PACKAGING | CONTENTS

The front of the box features both the lock and keypad, and depending on the option you purchased, you’ll see either the silver or space grey model. I’m told there’s a white model, but have yet to see anyone with it. When it comes to the front, they really pushed the boat out when it comes to letting you know just how compatible this lock is;

• support for Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Samsung SmartThings, and Google Home
• Offers Matter and Thread support (Matter over Thread, essentially)
• It doesn’t mention Apple HomeKey on the front, but then only Apple Home users get to use this, so…

The back of the box has the standard blurb, but it also outlines the type of locks the U200 works with. Bear in mind this is a retrofit lock, so for both deadbolts and eurocylinder locks, you get to keep your original lock. If you have locks other than these two basic types, the U200 is not guaranteed to work with it, but to be sure you can visit the company’s website to do a compatibility check to be certain. I’ve fitted the U200 to a deadbolt lock on one of our internal locks, so I guess this is probably the easiest of all the installations (that makes a change…).

The box lists some of the features;

• Matter over Thread support, which will no doubt please the more keen early adopters
• NFC support by using either Aqara’s own NFC fobs, or certain types of NFC cards
• Apple HomeKey support
• Quiet unlock mode
• The option to power the keypad with batteries or ‘wire-powerd’ [sic]
• Other unlock methods, including your own key of course
• And the fact that it works with your existing lock

The other side features the specs, which I’ll also list;

• Model: EL-D02E
• Wireless Protocols: Thread, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC
• Door Lock Dimensions: 62.3 x 60.6 x 152.5 mm (2.4 x 2.4 x 6 in.)
• Keypad Dimensions: 42.7 x 33 x 146 mm (1.7 x 1.3 x 5.7 in.)
• Powering Modes:
  • Door Lock: Aqara Rechargeable Li-ion Battery 7.4V
  • Keypad: 4 x LR3 AAA 1.5V Batteries
  • 12V-24V AC 0.5A 50/60Hz or 12V-24V DC 0.5A wired input
• Operating Temperature: -15 °C ~ 66 °C (5 °F ~ 150.8 °F)
• Operating Humidity: 0 ~ 93% RH, no condensation
• IP Rating (Keypad): IPX5

As you can see, you still get Bluetooth as an option, which means you can create a direct connection between your phone and the lock (actually the keypad), which is still something we’re unable to do via Thread, even with Thread built into the later iPhones.

So, there’s a ton of contents in the U200 box, to say the least.

• Smart Lock U200 × 1 (incl. keypad)
• User Manual × 1
• Aqara Rechargeable Battery × 1
• Cylinder Adaptor Kit × 1
• Hexagon Screwdriver × 1
• USB-C Cable × 1
• AAA Battery × 4
• 3M Sticker × 1
• EVA Pad Kit × 1
• Screw Kit × 1
• Power Bank Pouch × 1

If like me you’re adding this to a US style deadbolt lock, you won’t be needing the 3M sticky pads.

THE LOCK | KEYPAD

Unlike many locks with keypads, the U200 comes with its own keypad as standard, and isn’t an optional extra. The two are pre-paired at the factory, so if for any reason one of the two parts gets damaged, you can’t just replace it, so the lock and keypad would have to be replaced in total. That would normally make you understandably think twice about the purchase, given that an optional keypad would be preferable, but as it stands, none of the keypads you can buy as an optional extra come with Apple HomeKey included. Some have a fingerprint reader, which is probably just as good in most cases, but once again Aqara tops most other options with an included NFC reader too. The SwitchBot Lock Pro also offers both a fingerprint reader and NFC, but no Apple HomeKey support, but it does require their own hub due to it using Bluetooth, whereas with the U200, it’ll connect to an existing Thread network via Matter, so no hub required unless you plan on using it in the Aqara ecosystem, in which case the Aqara Hub M3 will be the device to provide Matter and Thread support. You don’t actually need the Aqara M3 to use the U200, as it’ll connect to the Aqara app via you phone using Bluetooth. If you want to make use of automations within the Aqara app, you will need the M3.

I can only speak from the perspective of fitting it to a deadbolt door, but it was very easy to install. I have had experience in fitting other retrofit locks though – having installed the Nuki Lock 2.0, August Pro, and the previously mentioned SwitchBot Lock Pro, so maybe I’ve had a bit more practice, but it is actually pretty straightforward. Deciding where to place the keypad is probably more tricky, but only because you need to ensure that the location you place it is going to be easily accessible for NFC, hands (with the keypad), but especially iPhone and Apple Watch. Having it in a location that makes you contort your wrist to use HomeKey on your watch or your phone is not going to be much fun.

Focussing briefly on the lock portion, removing the cover plate reveals a few things; first of all this is home to a rechargeable battery, so you don’t have the option to use standard disposable or rechargeable batteries. That’s ok, as long as the cost of a replacement battery is reasonable, and possibly more importantly, is readily available. So far, I’ve not seen any mention of replacements, but I’m sure that’ll come in due course. The battery clicks into place quite easily, and comes with a little tab to pull it out, so no complaints there. As it’s rechargeable, there’s a USB-C port at the top (or bottom, depending on how you’ve installed it), so in essence, you don’t even need to remove the battery to recharge it, as long as you’re a bit creative. There’s also an LED indicator that briefly flashes when the lock is activated in any way.

As this is a full-on Matter device, you don’t get a QR code for HomeKit, only a Matter QR code. This is going to be something we’re already seeing more of, but to HomeKit users it generally makes little difference – you scan the Matter code to add the device to Apple Home in the same way you’ve always done. There’s also a QR code for the Aqara ecosystem, which you may or may not need to scan, as once powered up, the lock should be sending out a Bluetooth signal allowing it to be discovered. If not, you can use the QR code. Below (or above) these codes are two buttons – Reset and Set – both of which are pretty self explanatory, although maybe less so for the set button. With the lock set up, you tend to need the Set button to add it to other ecosystems.

IN AQARA HOME

The main screen isn’t dissimilar to the screens for Aqara’s other locks, with user management, passcode and log options. Even though the lock uses Thread, Bluetooth is still available, which – as I’ve previously stated – means you don’t actually need the M3, or any other Aqara hub, to use the U200. As you can see from the second screenshot, I’m not connected to the M3, and I’m still able to access functions and settings for the lock, as long as I’m within Bluetooth range. For some reason, however, even if you’re connected to the lock via the M3, accessing most functions for the lock does require you to activate the keypad first, which would be achieved by pressing any button on the keypad. This means accessing most features can’t be done remotely.

When it comes to users, just as with the other Aqara locks, it’s broken down into three basic categories (not including users of one-time passcodes);

• Admin – this gives the user access to all lock settings, as well as locking or unlocking using all the available methods
• General – much like the Admin option, this allows the user to use all the available lock/unlock methods.
• Temporary user – This allows the user to access the lock only using a passcode. Additionally, you can limit access between specific dates, or certain days of the week and between certain times.

The one-time passcode option can generate a one-off passcode that can only be used one, and will expire after a set date. This also doesn’t require you to activate the lock, unlike the other options.

Both Admin and general users can access the lock using a registered fingerprint, passcode, with an NFC card, or with Apple HomeKey (Via Apple Home), if they have a suitable iPhone. There are no restrictions to the user in terms of dates, days, or times. Periodic/temporary users can be restricted by date – so you can allow access between specific dates, but you can also customise this access to only work on specific days of the week, and even between certain times of the day. If you’re worried you’re going to come up with an easily guessed passcode, the Aqara app can generate one randomly for you.

As with all Aqara locks I’ve reviewed so far – A100 Zigbee, U100, U500, the U200 has so many options I’m just not going to go into detail on each one. A possibly useful one for people who rent out their properties on a regular basis, the Door Lock Log is quite useful for keeping track of all comings and goings, as well as alerting you to other issues.

As for the long list of features, there are options for controlling the audio that comes from the lock, there’s auto lock, although in my testing I couldn’t get it to work consistently. There’s an option to lock the keypad if repeated failed passcodes have been attempted to be used. Night latch mode allows you to only allow for certain types of access to be used between specified times, and Auto-Turn is a good option for people with potential disabilities or issues with the strength in their hands. This allows the thumb turn on the lock to be turned just a little way, with the U200 completing the rest of the locking/unlocking action for you. If you turn the lock a little way, slowly, the deadbolt will lock/unlock slowly in kind. Turn it a little way more briskly, and it’ll respond with a fast lock/unlock. It may seem a bit strange to offer this, but it does work. I just wonder if a small button might have been better though.

The lock also has Quiet mode, which allows the U200 to lock much quieter and slower. In fact there are three speeds available, quiet, normal, and fast, with the latter being the default. To achieve this mode, you simply need to press the Confirm button (the one with a ‘tick’ icon) followed by the lock or unlock method you choose, and it’ll duly open in the slowest mode. You can also set the lock to perform and any of the three speeds on a schedule, which is great if you have a family member that regularly arrives home late, which means they’re less likely to wake other members of the family.

The lock also offers the following modes – Do Not Disturb and Passage, with the latter ensuring that the U200 stays unlocked for those times when you need the lock to be accessible for when people are constantly going in or out of the house.

IN APPLE HOME

You’ll not be surprised to see the U200 offers much the same level of detail as most locks. You get the one tile, and a toggle control beyond that. For the settings panel, you get to see the battery levels, but only for the lock itself, not the keypad. This is because it’s the lock that connects to your Apple Home via Thread, with the keypad connecting to the lock using Bluetooth.

If you prefer not to use the Aqara app for user management, you can still use both Apple HomeKey and passcodes, with the latter option using the ‘Manage Access’ feature, which allows you to create or generate passcodes directly within Apple Home. Manage Access doesn’t give you the range of customisation options you find in the Aqara app, so you can’t restrict the user to a start and end date, certain days or times. You can only give them access, turn access off, or remove it totally. What you do get is the option to allow the same passcode to be used with other locks in Apple Home, as long as those locks also support the Manage Access feature. If you look in the second screenshot, you can see both the U200 and U50 are present as options, but my now ageing August Lock is not present, as is the case with Aqara A100 Zigbee, neither of which has this option. You can then share the passcode in a variety of ways – AirDrop, Email, Messages, Notes, and much more.

IN DAY-TO-DAY USE

This is a tricky one to conclusively talk about, as I only have one front door, which is already being taken care of by the Aqara A100 Zigbee (review HERE, video HERE), so I’ve had to confine my testing to a bedroom door – hey we live in an apartment! This also means I’ve been unable to test the keypad with the outdoor elements. That said, in all the testing, which so far covered maybe just a tad under two months, I’ve been impressed by a few things. First of all, the response time between a fingerprint being pressed onto the sensor and the lock opening, is exceptionally  fast. This had been my experience with the A100 and U100 locks, but the keypad is hardwired into these locks, so you should expect nothing less. With the keypad not physically connected to the lock, only utilising Bluetooth, you’d rightly expect there to be a delay, at least initially. This simply isn’t the case, with response times being astonishingly fast.

All of the lock options – fingerprint, NFC, and Apple HomeKey – are as fast to respond, with only the keypad being slower due to having to tap in a passcode. I think aside from being able to offer HomeKey via wireless keypad, which I honestly had my doubts would actually come to pass, the reaction times really do put many other locks to shame when you compare like with like.

One downside is the fact you currently need to be with the keypad and have it activated in order to access nearly all the settings. Hopefully Aqara can address this. The other more minor downside is regarding issues I had with connecting it to the M3. When I first set it up, everything worked well in both Aqara and Apple Home. As I’m meant to be actually testing the device, I did remove and reinstall the U200 a few times, and this is where I encountered issues. The second installation went through, but on this occasion Apple HomeKey was added, but wouldn’t actually work. A third installation fixed this, but then I couldn’t bind it to the M3, which is the state we’re at currently. I did have separate issues with the M3, which I detailed in my review, so as it stands, the U200 is mostly used in Apple Home, with Aqara Home only used to change settings.

Build quality is of the usual Aqara standard, which can vary depending on some devices. For example, the Aqara A100 I have here is built like a tank, due to the two parts being mostly made of heavy, durable metal and glass. The U200 isn’t as ‘tank-like’ as this due to the keypad and lock bodies being made of plastic. They still feel well made and put together though, and don’t creak at the seams, or offer gaps where there shouldn’t be any.

I think the one thing that makes this lock stand out from other retrofit locks is that it can work with both European and North American style locks. The SwitchBot Lock Pro can too, but you have to have a separate model for this, whereas the U200 does everything with the one model. The Nuki only works with European locks, and the likes of August, as one example, are only meant for deadbolts, so the U200 is truly on its own in this respect.

If I were to offer a suggestion, it would be that if you want to replace a dumb deadbolt lock, you may want to consider the U100 or U100, as they have it all in one package. If, on the other hand, you’re renting, and aren’t allowed to simply replace the whole lock, then the U200 is best for the least intrusive option of the two. It goes without saying that for European users, this is probably the best option right now, and I say that having used locks by Nuki and SwitchBot.

The post Aqara Smart Lock U200 (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

In this review, we’ll be look at not just the lock itself, but also the optional Keypad Touch, and the Switchbot hub Mini, with Matter support. It’s also important to note that I’m reviewing the model that works with US deadbolts, whilst there’s also a separate version available for european locks, typically for Eurocylinders.

Final point to note is that unlike many locks that have been released in the last year or so, the Switchbot Lock Pro is NOT Apple HomeKey compatible, at least not at the time of writing this review.

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

If we’re solely talking packaging, Switchbot has made it clear that they feel this is a premium (or Pro) product, with very a understated black box, featuring little aside from a line drawing of the lock, and the product name on the side. The back has the specs, and that’s it, so on the assumption you know what you’ve purchased, the contents are more important, but it still exudes class, so never underestimate the power of good packaging.

There’s a fair bit in the box, which aside from the lock, includes a mounting plate, two pairs of bolts for securing the plate to the outer part of your lock and the deadbolt, as well as three numbered adaptors for different tailpieces. There’s some tape, for holding the outer part of your lock in place during the installation, a magnet for door position detection, a screwdriver, and a hex tool for some small additional screws.

