By ShowMeStepByStepPublished
Based on a video by Dave Wirth.
Ditching your keys for a keypad is one of the easier upgrades you can make to a door. In this walkthrough, Dave Wirth from his YouTube channel takes an old brass deadbolt off an exterior door and puts a keyless TEEHO keypad lock in its place. Most of it is straight screwdriver work, and the whole swap took him under an hour.
The one part that trips people up is programming the code. Dave is honest about needing a few tries to get the master code to stick, so you will know what to watch for. If you have ever changed a doorknob, you already have the skills for this.
Locking down entry is a big part of keeping a house running. If you are working through other entry upgrades, pair this with our guide on how to install a Ring doorbell for a full front-door setup.
Start on the edge of the door. Back out the two screws holding the old latch faceplate, then pull the latch bolt straight out of its slot. Keep the screws in a cup so they don't roll off the porch. With the latch gone, the deadbolt body should loosen up and you can move to the flat face of the door.
Tip
Take a photo of the old setup before you touch it. If the new lock ever needs to come off, you'll remember how it all fit.
Now clear the round bore hole. Loosen the mounting screws on the interior side and separate the two halves of the old deadbolt so they slide out of the door. You should be left with a clean bore and an empty edge slot. Wipe out any grit so the new hardware seats flush.
Feed the new latch bolt into the edge of the door, curved side facing the direction the door closes. Push it back until the faceplate sits flat against the door edge, then drive the two included screws to hold it. Check that the little hole in the latch lines up with the center of the bore. That's where the keypad post has to pass through.
Tip
If your door has a shallow backset, most keyless kits ship an adjustable latch. Slide the collar to match before you screw it down.
Hold the keypad against the outside of the door and slide its square post and cable through the latch and out the interior side. Keep the keypad level while you do this so the numbers sit straight. Have a hand ready on the inside to catch the post so nothing pinches or twists as it comes through.
Set the interior body over the post and mounting plate, then drive the through-bolts to sandwich the door tight. Don't crank them all the way yet. Snug them so the lock still moves freely. Pop the cover and load the AA batteries into the tray. The keypad should light up once power hits it.
Tip
Dave found that fully tightening the side latch screws made the bolt bind. Back them off a touch if the deadbolt drags.
Before you program anything, turn the interior thumb-turn by hand. The bolt should slide in and out smoothly, with no grinding. Then close the door and check that the bolt lines up with the strike plate on the frame. If it catches, loosen the mounting bolts and shift the body slightly until the throw is clean.
Grab the quick-start card. Enter the factory master code, press the brand button, then type the new code you want and confirm. Wait for the green light before you let go. Dave hit a few red flashes here, and found that typing four or five digits quickly worked better than going slow. Once it takes, test the code from the outside and lock up.
Tip
A red flash means the code didn't register. Wait for the keypad to reset, then re-enter the sequence at a steady, quick pace.
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