With two Apple users, the equipment list changes
When two people each want their own home key, Encode Plus is the lock to look at. Schlage also requires an Apple home hub for multiple keys or shared tap access. Adding a hub later will not give standard Encode that feature.
Where this comes from
Schlage treats one initial home key differently from multiple home keys and shared tap access. For the latter, its current support guidance calls for an Apple home hub. BE489 has no Apple home key support.
The catch
Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
Once Apple home keys are shared, or Apple remote automation is used, a home hub becomes a requirement.
Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Why pick it
- Get guest codes and remote control from the Schlage app, with no Apple Home requirement
- Base the purchase on the features both models have in common
- The catch
- Neither Apple home keys nor Apple Home can be added with a firmware setting or a separate hub.
Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Why pick it
- Walk in by tapping a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch
- Run Apple Home, with the home hub it requires built into your setup plan
- The catch
- Once Apple home keys are shared, or Apple remote automation is used, a home hub becomes a requirement.
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What this page compares
This page sets Schlage Encode BE489WB against Encode Plus BE499WB on Apple home keys, shared guest codes, Apple home hub requirements and standard door fit.
What Encode Plus adds in hardware affects Apple access. It brings no extra code capacity and doesn’t widen the documented standard door-thickness range.
Which one fits
Pick the situations that sound like you
Get in with a tap from an iPhone or Apple Watch
Apple home keys on compatible devices work only with Encode Plus.
- Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Not suitable
- Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Better fit
Issue different PINs to Android and iPhone visitors
Each handles up to 100 codes, and visitors key the code in on the touchscreen.
- Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Similar
- Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Similar
Run the lock remotely through Schlage Home, hub-free
Remote access in the Schlage app runs over built-in Wi-Fi on both. Your home network setup still matters.
- Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Similar
- Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Similar
Set up separate Apple home keys for two residents
Plus supports it. Multiple keys or shared tap access also require an Apple home hub, per Schlage.
- Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Not suitable
- Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Depends
Fit the standard package to a two-inch door
The standard range tops out at 1.75 inches on both. Confirm an exact approved solution before you buy either.
- Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Not suitable
- Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Not suitable
In practice
Differences you will notice
With two Apple users, the equipment list changes
When two people each want their own home key, Encode Plus is the lock to look at. Schlage also requires an Apple home hub for multiple keys or shared tap access. Adding a hub later will not give standard Encode that feature.
How we worked this out
Schlage treats one initial home key differently from multiple home keys and shared tap access. For the latter, its current support guidance calls for an Apple home hub. BE489 has no Apple home key support.
A guest PIN works whether or not the guest owns Apple hardware
A visitor entering by code can use the 100-code capacity of either model. Encode Plus changes resident tap access and Apple integration. The number of guest PINs stays the same. That keeps a household with mixed phones from relying on Apple home keys as its only way in.
How we worked this out
Each manufacturer’s product table lists 100 codes, and both can be managed in the Schlage app. A numeric code is typed in at the lock itself, so the visitor’s phone platform has no effect on that entry method.
Plus doesn’t make a two-inch door installation work
Both published standard ranges fall 0.25 inches short of a two-inch-thick door. Don’t buy either as a standard fit for that door unless the manufacturer has confirmed an approved solution for the exact model.
How we worked this out
Both current product specifications stop at 1.75 inches. Since the example door is 2 inches, 2 minus 1.75 gives a 0.25-inch excess for each. No unverified thick-door accessory is assumed.
Option A
Schlage, BE489WB CAM 619
Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
Keypad and phone entry are listed, and the documented door thickness runs from 1.375 to 1.75 inches.
- Best for
- Get guest codes and remote control from the Schlage app, with no Apple Home requirement
Facts we checked
- Unlocking by tapping a home key: No Apple home key
- Integration with Apple Home: Not supported
- Setting up home key sharing: No home key feature
- Access codes in the Schlage app: Up to 100 codes
Option B
Schlage, BE499WB CAM 619
Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
Documented to fit doors 1.375 to 1.75 inches thick, with home-key, keypad and phone listed as entry options.