Onto the lock itself, and like the box, it’s a monolithic slab of black for the most part, with only a thumb turn featuring a small orange dot to set it apart. The thumb turn has a tread on it for decent grip, and when turned, has a reassuringly well engineered feel to it. There’s also a small LED above that, which lights up in various scenarios to let you know it’s working. Above the LED is a magnetic lid that hides the battery compartment. The sides are home to a total of four small holes for the included tiny hex screws (there are eight in total, in case you lose some).

The rear isn’t normally seen, as this is the section that connects to the mounting plate, which itself is connected to the door via the bolts that normally connect the existing thumb turn to the outer part of the lock. What you do see is the method in which the lock works to replace the thumb turn, and essentially lock or unlock the door for you. In the case of the US Deadbolt, you would remove the existing thumb turn, connect the mounting plate to the outer part of the lock with either your existing bolts, or the ones provided, then place one of three adaptors onto the exposed tailpiece, with the adaptor then connecting to the centre of the mechanism. Hopefully that all makes sense, but you can also check out an overview of it via the video below, starting at 2’46”;

The top and bottom of the lock are pretty devoid of anything distinguishing, other than the top featuring the Switchbot logo. This all lines up with the distinct ‘less is more’ approach that I personally like. With the magnetic cover plate removed, you have access to the battery compartment, which instead of relying solely on ‘silos’ for the batteries to fall into, uses a sort of cradle that holds the batteries together. This cradle then slots into the space provided, and is held in place with two spring loaded tabs that you turn 45º in order to secure or release the battery cradle. I like this design concept, although if these tabs somehow break, there would be nothing to hold the cradle in place, as the space for said cradle is also spring-loaded (if that’s the right word). Without these tabs, the battery cradle wouldn’t connect to the lock properly, and the lock wouldn’t have power basically.

Speaking of batteries, the company do also sell an optional rechargable battery package, which is actually two separate packs. These take the place of the aforementioned battery cradle, but are still held in place by the same spring-loaded tabs. The difference with these – apart from the recharging option – is that the lock can run on just one of these, so you can recharge one, using the other to keep the lock online uninterrupted. They’re recharged via a provided USB-C cable and port, found on each of the packs, labelled A and B.

SMART INSTALLATION

Having been the happy user of a Nuki Lock 2.0 for a couple of years (review HERE, video HERE) before replacing it with the Aqara A100 Zigbee, I was already familiar with how a retrofit lock of this type worked, so installation was actually quite easy. The Nuki was fitted to my main door, that used a mortice lock with a Eurocylinder, which is not the case for the Switchbot lock I have here, as for the purposes of testing it out, it was fitted to an inner door with a deadbolt. the methods of installation vary slightly but they’re both easy, although it’s important to note that the Switchbot Lock Pro for the two regions (Europe or North America) do come with slighting different mounting plates, so don’t buy the European model thinking it’ll work with a US deadbolt lock, as it won’t.

The Switchbot Lock Pro, like almost all of Switchbot’s lineup, uses Bluetooth. This makes me shudder a bit, thinking that this wireless protocol is still considered a valid option in 2024, especially with Thread now well established. There is a caveat in my stance on this when it comes to smart locks, however, as Bluetooth is still the only option available when connecting a lock and phone directly to one another. The newest iPhones have Thread inside, but as far as I’m aware it’s not being made use of, whilst all smart phones come with Bluetooth as standard, so in cases where you need that direct connection, Bluetooth is still the only choice.

Still, this lock could have gotten HomeKit certification, as many other smart locks have in the past, which would have negated the use of the company’s Switchbot Hub Mini (w/Matter) or the Hub 2, which is required if you want to expose the lock to any smart home platform. I guess the reasoning is that the lock can only be bound to an Apple Home Hub for HomeKit, or their own hubs, not both at the same time. It’s clear that Switchbot has its own ecosystem in mind here, and if you’re an owner of many other devices by them, the lock does in some ways benefit from having it connected to their ecosystem via these hubs, just as Aqara offers certain functions exclusive to their ecosystem. Maybe they should have offered both options – HomeKit or Switchbot hub integration. just saying…

Manual control of the lock can be achieved by simply using the dial or thumb turn for locking or unlocking, but this dial also has a button built into it. Pressing the button can also achieve the same basic lock control, which is useful for people who may suffer from limited control over their hands or fingers.

You can add the lock to the Switchbot app without needing a hub, which allows you to control the lock as long as you and your phone are in Bluetooth range of the lock. Adding it to a hub exposes it to third party platforms, as well as allowing the lock to interact with other Switchbot devices, and devices on other platforms, using scenes or automations.

In the Switchbot app, you have a dedicated tile for the lock, along with a single screen to control its status, view usage logs, and see what other devices are connected to it. In the case above, you can see I have the Switchbot Keypad Touch connected to the lock (via Bluetooth). You’ll also notice that I’ve got a few other items set up in the app – an AC controller, a temperature and humidity sensor, the aforementioned lock and keypad, as well as a TV and the hub. Both the AC and the TV are controlled via the hub’s built-in IR blaster, which also exposes those devices to Apple Home and other platforms.

Ultimately, unless you already have the Switchbot Hub 2, the new Hub Mini with Matter is an essential purchase if you want to get the most out of the lock. The Hub Mini is useful in its own right, due the IR blaster though, so it makes sense to get it anyway.

In Apple Home, it’s a pretty standard affair, with a single tile to represent the lock for quick access to open and close actions. There’s a larger toggle control when you press on the tile (but not the icon). You also have basic settings for the lock. it doesn’t include an option to view the battery levels unfortunately, which is reserved for the Switchbot app.

THE SWITCHBOT APP

The Switchbot Lock Pro offers a respectable amount of customisation, including the basics, like Control over the LED indicator, and alert sounds from the lock. The button on the lock can actually be used in more ways than just controlling the lock, with options to restrict it to to just one of the two options. You can also assign actions to the button when performing a double press, so you can trigger scenes or automations, but only within the Switchbot app.

There are options that allow for triggering an alarm when the door is either ajar, or left unlocked. Even though the lock can be exposed to Matter via one of the company’s bridges, the app and ecosystem aren’t actually a Matter platform in the way that Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, or more recently Aqara Home, are. This means that if you want to connect to the lock remotely solely within the Switchbot app, you still need some form of cloud connectivity. If you want remote access from within HomeKit, you’re also essentially using Apple’s iCloud services to connect to your devices remotely anyway, so this isn’t as odd as it may seem. With this cloud connection option, you can still pair your devices to Google, Amazon, IFTTT, and even Siri Shortcuts using what I’d call legacy methods, which is how you would have connected to these platforms pre-Matter. Battery status, as mentioned earlier, is the preserve of the Switchbot app. As you can see from the screenshot above, I’m using the rechargeable battery packs, and with it I get to see the status of each of the two packs. If I were using standard batteries, it would show the collective state of the four batteries.

THE KEYPAD TOUCH

If you’re disappointed that this lock doesn’t support Apple homeKey, but still want to use the lock, the Keypad Touch is essential in my opinion. This optional piece of kit connects directly to your lock, and whilst at its core it’s a keypad, it has a built in fingerprint reader, as well as NFC capabilities.

There’s a ton of parts to go with the keypad, which includes a metal plate, screws, an adhesive strip, and a pair of grommets to affix it to the outside of your home/door. The keypad is IP65 rated for outdoor use and can function with the following temperature ranges; -25 ~ 66 ℃ / -13~150ºF.

The keypad is capable of locally storing up to 100 separate fingerprints, but it can also store up to 100 passcodes of course. These passcodes can be one of a few types;

• Permanent Passcode: This is a passcode that is valid at all times. This type of code need to set up a Permanent Passcode first before you can set up others.
• Temporary Passcode: This is a passcode that can only be available for a certain period. The maximum validation period is 5 years.
• One-time Passcode: This is a passcode that is only valid once. And can be set with a time limit between 1 to 24 hours.
• Emergency Passcode: Should you use an emergency passcode to unlock your door, this action will be recorded and a relevant notification will be sent to a verified email address.

In many cases, people have found that a fingerprint sensor for a lock – whether part of the lock itself or separately as in the case here – is preferable to Apple HomeKey, simply because it’s quicker and you don’t need to get your phone out to unlock the door. HomeKey on an Apple Watch is probably almost as convenient too, of course. Passcodes are slower due to the nature of having to type them in, but they’re a good back up and also the type you can pass out to people, and cancel at any time.

The one area that seems to be lacking options is for the passcode side of things, as you can set a permanent passcode with no restrictions, but you can’t set a permanent passcode that has time or day restrictions. This is something you’d typically see in other locks where such options would be used for a permanent visitor to your home that only needs access at certain times of the day, and days of the week (cleaner or pet walker for example). You can set a temporary passcode, but that just has a start and end date, with seemingly no option to select time periods or specific days.

In one sense this shouldn’t matter, as both passcodes and fingerprints that are used are logged for you to check on if required, but given this is somewhat of a standard when it comes to passcodes for locks, it’s surprising to see it missing here.

The other option to unlock your door is with NFC; The keypad comes with a complementary Switchbot NFC card, with the option to buy more. This is probably the closest you can get when it comes to a comparison with Apple HomeKey, as the latter is based on NFC, even if it differs in some important aspects. The advantage of the NFC card is it’s faster than tapping in a passcode, and it’s less likely to be misread, unlike a fingerprint sensor, although in fairness to said sensor, it’s pretty reliable, so the choice is yours – passcode, fingerprint, or NFC card. I have seen that standard writeable NFC cards can be used with the keypad, although when I tried with a standard NFC card, it wouldn’t work.

IN USE – LOCK | KEYPAD | HUB MINI

Starting with the central device, the lock, and it has performed well, and I really have nothing to complain about. Some have bemoaned the size of it, and yes it is bulky, but then it has to carry four AA batteries and house a motor surrounding a thumb turn or key in some cases, so I’m not sure if there’s a way around that. At the end of the day, this is a retrofit device, so you benefit from keeping your original keys, which means no re-keying of your locks. Initially I found that compared to the Aqara U50, which I reviewed (video) soon after this lock, it would often show as offline, before eventually showing as online. I mention this in the video too. The U50 always showed as online straight away, whereas this lock took in some cases as much as 10 seconds to get to its online state. Thankfully iOS17.5.1 seems to have fixed this issue, and it now shows as online as instantly as the U50, so I’m glad to be able to say this is a non issue now.

It’s a shame this couldn’t work directly with Apple Home, and although I can see why they probably went down this route, I think it would have been good to be able to offer consumers the option to have it connect to a Home Hub if they didn’t need/want/have one of Switchbot’s hubs, but that’s their prerogative.

A lack of HomeKey support isn’t going to win it many fans, but then as it’s a Matter lock (via their hubs), Matter doesn’t support HomeKey anyway, so there’s little to be argued about there. With the keypad, which I think is very sturdily made, and reliable, it does make for a compelling retrofit option, that dare I say is better than Nuki’s offering. Whether this lock is going to be overshadowed by the upcoming Aqara U200 remains to be seen, but given the U200 comes with a keypad as standard, which also offers Apple HomeKey, it’s safe to say the Switchbot option has its work cut out at trying to convince people they should be going for the Switchbot Lock Pro.

Finally, the hub, which was originally only going to be sold as part of a lock package is actually now available to purchase separately. However, at US$59.99 I think it’s a bit overpriced, given the price of much more capable Aqara hubs that are available in a range of price options. Still, it does have an IR blaster that actually exposes all IR devices connected to it (subject to a limit), and not just the AC controller in the case of the Aqara Hub M3. So, if you don’t already have a hub, but want these extras, it could be useful and is available as part of package that brings the total cost of lock, bridge, and keypad down considerably compared to the cost of purchasing them separately.

Am I using it now, you might ask. Well as it was tested over a few weeks on an internal door, it could sit there and not be noticed, but I’ve actually since fitted the U50 in the same location, so no it’s not in use. My main door, which used to have the Nuki Lock 2.0 is now home to an Aqara A100 Zigbee, so there’s nowhere it can be used right now. As it stands, with the A100 on the front door, the U50 on another internal door, and the U200 in testing on yet another door, I have nowhere for it to go. That doesn’t mean to say it’s not good enough, but considering it needs the hub for HomeKit integration, I could do without a hub that really only serves the one purpose in my case, so I can’t give it a home. Maybe you can though!

The post Switchbot Lock Pro (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

PACKAGING

The packaging for the Sequra HK1 makes clear that this is not only a HomeKit device but also utilises Thread, although you’ll also see the Bluetooth logo there too. This is because Bluetooth is used in both the initial setup for Thread devices, commonly referred to as ‘onboarding’ or ‘commissioning’, but is designed as a fallback option, should Thread fail for some reason. It’s also used as the default communication method if the user doesn’t have a Thread Border Router in their home. In the case of Apple Home, this would be the HomePod Mini, HomePod (2nd gen), or Apple TV4K (2nd gen or 3rd gen w/ 128GB), all of which contain Thread Border Routers. As this uses HomeKit over Thread, not Matter over Thread, Google, SmartThings, and Alexa users can’t make use of this lock.

Functionality is a strong point with the HK1, offering the usual HomeKit-centred features, whilst also providing up to 50 passcodes, Passage mode/Auto lock, an Anti-prying feature, emergency power via a USB-C port, standard keys, 1-year battery life via four AA batteries, and an IP54 rating.

The lock can be used directly in Apple Home, but you get more features if you also pair it with the Sleekpoint app, which is home to the Airversa Purelle, as both Holomarq and Airversa are brands belonging to Sleekpoint Innovations, hence the name of the app. Currently, the lock is only available in two finishes – Matte Black, and Metallic Gold, both of which we’ll see later.

