Why should you get an RV Lock keyless entry system?
Today’s RV gadget review is of the keyless entry systems from RVLock. While replacing your door lock with an RV Lock keyless entry might seem like a luxury, I also have reason to think it’s almost a necessity.
Why replace the lock on the door of your RV?
The door on your RV obviously has a handle to get into the RV and a lock. You may have been given one or two keys when you got your RV to unlock both the door handle latch and the deadbolt feature on the lock.
But many of the latch mechanisms that include the handle on RVs are built by the low bidder in the supply game. So I’m aware of people literally getting locked into or locked out of their RVs when the mechanism fails. It’s not an uncommon thing.
Further, when I worked at the RV dealership we had a universal key that worked almost all the latches on the doors of the RVs we stocked. That means I could literally walk up to your RV and unlock the door with this universal key.
Now know that the deadbolt on the latch in your RV was different - those had locks that I couldn’t open with this universal RV dealer key so always remember to use the deadbolt on the door of your RV for a bit more security.
What is the RV Lock keyless entry system
The RV Lock system is a direct replacement for the entire door handle in your RV. The family-owned company makes replacement latch and lock mechanisms for a variety of RV door latches which covers most of what is used in the RV industry.
What I like about these is that they’re much, much better quality than the latches the RV industry uses. As many times as I’ve seen people replace their door latch mechanisms with ones from RV Lock I have never heard of failure happening.
The RVLock keyless entry system basically is a direct replacement for the latch mechanism in your RV. If you’ve figured out which end of the screwdriver is the working part, you know how to replace your RV’s door latch. I can’t be more sure that this is a simple swap and one well worth making.
Exploded view of the RVLock keyless entry system
How it works
While the quality of these locks is better than what you likely have on your RV already, there are other reasons why I like these.
One of the reasons is that I don’t have to carry keys to the RV door. The RVLock has a keypad on it that you can program with your own code. You simply walk up to the door and unlock it with your own digital combination. Easy.
You can also lock the door with the press of a button (coincidentally the lock button on the keypad!).
There is also a remote that comes with the RVLock so if you’d rather use this, it’s available. And, of course, it comes with two pair of keys so you can use those.
Do know that, if you only use the keypad to lock or unlock the door you’re only engaging or disengaging the deadbolt. You’ll need the key to lock the latch although, quite honestly, I don’t even both with this any more since I so like the convenience of the keypad.
Having the keypad is very convenient because you can go out on an adventure and not have to carry keys in your pocket, or worry that you’ll lose any keys that you have. As long as you remember the keypad combination that you set, you can get back into your RV.
Funny stories
I have two funny stories involving RV latches and the first is my own.
The first time we installed an RVLock was when we lost both sets of keys to the lock on our own travel trailer. The first set was in my pocket and got lost in the washing machine, the second we left on the bumper of our truck and drove off.
I had to drill-out the lock on the RV door which was the one put on by the factory. While I thought it would take some doing, it didn’t. I’ve already mentioned these latch mechanisms are provided by the low bidder.
“Get 10% off your RV Lock with the coupon code CAMPSTRESSLESS ”
I have the video here of this replacement and it only took me a moment to drill-out the lock from the factory. It’s also really easy to replace with an RV Lock and we have had one ever since then.
The other funny story involves an FMCA convention.
You tend to make friends at these events and we did. We were sitting outside our neighbor’s RV and it was time to call it a night. The wife came back around the RV and said that her key wouldn’t work to open the RV’s door.
Ultimately we couldn’t get the key to work but could get into the baggage door and, the wife being rather slender, she could lift the bed and get into the RV from the back baggage compartment.
Once she was inside, she went to unlock the door and could’t get out either! What had happened is that the latch had failed, which I already said is not uncommon.
Fortunately this was a Class C motorhome so she could get out through the cab door but imagine if it were an RV with just one entry door like a motorhome or trailer? What happened was that a piece of the latch literally broke off inside the latch rendering the door handle useless.
RV Lock tips
Two additional stories to share. Our first RVLock was one of their early examples and, as such, they hadn’t gotten the keypad membrane formulation right so the keypad eventually started to deteriorate. They had zero issues sending us a new keypad and instructing us on how to swap it.
Since then I haven’t had any issues with the keypad membrane on the newer locks I’ve installed so they’ve obviously gotten this part figured out.
Another thing, the RV Lock is battery powered so what happens when the battery dies? You can still use the key to access the RV. Also, as the battery gets low in the RV Lock the sound it makes when locking or unlocking changes to a series of beeps. This is the time to replace the battery in the unit, not wait until after it completely dies.
Lastly, the RV Lock makes a rather obvious beep when you lock and unlock the door. If you press and hold the “1” on the keypad it can be disabled if you choose.
Conclusions
I really like the products from RVLock. I’ve met the founder and his family at the Quartzsite RV Show and like the way they run the business. The products are top notch and installation couldn’t be easier.