- Best for
- Walk in by tapping a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch
Facts we checked
- Unlocking by tapping a home key: Apple home key on a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch
- Integration with Apple Home: Supported
- Setting up home key sharing: An Apple home hub is required for multiple home keys or shared tap access
- Access codes in the Schlage app: Up to 100 codes
Spec by spec
Where they really differ
| Spec | Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim | Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim | In practice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tap-to-unlock home key | No Apple home key | Apple home key on compatible iPhone or Apple Watch | With Plus you get a credential stored in Apple Wallet. Access through the Schlage app on Android is a separate method. |
| Apple Home integration | Not supported | Supported | If the lock has to live in Apple Home, pick Plus. For Apple remote control and automations, Schlage documents a home hub. |
| Home key sharing setup | No home key feature | Apple home hub required for multiple home keys or shared tap access | If a family is getting Plus for several tap-to-unlock users, the hub requirement belongs in the purchase plan. |
| Schlage app access codes | Up to 100 codes | Up to 100 codes | PIN capacity doesn’t grow with Plus. Both can hand guests individual codes through the Schlage app. |
| Schlage app remote access | Built-in 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, no separate hub | Built-in 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, no separate hub | Hub-free control in the Schlage app is not the same as what Apple Home features additionally require. |
| Standard door thickness | 1.375 to 1.75 inches | 1.375 to 1.75 inches | On standard fit, it is a tie. For a thicker door, get an exact manufacturer-approved solution instead of assuming Plus fits. |
| Physical entry and batteries | Touchscreen, key cylinder, four AA batteries | Touchscreen, key cylinder, four AA batteries | Neither model has a fingerprint reader, and standard Encode has a touchscreen too. |
Trade-offs
What each pick costs you
With Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- It keeps a touchscreen, which means standard Encode offers no physical numeric buttons.
With Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
- Its standard door range and PIN capacity match Encode’s, which means those needs alone don’t point to Plus.
Change of plan
When the answer changes
A requirement for Apple home key or Apple Home integration
Go with Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim. Those features come with Encode Plus. Shared keys and Apple remote automations also need the required hub.
All you need are touchscreen PINs and remote control in the Schlage app
Go with Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim. Those functions are already in standard Encode, with the same 100-code capacity.
The standard package has to fit a two-inch door
Neither model fits. Each lists a 1.75-inch maximum for its standard installation.
Decision guide
How to decide
Encode fits code, key and Schlage app access when Apple is not a requirement. Encode Plus is for Apple home keys or Apple Home, so budget for the hub that the household features you plan to use need.
Decide what everyone will use to get in daily
Encode Plus is the model that supplies Apple home keys, which is what residents need if they want to tap a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch. Standard Encode still covers the shared basics: touchscreen PINs, a physical key and Schlage app control. In an Android-only household either model works through Schlage, and choosing Plus does not add Apple Wallet entry.
Plan the budget around the Apple features you will use
Both models have built-in Wi-Fi, so remote control through the Schlage app needs no hub. Apple features are a separate matter. Schlage's current support instructions require an Apple home hub to share home key access, to use multiple home keys, and for Apple Home remote control and automations. If you are buying Plus for several residents, sort out that equipment before installation.
Plus does not mean better fit or more capacity
Doors from 1.375 to 1.75 inches are covered by both standard packages, and both publish 100 access codes and have a touchscreen. Once the door passes its preparation checks, decide on the Apple access requirement. A two-inch door needs an exact approved solution before you order either model.
What this page can’t tell you
- For these exact models, no matched test of battery runtime or unlock latency was available.
- Because Apple feature and hub requirements can change, read the current support guidance while you set up.
- Listing the standard door range does not mean every thicker-door accessory works with either model.
By the numbers
What the data shows
What we found across the smart locks we compare, plus the checked facts behind each finding.
Show the facts and the math
| Product | Needs it meets | Facts we checked | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim |
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| Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim |
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Ready to buy
See today’s price and what owners say
Open either model on Amazon for the current price, customer reviews and delivery options.
Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
Get guest codes and remote control from the Schlage app, with no Apple Home requirement
See price & reviews on AmazonSchlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt with Camelot trim
Walk in by tapping a compatible iPhone or Apple Watch
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