CONTENTS

In the box, you get the lock, which comes in three parts – the latch bolt, the inner assembly, and the outer assembly. There’s a manual in English, a hole-cutting guide, if you’re installing this on a new door, and a quick setup card. Also included are a pair of standard backup keys, four screws for fixing the latch bolt and the included strike plate, as well as screws for two different door depths.

The lock when in the hand, feels really hefty, and well made, especially considering the sub-US$ 100 price tag.

The outer assembly is where most of the details are, with eleven rubber buttons numbering one to zero, with a ‘confirm’ button with a ‘tick’ icon. At the bottom is a small status LED that’ll briefly flash in green when the door is locked or unlocked, and red if there’s a wrong code entered, or if the batteries are low. In the centre is the lock cylinder for standard key usage. The keypad will light up when pressing the buttons, so you can see what you’re pressing in the dark.

Removing the inner assembly cover reveals a space for the four AA batteries required to power the lock, along with a data cable, data port, and reset/pairing button. There’s also the second of two instances of the HomeKit code, with the other instance stuck to the outside of the inner assembly. Given that this handle is going to be touched a lot, probably wearing the Q code sticker down over time, the inner code is a very important backup.

Speaking of backups, should the batteries die, and you chose not to carry one of the provided keys, you can boot up the lock temporarily via the USB-C port, although that also means you’d have to be carrying a device capable of providing a bit of power to the lock, like a power bank, or perhaps a phone capable of providing power, as well as a USB-C cable.

THE LOCK (INSTALLED)

As previously mentioned, the lock comes in two finishes, with the Metallic Gold option pictured above and installed. I’m not going into the installation, as there’s a separate video for that from the company, as well as my brief take on it, but if you wish to watch the video below, it also includes an overview of the installation;

ADDING LOCK TO APPLE HOME

I’d recommend adding the lock via the Sleekpoint app initially, as it still adds it to Apple HomeKit, but allows you to add the lock to both systems in one go. After selecting the lock from the ‘add device’ menu, which currently only offers two devices, you just need to reset the lock ready for installation. You go through the same steps you would as though you were adding any HomeKit device, although with the HK1 you’ll eventually come to a section where you’ll be asked to add a master numerical code.

If this is your first lock that has the Apple Home feature known as Manage Access (which I’ll go into later), then you will add your code, which will then be automatically used for subsequent locks added that use Manage Access. If you already have a lock installed with that feature, the code you set up will show instead of asking you to add a code. Currently, the only locks that support Manage Access are the Schlage Encode Plus, the Aqara Smart Lock U100, and this lock.

IN APPLE HOME

There are no real surprises here, with a single tile for the lock, a toggle switch for locking and unlocking, as well as a settings page. This page displays the battery level and also reveals the Manage Access feature I mentioned earlier.

Tapping on this section reveals any guests you might have already added, with the option to turn off access to any user in the list, or adjust certain parameters, like the user’s name, or passcode. You can add a guest here too, which will then generate a random six-digit code for you, although you can change this code to one you prefer.

With the guest and code added, you can then share the code using a variety of methods, including email, Messages, AirDrop, or even via social media if you really want. What you can do with these passcodes is add conditions, so a person either has unrestricted access or none at all, which is where the Sleekpoint app is a better option if more custom access is required.

THE SLEEKPOINT APP

There are currently only two devices in my app, and from this screen, I can lock or unlock the door, but if I tap on the tile for the lock, I get access to a few more options including a larger dedicated lock/unlock button. Below that are two options, Lock Activity and Manage Access. Don’t get the latter option mixed up with the Apple version with the same name, although they do much the same thing, just independently of each other.

Lock Activity shows you all activity involving the lock, whether it has been controlled via an app, locked, unlocked with a key, and even whether someone has simply turned the doorknob when it’s locked. Any passcodes used will show here as long as the codes used were created in the Sleekpoint app. If the codes were generated in the Home app, they’ll show as related to HomeKit.

The settings page offers a selection of options including turning auto lock on or off, which can be set from anywhere between five to sixty seconds. If Auto-lock is inactive, essentially you have what is called Passage Mode which leaves the HK1 in the unlocked state, which is handy if you have a lot of people coming and going (a house party, for example). If you press the ‘confirm’ button on the keypad it will lock the HK1, although it will not then activate ‘auto lock’ mode, so the next time the door is unlocked, the lock will once again be in Passage mode.

Anti-peeping or anti-prying mode (they need to sync the names between packaging and app…) allows users to add digits to the start and end of their actual code as a way of disguising said code from prying eyes. This allows up to 20 digits in total, including the actual code.

Feedback sound just turns the confirmation beep sounds you hear on or off,  when tapping in a code, or when the door is locked or unlocked remotely.

So, I said that the Sleekpoint app has better customisation for creating users, so starting with creating a user, you add their name, but you can also add them to a group, be that ‘family’, ‘friends’, ‘workers’, ‘deliveries’ etc. You can then choose which of three options to assign that user; Unlimited speaks for itself and gives the user unfettered access via the lock, but only for unlocking via the passcode. Limited places certain day/date/time restrictions on access, and One-Time gives a person ‘one-time’ access via the lock, so once the passcode has been used, it can’t be reused. This option can also have time and date limitations put on it, which is handy for a one-off visit that has an open date.

In this example, I chose ‘Limited’, which then allows me to restrict access between two dates, as well as set a time period for access. I can also specify which days access will work, so you can get very granular. If you read our review of the Aqara U100, you’ll probably wonder why they don’t offer this level of detail.

AESTHETICS…

When the lock first came out, there was a fair few comments on the lock being ‘huge’ or ‘ugly’, and whilst the aesthetics are an individual thing, some of the arguments about the actual size of it really don’t stand up to scrutiny at all. For example, as this is a ‘doorknob’ designed to be turned by hand, if it were less deep, it would defeat the purpose of it being designed to be turned. Is it too large anyway? Actually no. Yes, the diameter might be large for some, but in terms of depth, it’s only a few millimetres deeper than the handle it replaced on the door that it has been installed on, and as it has replaced a handle, not a knob, then its hard to compare the two. Onto the second point which has had the lock compared to an old rotary dial phone; I ask the question – where else would you put the keypad if not the front? Sure, you could have a separate keypad, but there’s going to be extra cost involved, and one thing you can be sure of is that people will definitely complain about costs! Some of the critics of this lock really don’t think their arguments through, which I tend to see time and again unfortunately.

That said, if someone doesn’t like the lock, just don’t buy it. This is the only smart latch lock on the market at this time though, so you may be in for a wait.

THREAD

Given that Thread is to many the new king of the smart home (with Matter perhaps Richard III to some…), how does it perform when compared to a Bluetooth lock? Well, having test a lot of locks, all of which use Bluetooth for very good reason*, the main difference is speed, in my experience. With a Bluetooth lock, when you open the Home app, there’s a very good chance you’ll experience a good 10-second delay before the lock will reveal its status. Not so with the HK1, which will show its current status within a second or two – but usually only a second in most cases. This to me is the one thing that makes Thread stand out, regardless of whether the device is battery-powered (and end device) or permanently powered (router enabled). This lock makes a very good case for Thread in locks, as you really don’t want to be standing in front of the door waiting for Bluetooth to wake up and let you in. With Thread, this isn’t an issue.

IN USE

I installed this on an interior door, that in all honesty doesn’t need to be locked or be otherwise restricted, but then it’s used in a room with a lot of equipment for doing my videos, so it’s not a place I’d like someone to just walk into on a whim, whoever they might be, so it could serve a useful purpose. I don’t have any external doors that face the outside elements, but as this is IP54 rated, I’d err on the side of caution as to how much wet weather this could handle, so in all honesty, this is the kind of lock best suited for indoor use, be that for a private office or exercise room, or as it popularly used, a door leading from the garage to the inside of the house.

For uses like this, and taking into account the very reasonable price of US$89.99, it’s not a hard sell, although without Apple HomeKey it would deter some users. There’s talk of the HomeKit version of their H2 lock (the HK2), which comes with a built-in fingerprint sensor, which I can all but guarantee will be the preferred method for most people, even if they had the option of HomeKey, so whether you want to wait for that and be happy to pay a bit more money for the convenience of the sensor, then by all means hold on.

To me, this lock, for all its supposed quirkiness, does fill a niche that surprisingly few companies have touched, so it deserves a second look in my opinion.

The post Holomarq Sequra Smart Latch Lock w/ Thread (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The U100 is a deadbolt lock, and as such it’s going to be most widely adopted in North America, which is where it’s mostly sold, aside from some East Asian regions. Whilst I already have the A100 installed, which is a totally different type of lock, I do have doors that could accommodate the U100, but at the time of the review, I opted to test the lock with a demo door frame. On with the review.

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

Aqara has come very far with their packaging since I got their first leak sensors back in 2017, and the boxes they come in now imbue a sense of professionalism in terms of what you’re buying, and how much the company in question can be trusted. This is further enhanced with decent inner packaging that protects the contents very well in this case, with layers of card to isolate the parts from external damage. This is only for doors with either existing standard deadbolt locks or doors that have yet to be primed for a lock to be fitted. This is made clear on the back of the box, so if you don’t have an existing deadbolt, this can’t replace other types of locks, which is one of the main reasons this hasn’t been on sale in Europe, where many locks are of the mortice type, with euro cylinders.

The sides show off the lock’s specs and features, and for the U100, at its core, this lock uses Bluetooth 5.0 for a direct link to your phone. This may seem antiquated to some, but as much as I don’t like Bluetooth smart home devices, this is still the only wireless protocol that can connect your phone directly to the lock, and vice versa. Aside from Bluetooth, you also get NFC, used for unlocking the U100 with the company’s own NFC keyfobs, and Zigbee 3.0 for connecting to an Aqara hub, which is optional.

The U100 needs four AA Batteries to work and should last 8 months, on average. As already mentioned, the U100 comes with a fingerprint sensor, Apple HomeKit/HomeKey support, options for auto-locking and ‘passage’ mode, as well as all the other ways in which the lock can be accessed and controlled.

There are a lot of parts in the box, but don’t be put off – even for newbies, this lock is actually really easy to install, as long as you’re replacing like for like (i.e. replacing an existing standard deadbolt lock). If you’re starting with a brand new door, then it may be better to get someone who has the tools to cut the right holes in the right places, as that’s less easy.

In the box you get the inner and outer assembly for the lock, the deadbolt mechanism, a strike plate and a plastic strike plate ‘recess’. An inner assembly mounting plate, and four small screws for the deadbolt and the strike plate. There are also four bolts to secure both halves of the lock, although you only use two, as these bolts are for two different door depths. Finally, there are some small screws to affix the inner assembly to the mounting plate, a pair of standard keys, a template for use in cutting holes in a door, a manual for use once the lock is set up, and finally a sort of plastic crowbar type tool. I’ll get into that tool in a bit.

THE LOCK

In many ways, the U100 is a lot like other deadbolt locks, so fitting it is mostly the same with assumed slight variations on how it all fits together. As with the Aqara G4 video doorbell, the design of the U100 has split opinion to an extent; Some like the more utilitarian look, as do I, but it’s not for everyone of course. The outer assembly features the keypad, fingerprint reader, and a standard keyhole – hidden under the slide-down plate, whilst the inner assembly is home to just the thumb turn, at least on the outside. The outer assembly is mostly made of a coated zinc alloy, whilst the inside is coated plastic to match the metallic outer. The outer assembly is IP65 rated, so it can withstand outdoor weather of all sorts. The inner assembly is not outdoor rated, which won’t be an issue for most users.

There’s not a lot else to see with the outer assembly, save for the underside, which is home to a speaker grille, and a USB-C port. The speaker is for voice prompts, either when setting up or changing parameters, as well as alarm sounds when someone might be tapping in a wrong or random code for whatever reason. The USB-C port allows you to provide emergency power should the batteries die, so in a case like this, you’d need something like a power bank connected to the lock via a USB-C cable. Some phones can also provide outgoing power, but I don’t think the iPhone is capable of this.

The inner assembly has even less to show around its edges – well nothing actually! Only the inside of the assembly that sits against the door frame has a rubber seal, the slot to connect the bar from the outer assembly, and a data cable port hidden underneath a rubber flap.

The crowbar tool I previously mentioned is used to remove the battery cover via the small cutout slot at the base, but due to the plastic used, the tool doesn’t do a great job and doesn’t last too long before bits of the plastic start to break off. It’s the only part of the lock I think is a bit of a fail, as the cover is quite hard to remove without some sort of tool. The closest tool to this would be a flathead screwdriver, but then you risk scratching the lock’s surface. With the cover removed, you get access to the battery compartment, and three small buttons – Reset, Set, and HomeKit. these are pretty self-explanatory, but ‘Set’ is the one you’ll be pressing to pair the lock initially, via the Aqara app, which is the route I’d recommend. The reason for this is that you have to calibrate the lock before it can be used, and only the Aqara app offers this set of essential functions. You’ll almost certainly want to keep the cover off once installed, as the HomeKit QR code resides on the inside of the cover. There’s another QR code that takes you to a webpage instructing users on how to physically install the lock.

THE U100 IN AQARA HOME

The home screen for the lock is quite comprehensive, with details for status, battery life, connectivity, logs, and a button to lock/unlock the door. Along with these, you get quick access to one-time password creation and user management. Whenever your phone is in range, the lock will attempt to connect via Bluetooth. If you’re not in range, you can still connect to the lock via an Aqara hub, which, if you’re not a HomeKit user, is useful.

In the Logs section, you can view nearly all activity, broken down into unlock events and alerts. The unlock events are itemised to show which methods were used to unlock the door – fingerprint, keys etc. When it comes to unlock methods via HomeKit, be that using Apple HomeKey or the Home app, the logs will only show “unlocked with HomeKit” so there’s no way to know which method was used unfortunately. This is also the case for any automations you use, so they’ll still show as unlocked with HomeKit.

Alerts are mainly to show when the U100 hasn’t been locked, or for failed attempts at unlocking the door, be that with a random code, unrecognised fingerprint, or unregistered NFC card. On the subject of codes, directly from the home screen, you have the ability to quickly (auto) generate a six-digit passcode for one-off use. Once the passcode has been generated, it can be used only once and will expire within 15 minutes, regardless of whether it’s used or not, which is handy for one-time visits or drop-offs.

The User Management section allows you to manage existing users, or add new ones. So existing users can be updated to include further unlock methods in addition to the one(s) already set, which includes more fingerprints (ten in total per user), a second NFC card, or a new passcode for a maximum of two passcodes per user. If you are the admin for the lock and the account, you can have two separate passcodes to the one you initially set up when you install the lock.

Temporary users are a category where the users will use the lock between two periods of time – so if you rent out an apartment to travellers, you can set up a code to work between specific dates and times (e.g. 1600hrs, May 1st to 1100hrs May 8th). What you can’t currently do is have an open-ended (no end date) user that can only unlock the U100 between specific times (1100 ~1300hrs) and/or on specific days of the week. This is a shame, as this kind of functionality has been available on smart locks for years now, so I’m not sure why Aqara have yet to implement such an option.

As the U100 has a speaker that dishes out prompts and alarms, you get a slew of options to customise the overall volume, the ‘door not locked’ alarm, as well as the duration and timeout for such alerts. For voice prompts you get four volume levels, including mute, as well as the prompts in four languages – Mandarin, English, French, and Spanish.

There’s also a feature that shuts the lock down if repeated failed attempts to unlock the U100 have occurred, with the lockout time being adjustable from between 1 and 30 minutes, but it can be turned off as well.

DND mode simply turns off any sounds or prompts you’d normally hear from the lock with the exception of warning alerts. Whenever there’s an alert, the keypad digits will flash red.

When it comes to locking or unlocking automatically, Aqara has quite a few impressive options, starting with unlocking; remote unlocking will only work from your phone if you’ve bound the lock to an Aqara hub. You can’t currently unlock using other devices, like an Aqara mini switch for example. This will also ensure that the U100 will relock itself, even if the door hasn’t been opened, but merely unlocked.

Auto-locking is something you’d normally expect of a lock, but with the U100 it comes as an option you can disable. This will allow the U100 to lock by itself when it detects that the door has been closed. You can set auto-lock all the time (whole day), or between custom times.

You can also set the U100 to lock when a user swipes their hand on the keypad, which in actual fact only requires you to tap anywhere on the keypad.

Passage mode allows you to deactivate the auto-lock function until the door is locked again, which is useful if you have an open house for a party, and don’t want people coming and going and having to unlock the door every time they come back. This can be activated by tapping the keypad to wake it up, then tapping zero twice followed by the lock icon.

Finally, there’s Away Mode, which simply allows you to trigger other devices, scenes or automations. This can also be used to set your Aqara alarm system to Away mode too if you want.

THE U100 IN APPLE HOME

The U100 isn’t any different to many other smart locks on the market with one exception, so you get a single tile for the lock on your home page, and a toggle switch. In the settings section, you get battery levels, but there’s also an option called ‘Manage Access’. This was first seen in the Schlage Encode Plus.

Once you enter this section, you’re presented with a simple option to add a guest. The app will then generate a passcode, although this can be changed. If you have various locks that work with this feature, you can also choose which locks this access code will work with. That’s it, once added, the guest is listed in the app.

After this, you can choose to share this code, which can be sent by almost any messaging app, including Messages, WeChat, Facebook and even via AirDrop. Above you can see the passcode being shared by Messages.

THE KEYPAD

The keypad comes with a special coating that makes it durable, but also relatively resistant to fingerprint marks, and it does this very well. The numbers are nicely spaced out, which is something I’ve come to expect from Aqara’s locks since acquiring the A100 Zigbee. Like the A100 you do need to initially tap the keypad to wake it up, but once you start tapping numbers, it seems to work very well. If you do use a passcode – which I’d consider on par with using keys as the slowest way to unlock the U100 – you can disguise your code by entering up to 20 digits at the start and end of the actual code, to confuse prying eyes.

FINGERPRINT SENSOR

All prints on the U100 are stored locally, so nothing is held in the cloud regarding this type of biometric data. It’s fast, by the way… So when people talk about Apple Home Key as a bit of a godsend, I would agree, but I have consistently found I use my fingerprint around 95% of the time on my A100, and I don’t honestly see it being much different in the case of the U100. Of course, the A100’s fingerprint sensor is embedded in the handle, so it’s very natural, but if for example, you have two hands full of shopping, using your finger to open the door is probably still going to be quicker and more instinctive than getting your phone out, unless perhaps, you already have your phone handy. Some have suggested the placement of the sensor isn’t ideal, but I imagine that putting it on top of the unit, as has been suggested, may well lead to a potential water ingress issue or worse, simply ruin the sensor if rainwater is left to gather and sit in the sensor’s recess.

NFC KEYFOB

Although the U100 has an NFC reader embedded in the keypad, it only works with Aqara’s own NFC cards, which are thankfully quite small. To me, this is about as fast as using Apple HomeKey, as it’s sort of the same process, in many ways. It still lags behind the fingerprint sensor if only for the fact you have to get it out of your pocket or handbag, just like keys, but it’s almost as fast as the fingerprint sensor.

APPLE HOMEKEY

The one ace that HomeKey has up its sleeve is that you can also deploy it from your Apple Watch (series 4 or later), so you don’t necessarily have to get your phone out of your pocket at all, as long as you’ve got an Apple Watch, to begin with. Apple HomeKey is an Apple exclusive, so it’s of no relevance to Android users. When you do use it, there’s definitely an element of ‘magic’, in just the same way that Apple Pay was when I first used it. If you happen to stop at a hotel with a similar function that uses the same technology, known as HotelKey, then you’ll probably enjoy using this feature a lot.

I’ve deliberately left out discussing the use of the provided keys, as this is something outside of what makes it a smart lock, but as you can imagine, they work as expected. What can be said is that for all the talk of the ‘Lock Picking Lawyer’ (whose channel I enjoy watching incidentally), and how he can pretty much get into any lock, I’m sure this would be the case with the U100. After all, he made it look like childs-play with a Level Lock not so long ago. The difference with many smart locks, including the U100, is that you can be notified the moment someone opens the door, so being able to get past the lock isn’t that much of an issue, and when tied with a video doorbell, you’re going to know someone is up to no good before they’ve even got their picking tools out!

THE U100 AND MATTER

The U100 is advertised as compatible with Matter, although before you leap out of your seat in joy, the lock will only work with the new smart home standard via an appropriate Aqara hub. Hubs that are currently Matter compatible for international users are the Aqara  Hub E1, Aqara Hub M2, and the Aqara Hub M1S (both gen 1 and 2). This means that you have to pair the lock to a hub, with the hub added to your preferred ecosystem, using a Matter code generated by the Aqara app. However, not all ecosystems are equal currently when it comes to Matter; for example, Amazon Alexa doesn’t support hubs, and therefore won’t expose the lock via a Matter-enabled hub. Oddly enough, however, when I first added the lock to the Aqara app, it was also instantly added to my Amazon account. I have an Echo Dot 5.0 with Bluetooth, so I can only assume it connected to Amazon this way, as it was showing up in my Amazon account (and was announced by Alexa) even before it was paired to a hub.  It’s almost the same scenario with SmartThings; in this instance, I was able to add a Matter-enabled M2 to SmartThings via the SmartThings Station, and the hub showed up, but the lock was nowhere to be seen. I haven’t tried with Google or even Apple HomeKit (via Matter) yet, but the latter should work, from everything I’ve been told by others. Indeed, it’s supposed to be more responsive due to the fact it uses Zigbee rather than Bluetooth in some instances, although Bluetooth is probably still required somewhere.

IN TEST | IN USE

Although I do have a couple of doors that can accommodate the U100 with a few cosmetic adjustments, I ran out of time to get it set up in a way that would also give me enough time to do both the video review (HERE) and this written review. This delay was partly due to my initially receiving a defective unit for review, which had to be sent back whilst waiting for a replacement, so I did lose a bit of valuable time. Still, the doors it can fit are all indoors, so I still wouldn’t be able to test out its IP65 rating. That didn’t stop me from performing repeat hands-on tests, automations and other interactions with hubs and cameras, one of which could be the Aqara G4 video doorbell (video HERE, review HERE).

So, the first thing I expected was the lock to be a bit on the ‘light’ side, which was the case with the G4. Thankfully, this was far from the case with U100. The outer assembly felt like I was holding a brick in my hand. Thanks to the metal housing this meant it felt strong and sturdy, which was a relief. Fitting the lock was easy for me, although to be fair, I have installed quite a few deadbolts since starting HomeKit News, but deadbolts are much easier to install than something like the A100, which was fitted by a professional company.

As already mentioned earlier on, using the plastic tool to remove the battery cover was a bit of a pain, and this tool is also required to remove the thumb turn cover, in order to secure the inner assembly to the mounting plate, but that was as hard as things got.

The good news is that all the issues with the first defective model were completely absent from the second unit, and everything worked great. I already have five Aqara NFC cards here, so I was able to test these out too, and I just couldn’t find fault with it, aside from the issue with creating custom access schedules, but that’s an app issue, not the fault of the lock as such.

I personally like the design, and if I did have this fitted to the front door, it would look cool alongside my G4 video doorbell. The main issues, to reiterate, are the battery cover being harder than it should be to remove, and the app not offering deep enough customisation for temporary passcodes that include times of the day and days of the week into the mix. Other than these, it’s hard to complain, especially for the price, which is currently around two-thirds of the cost of the Schlage Encode Plus, which I personally think is not as good-looking as – and doesn’t come close to the features of – the U100.

The post Aqara Smart Lock U100 (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

NOTE: this lock – just like the Aqara A100 – is not suitable for outdoor use, as it has no IP rating at all, so unless you live in an apartment, or your home has a porch or some form of shelter above your door, this is not going to be suitable for you.

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

Not to put too fine a point on it, but if you’re new to ZemiSmart, you may find some of their products come in pretty generic packaging, with the company logo missing on some of them. This seems to be that the products inside are themselves white label manufactured products (or ODM), so you may see some of the same products with a different brand on the front. This doesn’t apply to all of ZemiSmart’s product lines, although in the case of this lock, it would appear to be the case. as long as it works though, that’s the main thing, and as for the box, it protects everything really well. Good enough for me.

It should be noted that whilst the lock states ‘right’, as in the lock is designed for a door that opens from the right on the outside, the lock can actually be set to open either way, which I’ll explain later on. It also mentions ‘double tongue’ which means the lock comes with a latch bolt and a mortice bolt. Some locks the company manufacture are just latchbolt locks.

The box has the two parts of the lock you come into contact with (ie the handles), the manual (in English), the mortice lock that sits inside your door, and a bag full of small bits and pieces – a strike plate with plastic recess, some screws and bolts to fit the two halves of the lock together, a couple of standard keys, and two IC cards for keyless entry.

The two parts of the lock you come into contact with on a daily basis are, of course, the handles. These seem to be made of some kind of metal for the main frame, and glass or perspex for the fascia, to give it a more premium look and feel, whilst also allowing the keypad to register touch.

The top part of the interior section of the lock is home to the battery compartment, with the lock requiring four AAA batteries, with the company stating that they should last anything from between two to five months, depending on usage.

THE LOCK

The exterior has a fingerprint sensor built into the hand, along with the aforementioned keypad that also acts as a doorbell when you press the # icon. The keypad is designed to accept passcodes for entry, but is also designed to work with the two included IC cards mentioned earlier.

These key cards use Integrated Circuit technology as opposed to the more prevalent NFC, but they seem to work just as well, and just as fast, so it shouldn’t really matter. You simply place the card close to the centre of the keypad, and the lock automatically disengages. What isn’t mentioned in the manual is that NFC cards can actually be used, although despite what I’ve seen demonstrated on one of the ZemiSmart videos, only blank writable NFC cards can be used, not credit and transit cards. Non-Apple phones with NFC can also be reported to be, although my attempt at using an Android phone with NFC failed. iPhones can’t be used, as Apple restricts the use of NFC in their products.

On the interior half of the lock, there’s a simple deadlock toggle switch. When set to the locked position, this will stop any use of the unlock attempts, registered or otherwise, from unlocking the door. So fingerprints, passcodes, IC cards etc will not work when this is engaged, including any admins. The only method of unlocking the door when this is engaged is with the physical keys.

The lock comes in just the type, but is available with a choice of six different faceplate lengths, with 240mm being the largest.

Of the two locks, neither actually have motors that move them into a locked position as such. The mechanics inside the lock body are disconnected from the lock under normal conditions, and only connect with them when you use one of the methods of entry. So, once you tap in your code, or use your thumbprint, the mechanism inside connects with the latch bolt (and the mortice bolt if it’s in the locked position), allowing the handle to retract them, before disconnecting, and leaving the locks unable to be controlled again until you use it again.

If the lock is set to open the opposite way you need it to, it’s simple to fix. The two handle sections each have a screw, that when loosened, will allow the handles to rotate 180º, so they’re facing the right way. The latch bolt has a small internal catch, that when lifted, allows the latch bolt to be pulled in and swivelled to face the other way.

Even though I was unable to install the lock on my front door, I was still able to install it on a demo door and use that for testing over approximately 2 weeks. I originally intended to install the lock before my Aqara A100 Zigbee lock arrived, but installing the ZemiSmart lock would have left long thin holes where it didn’t quite cover where the original lock would sit, so it wasn’t an option to have it installed this way, even if it’s very secure where we live. Still, I was able to test the connectivity of the lock to the Zigbee gateway (more on that later), as well as test it with automations, and test the speed responsiveness.

ONLY ZIGBEE AND NO BLUETOOTH? 

What’s interesting about this lock, unlike pretty much most other HomeKit locks on the market, is that it doesn’t use Bluetooth as its primary connection method – in fact, it doesn’t have Bluetooth at all! It solely relies on Zigbee (to the hub, and on to HomeKit) for connectivity. This means there’s no direct connection method between the lock and your phone (which is why Bluetooth has been used so far). This may at first seem strange, but in actual fact, due to the various methods available to you that don’t even require a connection to the hub – i.e. fingerprint, passcode, IC card, key – there’s really very little to worry about in terms of being unable to unlock your door. Even if every one of these methods fails, you still have a key as the ultimate backup. The only thing you do lose – if you can’t connect to your home network and the ZemiSmart gateway – is the ability to unlock the door via your app, either when you’re at home or remotely. This could just as well be the case with all other locks in terms of remote access of course, so this lock is no more vulnerable in this respect, and a direct Bluetooth connection is irrelevant for remote access.

INSTALLATION (VIA APP)

In theory, the lock could be used without any need for smart connectivity at all, because adding codes, fingerprints, users, and setting up the IC Cards is all done on the lock itself via the keypad. Still, I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this, it’s likely you’ll want it to be a ‘connected’ device, even if it’s not connected to HomeKit. For the smart connection, you need to do it through the Tuya Smart app, which requires you to set up an account. Assuming you’ve done that and you already have your ZemiSmart hub set up, you simply need to select the plus icon on the home screen to add a device, scroll to the ‘security’ section and select the Zigbee lock. You then select your hub, and you’ll be presented with a screen asking you to reset the device.

This is where you need to have read the instructions, as resetting the device isn’t going to be very clear with the onscreen ‘reset device step by step’ link, as the instructions are very generic, and don’t necessarily apply to this specific lock. To reset the device, you need to get into the lock’s menu system;

• tap * and # on the keypad
• tap in the default admin code, which is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, #

You’re then presented with four options;

• tap 1 (admin settings)
• tap 3 (network)

Once you do this, the lock becomes discoverable, you then select it from the list, and it’ll be added to the account and your app, as well as being bound to the ZemiSmart hub.

This also means it’s then automatically exposed to HomeKit and will appear in the Apple Home app too. In HomeKit the lock’s features are quite basic, with no options other than the essentials, although that’s much the case with many HomeKit compatible locks, to be fair. What is missing is any mention of battery levels. This means that there’s nothing really of note to report when it comes to the Home app and HomeKit in general, there are no extras at all. This means that other than automations triggered by, or including the lock, everything else requires the Tuya app or using the lock directly (adding users, codes etc). This, once again, is nothing new for HomeKit locks, as access and codes are usually done in the manufacturers’ apps. The only current exception to this rule is with the Schlage Encode Plus, which exposes a new HomeKit feature called ‘Guest Access’ that gives you a set of passcode features you’d normally only see in the manufacturers’ apps. As far as I’m aware, the Schlage is the only one that offers this feature.

FEATURES IN THE TUYA SMART APP

The Tuya app isn’t without some charm, as long as you know that it’s not a dedicated ZemiSmart app. It’s more akin to Xiaomi’s Mi Home app, where compatible devices from many manufacturers are able to work together. The difference here is that many of the devices you add are seen by the Tuya app in very general/generic terms, as opposed to something very specific to the device. This, as I mentioned when it comes to initially setting up the lock, can be a little frustrating, but it is what it is.

The lock appears on the home screen and allows for locking or unlocking the smart lock directly without opening the specific user interface for the lock. If you do go into the lock’s UI, you’re presented with a large button in the centre to lock or unlock your door. You get a battery level indicator as well as a bar that tells you if someone pressed the doorbell (yes, there’s a doorbell…).

Below all that there are four tabs; Records, which tells you who has opened the door and by which method, Unlock ways Which initially shows users, but once tapping the plus icon, offers two options – ‘Family lock’, and ‘temporary lock’, which I’ll go into shortly, along with a Scene tab and a Settings tab.

I mentioned in my video review for this lock that the app has some bugs, and one of them seems pretty big. For example, if you tap on a user as pictured above, you get options to add a fingerprint, password, or card. In this example, I selected fingerprint, and it then instructs you to place your finger on the sensor on the lock handle. You click ‘begin add’, and it then waits for you to add your fingerprint. It simply doesn’t work…

This is the same for passcodes and cards as well. At first, I thought the lock was screwed, but I eventually realised that – despite what the app shows – you have to add your prints, cards and codes all via the lock’s keypad, by going through its menu system as mentioned earlier, once signed in as an administrator. Once a code, card or print is used, it shows up in the logs. In the logs, each new unlock method has a ‘link user’ button. You tap on that, which then gives you the option to assign that code/print/card to a user. Once assigned, you go back into the logs, and they’ll update to show you the user is now assigned to that unlock method.

The only time you can’t assign an unlock method is when you unlock via HomeKit. In this case, ‘Remote 700 unlock’ will show in the logs, but with no option to assign it to a user.

I also mentioned earlier, that the lock has a doorbell function, but before you get too excited, this is quite basic; if you tap the keypad to wake it up, you can then press the # icon, which will trigger a doorbell sound. This sound is only really for the benefit of the person pressing the doorbell to let them know they’ve pressed the right button, however, as the speaker is located on the underside of the lock.

When the ‘doorbell’ is pressed, any registered user (as long as they’ve also set up a Tuya account) will get a push notification to let you know. The underside also features a keyhole, which I’ll mention more on shortly, along with a Micro USB port. This last item is for when the batteries unexpectedly die. You do need a powerbank or a phone capable of reverse charging, along with a suitable cable, but assuming you do, the lock can be powered up so you can in and set about replacing the batteries asap.

TRADITIONAL LOCK

The lock comes with two ‘traditional’ keys, although these don’t quite fit the description in some ways. These will fit into the keyhole, which you then need to turn 90º for them to work. However, when turning the keys, they don’t actually retract either the latch bolt or the mortice bolt – they simply allow these bolts to be engaged to the handle, which you then pull down in order to unlock the door. They’re still good for emergencies, so it’s all good.

TYPES OF PASSCODE

For users in your family, who are generally going to be using the lock on an ongoing basis, you can assign a fingerprint, a passcode, or register an IC card to them, but for times when you want to give access to people on a temporary or restricted basis, you only have the option to issue passcodes. For family members, as I’ve already outlined, you can add them to the lock without them needing to register an account with Tuya, or even download the app. The same applies to temporary passcodes of course, as only a code that they need to tap in on the lock’s keypad is required. For these types of codes, you get three options;

• Once password
• Repeat password
• Dynamic password

The ‘Once password’ allows you to get a randomly generated passcode that will last for 24 hours, and can only be used once. Once generated, you won’t be able to see the passcode again, so it’s best to copy it within the app and send it to its intended user via email or SMS etc.

For Periodic passwords, you can create your own or once again have the app randomly generate a code for you. You can specify start and end dates, as well as restrict the code’s use to specific times of the day and days of the week. Unfortunately, you can’t leave the expiry date open, so if you have someone that requires limited access, you would have to either give them permanent access or set an expiry date at a much later date, which you can then change later.

This option is also supposed to allow you to send this code via SMS, although when I tried it, it wouldn’t work. This would seem to be another bug unless I’m somehow meant to give it access, but I couldn’t see an option to do so.

the Final option, Dynamic Password, allows you to randomly generate a passcode that will last for 5 minutes, starting from the time it has been generated. This is of use if you’re away from home, and a package arrives, but you only want a one-off code that is just long enough for a delivery person to access your home to drop off a package inside the house. You could do the same with the ‘once password’ option, but as that lasts for 24 hours, there’s always the possibility that it doesn’t get used by the intended party, who could then end up sharing it with someone else who has 24 hours to use it for less than honest reasons, unlikely as it may be.

Despite this lock not really being in the same league as the Aqara locks, based on quality and craftsmanship, these unlock options are a lot better than those currently offered by the Aqara app.

EASE OF USE | WRAP UP

If you’ve seen my video for the Aqara A100 Zigbee or read the review, you’ll know that the fingerprint method of unlocking the door is pretty much second to none. This might not be the case if the fingerprint sensor was located on the keypad, for example, but because it’s placed in the right position for your thumb when holding the handle to open the door, it just comes as second nature to use this method. Obviously, this unfortunately is an issue if you’re missing a thumb, hand or arm, but for many people, I think this is the method they’ll use without a second thought. It’s certainly the case with the A100 and would be for this lock if it were in regular use here. It’s exceedingly fast and usually accurate when correctly reading your print. If it doesn’t get your print, it’ll just play a voice that states ‘failed’, but in my tests, as long as you place your print firmly and squarely on the sensor, this rarely happens.

If we’re talking about speed, then the IC cards are probably even faster, if less natural to use, although bear in mind, you need to get the card out to use it, whereas your fingers are just there! You only get two of these cards, although I’m sure you can purchase more if needed.

Using the keypad is ok, and although it’s not fast, it does afford you the luxury of controlling who comes and goes, at times and dates of your choosing, as well as also being a handy backup option.

The emergency keys are probably the only option you would use as a last resort, partly because it’s very unlikely that all of the aforementioned options are going to fail in one go, but also because the keyhole isn’t really in the most convenient place. I get why, as it is really only meant as an emergency, but nonetheless, it’s probably even slower than using a traditional key and lock, due to its location.

Control via the app is an interesting one because, in the past, all the locks we’ve used or tested (Aqara, Vocolinc, Tedee, Nuki, Terncy, Reagle, August, and more) use Bluetooth as their primary method of communication, either directly via the phone and/or your Apple Home Hub (Apple TV, HomePod/Mini), or via a proprietary Bluetooth to WiFi hub from the company concerned. Because this lock only uses Zigbee, as expected, the reaction times are fast. Not 100% of the time, I’ll grant you, but more consistently than Bluetooth. Much of the time you’re not going to really notice this because for the most part, you’re going to be using the lock directly (fingerprint, code etc), but if there’s an instance where you get a visit from someone you know who doesn’t have a code, opening the lock via Apple Home or the Tuya Smart app, is going to be fast. This, as you can see in my video review is also the case even when you’re not on the same network as the ZemiSmart hub, so the long delay you experience with Bluetooth when you’re out and about is even more noticeable when you see how fast this lock reacts.

Having been in a position to compare this lock to the Aqara A100 Zigbee, it’s afforded me a good way of viewing opposite ends of the market in terms of cost. I really love the Aqara lock for many reasons – built quality, ease of use, integrations (Apple HomeKey and Aqara/Zigbee), as well as the overall design. It would be unfair to compare the ZemiSmart lock to this because the price difference alone makes it clear that the company has had to cut corners to make it affordable to a lot of users, so yes, the build quality and finish aren’t up there compared to the A100, although for a budget lock of this type, it’s actually better – and feels more solid – than I expected, in all honesty. What lets it down is really only the app, with the lack of clarity in how entry methods and how they’re applied to users are achieved.

If I didn’t have access to the Aqara A100, and the ZemiSmart lock could have been fitted without a sliver of a gap being left after installation, I would actually have been happy to use the ZemiSmart lock in place of the smart lock I’d been using for the past two years – namely the Nuki Lock 2.0. As it stands, this is not meant to be, but I would certainly recommend this if you are able to replace your current mortice lock, and just can’t get hold of or afford an Aqara lock, because, despite the flaws, it does many of the same things pretty well. What could take this lock to the next level is to at least add Apple’s guest Access feature. It’s a small thing, but one more feature that would allow me to stay within the Apple Home app. I’ve already mentioned this to my contact at ZemiSmart, so I guess time will tell as to whether this is achievable. My guess is that it’s not, as so far I’ve not seen any other locks with integrated keypads take this feature on.

Full disclosure: ZemiSmart provided HomeKit News with ZemiSmart Zigbee Smart Lock for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made, requested or has not in any way influenced our opinion of this product.

The post ZemiSmart Zigbee Smart Lock (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

• ANYWHERE ACCESS: With built-in WiFi compatibility, you can easily and securely connect your Schlage Encode Plus lock to your home WiFi network to control and monitor your home from anywhere with the Schlage Home app
• PEACE OF MIND: Lock and unlock from anywhere, manage up to 100 access codes, view lock history, receive customizable notifications and easily manage multiple locks at once – all when paired to the Schlage Home app and connected to a secure WiFi network
• TAP TO UNLOCK: Works with Apple HomeKit and Apple home keys; with home keys, you can simply tap to lock or unlock using your iPhone or Apple Watch for easy and secure access to your home
• VOICE CONTROL: Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for optional, hands-free convenience when paired with the Schlage Home app and a voice-enabled device
• EASY INSTALL: Install in minutes with just a screwdriver, no hardwiring required; Snap ‘n Stay design helps keep the lock on the door so both hands are free; fits standard doors with 1-3/8 in. to 1-3/4 in. door thickness and 2-3/8 in. or 2-3/4 in. backset

The post Schlage Encode Plus Smart Lock appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

In what couldn’t be better timing, Aqara luckily contacted me, asking if I’d like to test out their new A100 Zigbee smart lock. I was ready to say “Yes!”, but the issue of installing something like this was of major concern to me. Aqara was already aware of the requirements needed to install such a device and said they’d arrange for the installation with a local locksmith into the deal. It makes sense of course, as a badly fitted lock, wouldn’t really make for a good review!

So, with everything arranged, come the day of the installation, it all went very smoothly with both the installation and subsequent Smart Home integration (which happily, was left to me). As it stands, the A100 Zigbee, the company’s international version for the A100 series locks, is only available in a handful of countries in Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan etc), along with Russia, although there are tentative steps to get the lock into European and hopefully the US as well. That’s not for me to dwell on though, but if you want to know what makes this one of the best locks I’ve had the chance to test out, then read on.

PACKAGING | CONTENTS

As the A100 isn’t the kind of product you’re going to pick off the shelf as such, the packaging, whilst informative, is rather more functional than eyecatching. However, it protects everything really well, and given this came from Hong Kong to Taiwan via Japan, Vietnam, Mainland China, and The Philippines (I kid you not), the box held up admirably! Good to know, given the contents aren’t cheap.

As you can see from the box, this is aimed at international markets with Chinese for Asian markets where Chinese is used (Singapore, Malaysia etc), English for most other places (being it’s the Lingua Franca), and Russian for Russia (obviously).

The packaging states the A100 works with Apple HomeKit, as well as Aqara Home, and uses Bluetooth, although as the product name implies, Zigbee is used as well to some degree, which we’ll go into later. The one thing that’s not mentioned on the box is that the lock will also work with Google Assistant.

Before I go into the parts, a bit of info on the A100 series locks is in order;

All of the models – the A100, A100 Pro, and the A100 Zigbee – feature a variety of ways in which you can unlock the door, although the options vary slightly between models;

• Fingerprint sensor
• Keypad
• Physical key
• NFC card
• Bluetooth
• App unlock (remote unlock only for the A100 Zigbee)
• Apple HomeKey (A100 Pro and Zigbee only)
• Remotely configurable passcodes (only for the A100 Zigbee)

There are in fact four models, although one of them – the X10 – is only for installers that might be involved in contracts for new apartment builds, so the X model isn’t something you’ll be able to buy as such. That leaves three different models available to the public;

• A100 – This is only sold in Mainland China, and doesn’t have HomeKey or Zigbee connectivity
• A100 Pro – This is also sold in Mainland China, and it does use Apple HomeKey, and has limited Zigbee features
• A100 Zigbee – This is the international model, sold outside of China, and uses both Apple HomeKey and full Zigbee integration

We’ll come back to this information in more detail later in the review.

Swiftly onto the contents, and there’s a manual in Chinese, English, and Russian along with a cardboard ‘cutting guide’. The manual is only for setup once the lock has been physically installed, and doesn’t contain any information on fitting it into your door at all. The cutting guide is really the kind of thing you’d expect to see for professional installers, although, if nothing else, it’s still useful to give you a rough idea of where holes will need to be cut. More on that in a bit.

As for the rest of the contents, you get the main lock itself, which is a mortice type lock that contains a group of three deadbolts, as well as a latch bolt, and a night latch. There are pins and screws of all types, a couple of ’emergency’ keys, a one-sided Eurocylinder lock, and finally a strike plate.

The remaining parts are the outer sections of the lock; Aqara is known by now for its minimalist take on product design, and just like the Aqara Hub M2, these parts are unadorned, large slabs of metal with a textured matt black coating, with very little else that sticks out too much at all. It’s a really excellent example of clean and understated industrial design.

The outer section has slightly more to it than the inner section, mostly due to the touch screen containing the keypad, whilst the keypad is replaced with a battery compartment in the inner section.

Starting from the bottom of the inner section, there’s a night latch that can be manually turned to give you a bit of extra security on top of the triple deadbolts and the latch bolt. The night latch bolt can only be disengaged with a physical key or by administrators, which I’ll go into later.

Besides the handle, there’s the battery compartment, which holds eight AA batteries. The lock actually functions on just four of these batteries, with the other four acting as a backup when the first four die. All told, you should be getting around 18 months of use from the entire set of eight batteries. If for any reason there’s an issue with these batteries, you’ll get a push notification to let you know there’s an issue that needs looking into.

The inside of the battery compartment cover contains the HomeKit code, and as there’s no other instance of the HomeKit code, it’s wise to make a note of it, even if you don’t think it’s likely you’ll lose the cover. Below the battery section are two buttons labelled Setting [sic] and Reset. The latter of these is obviously to reset the lock if required., whilst the former allows for initial set-up and direct control of certain aspects of the lock, in combination with the app and the built-in voice prompt.

The outer section of the lock features, at the bottom, the Aqara branding, with a circular plastic disc housing the eurocylinder lock above it. If you need to use the key for whatever reason, you push the cover in at the bottom slightly to allow for the cover to pop out at the top, so you can pull it down and insert the key. I can’t really see myself using the key at all, given all the methods available to me, but it’s there all the same.

PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

As previously mentioned, installing this lock, whilst fairly straightforward in many ways, really does require both the right tools and a good understanding of how it all lines up without screwing it all up, which I’m very capable of achieving! If you’ve fitted a lock like this before and have the right tools, that’s great, but I’m very happy to leave it to the pros, as seen above.

WHAT UNLOCK METHODS DOES THE A100 ZIGBEE OFFER?

FINGERPRINT SENSOR

Above that is the handle, which incorporates a fingerprint reader/sensor. This, in my opinion, is the way the vast majority of users will prefer when it comes to unlocking the door. As you have to hold the handle to open the door anyway, placing your thumb (if you have one) over the sensor as you turn the handle, is the logical and most natural way. Obviously, there will be some that will want to know what happens to the fingerprints (biometric data) that the lock records. According to Aqara and the app when you begin adding prints, all data is stored on the lock alone. No information is uploaded to any server, and all data can be removed from the lock at any time. Of course, if you still feel suspicious about giving up your thumbprint, which is entirely understandable, you still have other methods at your disposal.

KEYPAD

The keypad allows you to enter a previously set up code of between 6 ~ 10 digits to unlock the door. More details on this later, but it’s useful for either guests, one-off visitors or infrequent family visits to your home.

APPLE HOMEKEY

If you’re an Apple HomeKit user or even simply own a compatible iPhone, you can use Apple HomeKey;

iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)

• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS | XS Max
• iPhone 11 | Pro | Pro Max
• iPhone 12 mini | 12 | 12 Pro | 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13 mini | 13 | 13 Pro | 13 Pro Max

Additionally, HomeKey is also available on Apple Watch Series 4 or later.

Once the lock is installed and added to HomeKit, the main user has the option to add a digital key to their Apple Wallet, alongside any other digital credit or loyalty cards you might store in there. Simply putting the phone against the keypad unlocks the door. Other users will also get a digital key, and be able to use this function if they have access to your HomeKit home. However, at present, it seems the A100 Zigbee does not support Apple’s Guest Access function, which allows you to generate temporary or permanent codes directly within the Home app. The Aqara version of these functions is still available via the Aqara app, however.

Apple HomeKey has two modes – Standard and Express; Standard mode requires you to authenticate using Face ID or Touch ID on your phone before HomeKey will work. This isn’t relevant to Apple Watch, as by wearing it, authentication is already a given. If you activate Express mode, this authentication is not required, although of course slightly less secure. The interesting thing about Express mode is that if your iPhone battery dies, there’s still enough power to keep HomeKey working, so even with a dead battery, you can still unlock your A100. This isn’t possible with Standard mode, as the phone needs to be actually on and functioning to authenticate either your face or print.

AQARA NFC CARD

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These are small plastic NFC cards about a quarter of the size of a regular credit card, that allow you to unlock the door by simply placing said card against the middle of the keypad. It’s just as fast as Apple HomeKey too. The A100 locks don’t come with these NFC cards as standard and are an optional extra purchase.

BLUETOOTH (VIA APPS)

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Both Aqara Home and Apple Home use Bluetooth as a direct connection to the A100, and once connected, you can unlock the door in either app via the relevant UI. in HomeKit, as long as you have a ‘Home Hub’ (Apple TV 4+, HomePod/Mini), then you also have remote access to the lock, in terms of being able to check the status and lock or unlock it. In the Aqara Home app, you also have remote access as long as you’ve bound the lock to an Aqara hub. Remote access, in this case, gives you pretty much all of the options you would get when directly connected via Bluetooth.

PHYSICAL KEY

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Aqara refers to these as Emergency Keys. This is due to the perception that will all the other options available to you, the key would only be seen as a last resort for opening the door. Nevertheless, these keys function just as you would expect of any key, it’s just that it’s not quite as straightforward to use them, as the lock is hidden behind the aforementioned plastic cover.

WHY “A100 ZIGBEE?”

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This question has come up a few times, as some are not aware the word Zigbee used here, is actually part of the product name, not something I’ve added. Essentially, locks in HomeKit rely on Bluetooth for a direct connection to your phone, so that there’s no reliance on a WiFi network or cloud connection when most needed (i.e. you’re outside and want to get inside…). HomeKit locks use Bluetooth to connect to an Apple ‘Home Hub’ connected to the internet and iCloud, for remote access (so you can access the lock when not directly connected) and automations. So, if you were to use this lock solely in HomeKit, this is how things would work and there would be no need for a Zigbee hub.

The reason for binding the lock to an Aqara Zigbee hub – which incidentally seemed to show the option to connect to the original M1 Aqara hub – is that first, if you were only using Aqara as your smart home platform, this is the only way to get remote access to the lock. The Aqara hubs don’t either have Bluetooth functionality (M1, M1S, E1) or don’t utilise existing Bluetooth (M2, S1 MagicPad) in the way that an Apple Home Hub does. With Zigbee being far superior, it really makes no sense to utilise Bluetooth to connect to a Zigbee hub anyway.

The second, and perhaps more important reason, is that with the lock bound to a Zigbee hub, you’re able to make use of automations that allow the lock to interact with other Aqara Zigbee devices in your home. Whilst HomeKit allows some perfunctory automations with the lock and other HomeKit devices (which, by the same token, shouldn’t be discounted), when it comes to what’s possible with Aqara, the lock becomes an automation powerhouse. We’ll come to this in a bit, but for now, let’s look at the lock in HomeKit.

A100 ZIGBEE IN HOMEKIT

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It’s fair to say that in HomeKit, the Aqara A100 Zigbee is really just a standard lock. There’s very little you can do with it in HomeKit that can’t be done with most other locks. You can see the battery levels, and you can make use of automations that detect when the door is locked or not, use geolocation to lock or unlock the door (this is actually of no practical use for the most part), and with the use of contact sensors, the state of the door position (open or closed) can be utilised. Not terribly exciting, but then that’s the way it is currently for locks in HomeKit to a large extent, and the power of automations in locks largely lies in their own respective apps.

Going back to the Geolocation feature, the reason it’s not really of much use is because of the way the lock itself functions; when the door is closed, regardless of the state of the mortice deadbolts, the latch bolt can’t be opened from outside unless you ‘unlock’ the lock, which basically allows the outside handle to engage the latch bolt and therefore open the door. The unlock status of the latch bolt only occurs for a mere 2-3 seconds, so unless the lock unlocks as it detects a Bluetooth connection between the phone and lock, it’s not going to work, and even then, you’d have to be pretty quick at turning the handle before it locks up again.

With this, you can look at the lock as having three stages of security – the latch bolt is always locked except for when you unlock the door from either the inside or use one of the various methods to unlock it from the outside.

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As you can see in the pictures above, here are the three locks – from top to bottom, the latch bolt, the mortice deadbolts, and the night latch.

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The latch bolt can be used to keep your door locked for the most part, as it can only be opened with the internal handle. The latch bolt will disengage briefly when you use any of the unlock methods, before becoming locked again. It’s important to note that whilst some locks (including the Nuki Lock 2.0 I previously used) can pull the latch into the lock body, meaning you can literally push the door open without even pulling the handle down, in the case of the A100, there are no electronics that allow this to happens, so when the lock disengages, it still stays in place until you pull the outside handle down.

The mortice deadbolts are similar in that you need to pull the handle down to disengage them. What’s different is that you need to engage them by pulling either the inner or outer handle upwards, so in this respect, when you unlock the door with a fingerprint, NFC card, Apple HomeKey etc, the latch automatically disengages, but the deadbolts are unlocked physically, once you pull the handle down. The latch also unlocks physically of course, but unlike the deadbolts, the latch will re-engage again, whereas the mortice deadbolts need to be physically locked if required. The third lock is the night latch, which, like the deadbolts, is purely physical, although yet again, there’s a slight differentiator with this lock.

First of all, the night latch can only be engaged from the inside, using the night latch thumb turn. You can’t lock it from the outside like you can with the deadbolts. In addition to this, if someone has engaged the night latch, only an ‘admin’ can fully unlock the door using all the unlock methods, including the night latch. If you’re not an admin, and therefore designated a ‘general’ user in the Aqara app, you won’t be able to open the door if the night latch is engaged, with the only exception being via a physical key.

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One point to note is that whilst the A100 is essentially locked to the outside when closed, regardless of whether the mortice deadbolts are engaged or not, the Aqara app will show the A100 as ‘not locked’ if the deadbolts aren’t engaged, whilst the Home app will show the A100 as locked, regardless. Only when you engage the deadbolts will the Aqara app show the A100 as ‘locked’.

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When you set up the lock in the Aqara app, you are the ‘admin’ by default, as it’s your account the lock is set up in. When you come to add more users, you can decide whether they’re also going to be an admin or a ‘general user’. In addition to this, you can also set up the different types of access methods they can use, which is one of three basic methods;

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The first screenshot above shows current users and the methods by which they’re able to unlock the A100. In my case (The Host – or admin), I’ve added fingerprint, passcode, and NFC card options, as well as having Apple HomeKey, although as this latter option is an Apple feature, so it’s not listed in the Aqara app. In the second screenshot, you get options to add any or all of these methods. The third screenshot shows the option to decide whether a user is an admin or a general user, with the latter being restricted to locking or unlocking the door, and enabling or cancelling Away mode (more on that later).

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Of these three methods, only the passcode option is possible to create remotely, with the other two methods requiring you to be with the lock physically.

Adding a fingerprint is quite similar to the process of registering a fingerprint on the iPhones that use Touch ID, which involves building up a picture of the print with repeated presses that cover as much as the print as possible. A Passcode simply requires creating one of between 6~10 digits and confirming the number a second time. Registering an Aqara NFC card simply requires you to place the card on the keypad/card reader so it can register it, and you’re done.

A100 ZIGBEE IN AQARA HOME

The previously mentioned options for adding users that have access on a permanent basis are obviously reserved for permanent members of the household, generally speaking. However, there are times when you want to give access to certain people on a temporary basis, be they visiting relatives, workers carrying out a home renovation, or maybe a cleaner or dog walker, for example. Guest Access is something that Apple offers, that you can make use of within the Home app, however, it seems to be restricted to locks with keypads, and unfortunately, even though the A100 fits this description, Guest Access doesn’t appear to be an option at this time. Aqara does its best to create something similar, although it is slightly lacking, as I’ll show.

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The main screen for the A100 in the Aqara app has a large icon to lock or unlock the door, and three options below; User management, Log, and Temporary Password. We’ve already seen what’s involved with ‘user management’, so the next thing is Log, which as you may have guessed is a log of all A100 lock activity. You have two logs, one of which is labelled ‘local log’. These logs are gleaned from the lock itself when you’re connected to the lock directly, using Bluetooth. ‘Cloud log’ records all the same data, but is uploaded to the cloud, so that you can access all the same data when you’re not within Bluetooth range of the lock. Cloud logs can only be recorded if you’ve bound your A100 to a Zigbee hub.

These logs will record when the door was opened, closed, locked, partially left open, as well as when and who opened the door, and with which method they used to unlock the door, so it’s pretty comprehensive. These locks won’t be able to tell you who has locked or unlocked the door from the inside, as there is no means by which to determine this in the way that the external part does, but it’ll still tell you if the door was locked, unlocked or open from the inside, and at what time.

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The final option – temporary password, allows you to generate two distinct types of passcode; You can add a one-time passcode or a periodic passcode. For the former, the passcode is automatically generated for you and will expire after 20 minutes from the minute it’s generated, which means it’s probably best to generate such a code when the person who needs to gain access is quite near to your home. Once the code has been, it can’t be used again, or once the 20 minutes expires, the code also becomes invalid. This code will be added to the list, and will automatically be deleted once it expires.

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You can either copy the passcode, and send it to someone in text form, or alternatively select ‘screenshot is saved’, which will generate an image like the one above, which you can then forward to the intended party. The image contains the code, as well as the effective period it’s valid.

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Periodic passcode is a little different, as you can assign a start and end date & time, as well as create your own passcode, although you can generate one automatically if you prefer. You can also give the user a meaningful name, like ‘dog walker’ or ‘cleaner’, for example. The limitation with this option compared to what is offered by other locks that either come with a keypad built-in or separately is that you can’t customise which days of the week this type of passcode can be used. So, as an example, you can’t have it so that this code can be used just on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, between certain hours, and you can’t set it so that the code is open-ended in terms of any expiry date. You could create a permanent passcode of course, but then you’re unable to restrict it to certain days of the week or hours of the day. Hopefully, they can address this to offer something more in line with what other locks provide, although with a very comprehensive logging record, in one sense, it doesn’t really matter.

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Like the one-off passcodes, you can share the periodic passcode, either by simply copying the code, sharing via WeChat (something that’s more popular in China), or saving it to your photo album, which generates a sort of screenshot, as seen below;

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Once again, all the details are saved for the recipient, so there’s no question of what the code is, or what period of time the code is effective for.

THE KEYPAD

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If you don’t want to use your fingerprint to open the door, the keypad area is you’ll be using the most. Using the keypad for passcodes is the obvious one, but to use Apple HomeKey you also have to place your iPhone next to the keypad. This is also the case with the Aqara NFC Cards, which you place in the centre, roughly where the ‘5’ is located.

When you enter your code, you need to confirm it by pressing the tick mark in the bottom left corner. Once that’s done, the lock will disengage, a sound will be emitted from the lock, and a thin LED strip will briefly flash white. If you enter the wrong code, a different sound will play, and this strip will flash red. If you’re entering the code wrong but realise it’s wrong before completing it, you can tap the back arrow on the keypad to start over.

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Aside from the ten digits, the tick, and the back icon, you get a further three on the bottom. The first of these is a ‘padlock’ icon. This will flash, accompanied by a beeping sound, to warn you that the door has been left ajar or open. You can customise the length of time this alarm plays, and whether it plays at all, as well as adjust the delay time before it sounds. All of these options give you a choice of 5 to 30 seconds in 1-second increments. You can see the first option – Ajar door warning – can’t be disabled. I suspect that this is meant to be what in HomeKit is shown as ‘Door jammed’, as ‘door ajar’ is, in theory, the same as ‘door unclosed’.

The other icon that shows in red is the battery-low warning, which you’ll hopefully never see, as the app will also notify you when the batteries are due to be changed. On the subject of low or dead batteries, the underside of the exterior portion of the lock, in addition to being home to a small speaker, also has a USB-C port. This can be used in conjunction with a power bank, in the event your batteries have totally died, so the power bank gives the lock enough juice to get it working again until you can get replacement batteries.

The final icon depicts a home with an arrow facing outward. This is the Away mode button, and as the name implies, this can be used to activate your Aqara alarm system to Away mode, if you’ve already closed the door behind yourself, on your way to work. Once set up, you only have to tap it once whilst the keypad is lit up, and it’ll set all of your hubs on the same server/account to Away. You can also create an automation that will do the opposite, and in my case, I’ve created an automation that disables the alarm whenever I unlock the A100 with my fingerprint, NFC card, iPhone or passcode. Pretty cool.

AUTOMATIONS

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I mentioned early on that once you connect the A100 to a Zigbee hub, you get a lot of choice in terms of how the lock interacts with other Aqara devices, via automations. This is where things get exciting because when it comes to automations in HomeKit involving locks, there’s not too much to choose from. With automations in the Aqara app, you’re also limited in one sense, as these will only work with other Aqara devices, but seeing as nearly all Aqara devices are HomeKit compatible anyway, you fare better.

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Not only can you create automations based on the state of the lock, but you can do so based on who has unlocked the door, and with which method they did so – NFC card, fingerprint, passcode etc. You can also create automations based on whether the handle has been lifted and even whether the lock has been opened from the inside or outside! The potential for some really wild automations, based on what other Aqara devices you have, is quite mind-boggling, especially if you think of some of the things you can do with the Aqara G3, which contains facial recognition technology, or the G2H Pro, with its use of custom ringtones.

WHAT DO I THINK OF THE AQARA A100 ZIGBEE?

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If you’re a regular visitor to the site, you’ll know I’m generally a fan of Aqara products, and although the company’s move into HomeKit started on a bit of a shaky footing, they’ve really gone from strength to strength to become arguably one of the best providers of HomeKit compatible products on the international stage. That’s not to say everything they do is perfect, but that’s another conversation. When it comes to the A100 Zigbee, you have to look back at the company’s previous locks to see how the company has arrived at a lock I’d consider worthy of the term “Flagship product”. I’ve long regarded the company’s locks as stylish, and although similar locks have come and gone by Xiaomi, which were at times equally as desirable, I really wasn’t keen to dive into the Mi Home side of things as much as I did in the past. Moving to today, and after having tested this lock for around three weeks, which has involved quite intensive and ongoing testing (let’s face it, a door is going to get a lot of use on a daily basis), I’ve quickly gotten used to it. I’ll be honest, using the fingerprint sensor to open the door feels the most natural thing to me, even at the beginning, and it’s not hard to imagine that if the design was somehow ergonomically less than comfortable, it could easily be a different story. This sort of segues into the design, which I just have nothing bad to say about. it’s stylish, solidly built, but also understated and best of all, has the ‘wow factor’ that only really surprises you when it works its magic – be that by unlocking the door in the blink of an eye (or a fingerprint…), or by triggering an automation that really gives you that feeling of a truly automated home. Of course, I already had this to some extent with the Nuki Lock 2.0, but aside from the weird behaviour it began to display, it didn’t have all the bells and whistles that the A100 has.

Are there any downsides? Well, I don’t consider the need for pro installation to be a negative, but it must factor into some peoples’ decisions as to whether it’s worth the additional cost involved, not to mention that your door will potentially need to be “cosmetically adjusted” to some extent. I think at present, the only negative is that it should give you the option for Apple’s Guest Access feature, which this is ideal for. That said, we don’t have a need for such things, in all honesty, so I’m really not going to miss it. Aqara’s version of this feature is also slightly lacking, but once again, if I’m not going to use it, it’s not a big deal in any way to me personally. The pros vastly outweigh these minor cons, so I can’t really say anything bad about it. The A100 seems to have it all. The thing that clinches it for me, is that my wife is very happy with how easy it is to use, and I couldn’t ask for more really!

Full disclosure: Aqara provided HomeKit News with the Aqara A100 Zigbee, including installation for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made, requested or has not in any way influenced our opinion of this product.

The post Aqara A100 Zigbee Smart Lock (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Let’s check how it works, what it offers, and what HomeKit users can expect, but first a quick overview of the company itself;

Tedee the company, is based in Poland, Europe, and make use of a lot of technical expertise of two main companies, one of which, GERDA, are a well known and highly respected lock manufacturer, which is good news, knowing that a company has the specialist know-how when it comes to locks, your first line of defence when it comes to privacy and your property. The other company, Predica, specialise in cloud services, which in today’s world is probably just as important when it comes to smart devices. Whilst we at HomeKit News, focus on the HomeKit side of things, its also fair to point out that Tedee want to make as many customers as possible aware of the benefits of their smart lock, and so the tedee lock is compatible with a host of different platforms and systems and is actually manufactured in Poland. One thing the company can proudly claim is a recent award at the 2021 IF Design Awards (Hannover), where the tedee lock won first prize in the ‘Product Design in the Building Technology’ category. No mean feat when you consider there were upwards of 10,000 competitors in this field.

Usually, we devote a few words to the product packaging itself. Unfortunately, on this occasion, we’re unable to do so in as much detail, as at the time of putting this review together, the device was still in the approval stage for HomeKit certification. Due to this, the packaging you see here may differ from the final version.

Let’s start with the technical specification of this product itself;

Technical specifications of tedee lock

• Available colours: Black or White
• Models: TLV1.0, TLV1.1
• Weight: ca 196 g
• Dimensions: Ø 45 mm x 55 mm
• Operating temperature: 10-40°C (indoor only)
• Operating humidity: maximum 65%
• Power supply: 3000 mAh LiPo battery
• Bluetooth communication: BLE 5.0 |  2.4 GHz
• Security: TLS 1.3
• Can be paired with tedee bridge
• Can be installed on Euro-profile cylinders (Recommended: GERDA SLR modular cylinder)
• Battery life: Approx. 14 months with an average of 8 locking processes per day.
• Charging time: approx. 8 hours.
• Product support period: 5 years

Technical specifications of tedee bridge

• Model: TBV1.0
• Weight: ca. 51.6 g
• Dimensions: 64.5 x 63.5 x 28 mm
• Operating temperature: 10-40C (indoor only)
• Operating humidity: maximum 65%
• Power supply: 5V = 300mA
• Wi-Fi communication: 2.4 GHz
• Bluetooth communication: BLE 5.0 | 2.4GHz
• Security: TLS 1.3
• Can be paired with tedee lock
• Recommended setup: max. 2 meters from tedee lock (1-10 meters range from your router)
• Product support period: 5 years

The Bridge may be powered in two ways;

• Via a standard USB charger – connected directly to 100-240V AC socket
• With a micro-USB cable – connected to a USB power source (e.g. USB charger, power bank or a laptop)

On the official website, additional optional accessories for mounting the lock are also available for purchase;

• 4 Different Types of Gerda EU Cylinder (Gerda SLR Modular Lock Cylinder is Attested with Safety Class 6 According to PN-EN 1303: 2015-07)
• Nordic Adapter for use with cylinders commonly used in Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland).

ABOUT THE LOCK

The tedee lock is a retrofit device, which means you don’t need to replace the entire lock you already have. You only installed the tedee lock itself on the inside of the door and connect it to the mechanism of the lock that’s already installed. On the outside, much like products by August for example, there’s no visible trace that you’re using a smart lock at all, and on the inside, thanks to the design of the tedee lock, you get a small turnable knob that contains the entire smart portion of the lock, which you can also use manually to open and close the door.

The first and most important thing before buying the tedee (or any smart lock), is to make sure that this type of lock will fit your door. Both in terms of mechanical assembly and the dimensions of the lock itself. In this case, I wouldn’t worry too much about the dimensions because the dimensions of the tedee lock are really quite small, but I’d still recommend that you make sure of your dimensions in relation to where the lock will go anyway.

As for the assembly itself, in addition to the mechanism connecting the tedee lock with your main lock, you also need to pay attention to whether your door opens to the outside or inside. In my case, the distance from the centre of our main lock axis to the edge of the door is quite tight in terms of space. Thankfully, Tedee (the company) took care of all the information and help on this topic, which you can find on the Tedee website – https://tedee.com/can-i-install-tedee-smart-lock/

The assembly of the lock itself also depends on the type of main lock you have. At the aforementioned address, you’ll also find information on all available options. In my particular case, the Nordic Adaptor was used, because my main lock does not use a Euro-profile cylinder. The assembly itself in this case was very simple and consisted of unscrewing two screws, replacing the old lock knob with the adaptor and then attaching the tedee lock to the adaptor using the included hex key. The whole thing took about 10 minutes.

Before we can use tedee lock, we need to add it to the Tedee application and calibrate it, which I will write about in the following part describing the Tedee application itself.

The set I tested consists of three parts; the tedee lock (silver version), the Nordic Adaptor and the tedee bridge. Each of these parts is available for purchase separately or can be purchased in various ready-made kits.

The first and basic part is the tedee lock itself, which contains the main motor and therefore the lock itself. The lock comes with an attached cable for charging the lock’s built-in battery. One end of the charging cable is a standard USB-A connector, to plug into a suitable power supply, whilst the other end,  intended to connect to the lock, is a Micro-USB connector with a magnetic tip. This is a very cool and useful idea that allows you to charge the battery of the lock without having to disassemble or remove it from the door. In addition, the magnetic tip protects against damage to the lock. If someone were to activate the lock while charging, the end of the charging cable will simply separate from the lock itself without causing any damage.

In addition, the box also includes an Allen key used to install the lock, plus documentation containing the user manual and codes required to activate the lock in both the Tedee app and HomeKit.

The first thing you definitely notice is the small size of this lock. It is probably one of the smallest, if not the smallest, lock of this type that works within the HomeKit ecosystem. Despite its small size, and maybe thanks to this, the tedee lock gives the impression of being heavy, which in this case is the most positive feature. It is made almost entirely of metal with the only part made of plastic being the front face of the lock, which acts as an additional button with various extra functions, such as opening, closing and closing with a delay. In addition, there is also a colour LED embedded in the front of the lock face, which provides additional information about the status of the lock, using different colours.

The whole thing looks very minimalist because everything is hidden in the lock housing itself, which also functions as a doorknob, which you can freely turn and with which you can open and close the lock manually at any time, even when the battery is exhausted. In addition, this solution also makes the lock unobtrusive as you can hardly see that you have an additional smart lock on the inside of the door. On the outside of the door, everything looks even better, because regardless of whether you use one of the Gerda EU cylinders or the Nordic Adapter, you will not find any visible signs that a smart lock is in use.

The entire lock, from the very beginning, makes a very positive impression and draws attention with the care of its workmanship. The materials used in the tedee lock, regardless of whether you turn the knob or press a button on the front face, are just as pleasant to touch and additionally make it enjoyable and easy to use.

THE NORDIC ADAPTOR

The next part of the set is in my case the Nordic Adaptor, as an alternative to using one of the Gerda EU cylinders. In Scandinavian countries, a different type of inner mechanism is used. The Tedee company has also planned for this, hence we have this additional product. In the box, in addition to the adapter itself, you will also find a plate with 2 plate mounting screws and a tailpiece with a cam.

The adapter itself is a metal plate placed between the inside of the door and the tedee lock, and is used to fit the current Scandinavian oval inlay to the tedee lock. When you need and/or use the Nordic Adaptor, then no insert replacement is needed. You keep the internal lock mechanism you already have and, of course, use the same keys you already have. In my case, I only had to buy other screws because the ones included with the adapter were a little too short.

TEDEE BRIDGE

The third and last part of the set is the tedee bridge, which also comes with an adaptor. The tedee bridge is a small, white, flat, plastic cube with a built-in coloured LED that indicates the status of the device. The bridge itself is not required to use the tedee lock, either via HomeKit or the Tedee app, but adds a lot of extra and useful features. Its main function is to allow communication with tedee lock using Wi-Fi, as the lock itself only uses the built-in Bluetooth protocol. By connecting the tedee lock to the network using the Wifi protocol, you’ll be able to remotely manage it on a regular basis, without being at home, you’ll be able to activate automatic firmware updates for the lock, and will be able to receive additional push messages informing you on various events related to the lock. You also get access to all logs for the lock on an ongoing basis. In addition, you can also access the Tedee portal, which allows you to easily manage multiple users and tedee locks; for example, if you own a company or use tedee locks in different geographic locations or in more commercial solutions. One of the additional features of the tedee bridge is its built-in iBeacon (a form of locator based on Bluetooth technology), which improves and speeds up the auto-unlocking function because thanks to the constant power supply it can send a more continuously and stronger signal. When controlling the tedee lock with HomeKit, the tedee bridge is not used, and the tedee lock only communicates with HomeKit via Bluetooth.

The Tedee company also used a very interesting and unusual solution in the case of powering the bridge. The included, separate adapter acts as the power supply at the same time. You can also use the USB-A socket built into the bridge to connect the adaptor directly to the bridge and then, as a single device, plug it directly into a power outlet. If you need to place the tedee bridge at a greater distance from the power outlet, you can use a regular, longer USB-A cable with which you can connect the bridge with the power supply, which you can then place separately in a power outlet.

HOMEKIT INTEGRATION

As I mentioned earlier, tedee lock is not a completely new device on the market, but it is proven and as of typing up this review, has received official certification from Apple and can therefore be integrated into the HomeKit ecosystem. The tedee lock itself has many built-in functions that allow you to conveniently use this lock even without additional integration with other systems, but HomeKit integration with all our other HomeKit devices opens up completely new possibilities that would not be possible otherwise. The functions available in individual HomeKit categories are permanently established by Apple and device manufacturers, and unfortunately, in HomeKit there’s not much room to show off functions that go beyond the system specification, therefore most devices from the HomeKit side often act and look identical to a large extent. Often, however, you can combine the functionality of these devices from the manufacturer’s and HomeKit’s side, which gives you even more possibilities. No less an important point is also that of the reliable operation of the device and other technical parameters, which I’ll touch on later.

According to the HomeKit spec, any device can be added to the HomeKit system using just the Apple Home app and without the need for third-party apps, and tedee lock is no different. All you need to do is scan a separate HomeKit code found in the attached documentation and you will be able to add the tedee lock directly to HomeKit. In practice, however, and certainly in the case of smart locks, you shouldn’t totally discount the use of the manufacturer’s application, regardless of whether you’re talking about tedee lock or locks from other manufacturers, for one simple reason; Smart locks require calibration before they can be used and this function is not available in the HomeKit system, so despite the fact that you can add a lock using the Apple Home app itself, you’ll be sent back to the manufacturer’s application to complete the setup, so in this particular case I would suggest starting with installing the Tedee app, available via download for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch devices from the Apple Store (an Android version is also available, downloadable from the Google Play store).

THE HOME APP

After adding and calibrating the lock, tedee lock will be ready for use in HomeKit. You can use it as a trigger or in actions with all kinds of automations and scenes. For example, you’re able to open or close the tedee lock with any HomeKit device or change the state of other HomeKit devices using a given the tedee lock state. After sharing the tedee lock with HomeKit, you will also be able to operate the lock using Siri voice commands. When using Siri and using the tedee lock with HomeKit Automations, a HomeKit hub is required – Apple devices such as the HomePod, HomePod Mini, Apple TV or suitable iPad. You will be able to receive push notifications when the lock opens or closes, and it will also be available to all people sharing your HomeKit home.

You can also create automations using geolocation services. These are the kinds of things most HomeKit smart locks are capable of. Some prefer to only operate their devices in HomeKit itself, but for some people, all additional functions provided by the manufacturer, independent and available outside of the HomeKit framework, are just as important. I personally belong to the latter category for several reasons. First of all, with important devices such as smart locks, I don’t want to make everything dependent on one HomeKit system, which, as most of you probably know, can have its own set of problems. In addition, HomeKit still lacks some useful functions or the available functions don’t always work the way we would like. That is why I consider every additional and optional function that works independently of HomeKit itself to be a plus, and there is no shortage of these in the case of tedee lock.

In the Homekit system, the tedee lock provides the function for opening and closing the lock, as standard, as well as show the battery charge status. When the battery level drops to 20%, the Apple Home app displays a warning to give you advance time to recharge the battery. Regardless of that, the Tedee app itself can also notify you on low battery levels via push notifications.According to the manufacturer, the lock can last up to 14 months on a single charge, with up to 8 uses per day. Of course, it all depends on how often you use tedee lock on a daily basis, as well as the type of door and the number of turns necessary to open/close the door. In my own experience, with very intensive use of the tedee lock in the last few months, related to, among others, testing and writing this article, with a dozen or so uses a day your battery should last for at least 6 months, which is still a very good result.

The available parameters that we can use in HomeKit automations are the opening or closing state of the lock, which may not come as a surprise. The response time to commands sent to the locks via HomeKit, unfortunately, leave a little to be desired, due to its reliance on Bluetooth, as standard, so we can’t expect the same immediate response time as offered by some other devices that use Zigbee, for example. In the case of the tedee lock, this time usually varies from 1 to 2 seconds, which is not a problem, especially since not every lock offers a similar response time. In case of any problems with HomeKit, with a local Wifi network, or for example, a power outage, you still have access to the lock itself from HomeKit via a direct Bluetooth connection as long as that the device is powered by a battery. In all my time using the tedee lock, with or without the Tedee bridge, I haven’t once had a ‘No response’ from the tedee lock in HomeKit.

There are three different device states when using the tedee lock in HomeKit: locked, unlocked and jammed. The first two are obvious. In the case of the ‘jammed’ state, it means that the tedee lock is unable to confirm whether the lock is open or closed, which in this case is mostly due to physical conditions. For example, a door that is not fully closed, or a problem with the lock tab itself. In some other products, the jammed condition can also be caused by opening the lock manually or decalibrating it. With the tedee lock, this never happened to me. I currently use it on a daily basis in all ways, including manual turning of the knob in addition to using a button on the front, and I have never seen jammed status because of that, and the bolt mechanism has never needed to be recalibrated for this reason. Certainly, the so-called short calibration, also recommended by the Tedee company itself, is helpful in this case. It consists of the fact that the lock rotates only as much as it is required to shift the lock tab, i.e. the lock never extends the whole way. Thanks to this, you also shorten its operating time, which means a longer battery life between charges.

As for the volume of the tedee lock, I have heard quieter locks, but I think that the tedee lock still belongs to the category of those more silent locks compared to devices offered by other companies. It is also often a subjective opinion, but let’s not forget that it is also conditioned by the base on which the lock is mounted and even the acoustics of the immediate surroundings.

THE TEDEE APP

HomeKit support for the tedee lock is certainly a very welcome addition, extending the already rich functionality of what the lock offers, but also HomeKit generally itself. In this case, I believe that you can use the functionality of both parts at the same time quite successfully, and choose the parts that are most useful to you.

As previously mentioned, the tedee lock has its own independent companion app, available for download for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch devices from the Apple Store. The Tedee app is very clear and easy to use. The main page is occupied by all the devices you have added, such as Tedee locks and bridges. You can see the status of all your devices there. For status information in the case of locks, it’ll show whether you have an active connection and whether they are closed or open. In the case of bridges, it’ll show whether they are connected to the Wi-Fi network. In addition to the fact that you can manage multiple devices from one place, you also have the ability to manage devices located in different geographic locations. It’s a very useful and convenient solution when, for example, you have several tedee locks in different houses, or you use them in a company. By pressing the three bars in the upper left corner, you get access to our account settings, application settings, widget settings, adding new devices and the Tedee help and support section.

To add a new device, regardless of whether it is a lock or a bridge, simply scan the QR code attached to each device or enter it manually. Remember that this QR code and its numbers are not the HomeKit code, which you receive separately. This is the code only used when adding Tedee devices and has nothing to do with HomeKit.

By clicking on a given device on the main page, you’re taken to the management and settings section of that product. On the lock management page, you will find three large icons. The largest shows the current status of the lock and animations while it’s in use. Below you will find two smaller ones that act as buttons for opening and closing the bolt. Additionally, there is also an optional setting for the opening button. When it is active, it is not enough to just touch the button, but then you have to hold it for a moment to unlock the lock. This prevents accidentally touching the button, resulting in inadvertently unlocking the door.

At the very bottom, you’ll find three more tabs. The first one is used to manage users of a given device and their rights. There, you can send the so-called ‘virtual keys’, i.e. invite new users and change or delete already created permissions. Inviting new users is done by entering their e-mail address, then without leaving the application and using the Tedee cloud, an email is sent to the address provided with links to download the application and a request to create a new account associated with the given e-mail address. You can grant the invited users’ administrator privileges with access to most functions or guest privileges.

Regardless of the authorization level, you can additionally manage the access time to the lock. There are options for unlimited access, or you can introduce your own time restrictions with any date, time and individual weekday ranges. In addition, you can also allow the person to remotely access the lock, or prevent remote access. It’s a very flexible solution and you can set everything for every occasion. Of course, you can change any setting or completely remove access to the tedee lock at any time. However, it is worth remembering that some functions, such as remote management, require a Tedee bridge. In the event that you don’t have a Tedee bridge, some settings will only update when the tedee lock is connected directly via Bluetooth with the Tedee application of the person to whom these settings apply.

The middle tab gives you access to all tedee lock settings, information and options. You can change the name of your lock there, check if you are connected to the lock via a bridge and Wi-Fi, or directly via Bluetooth. Other available information is the current battery charge status, version and availability of firmware updates for the lock.

The next item is the settings for the Auto-lock function. It consists of the fact that the lock closes by itself after meeting several conditions. You have two options available here; The first option is when the lock closes by itself after any set time, starting after opening the lock. Many people probably don’t appreciate this feature, especially when you can set similar functions in operation and convenient automations, when the lock is, for example, integrated into HomeKit. First of all, I think this is an excellent way of additional security in any case where, for example, HomeKit automations fail for some reason, which unfortunately happens when someone accidentally unlocks the lock or simply fails to lock the lock. This function is built into the lock itself, which means that it is completely independent in operation from the software and integration with other systems.

The second option is when you manually move the lock knob not far enough to close the lock. called the ‘semi-locked’ option, which will then complete the closing by itself. It may happen that someone who is not used to using the lock may not fully close it, but in this case, you do not have to worry about that either. For both options, you can set any reaction delay time.

Probably one of the most useful of the additional functions. is an Auto-unlock feature. Apple in the HomeKit system has, in my opinion, provided us with a substitute for what a real Auto-unlock should look like. Unfortunately, the Apple version does not work very well in practice. First of all, it is only activated when we cross the 200-metre geolocation ‘circle’ surrounding our house, and in order to open the lock, we need confirmation from our side that we want to open the lock. In practice, this is not that different from opening a lock using the app itself. The solution used by Tedee for Auto-unlocking does not differ from the solutions of other lock manufacturers, except for a few details, but it works very well all the same. Auto-unlocking in the case of the tedee lock is based on the fact that after exceeding the set geolocation field surrounding your house, the search function for direct contact with the tedee lock using the Bluetooth protocol is launched. As soon as a direct connection with the lock is established, the lock opens by itself. This usually takes place 3-5 meters from your door. The lock opens automatically, but only when you are really close to your door, not a few hundred metres from it. Of course, if someone still would like to use the option of prior confirmation for unlocking the lock, this option is also available. In addition to the activation and deactivation of the Auto-unlock function, you can also set your own lock location by entering any address, selecting the location using the map or relying on the automatic setting using the phone’s GPS. This can definitely be helpful in some cases when the boundaries of the automatically set geolocation area are in inconvenient places. The HomeKit system itself, unfortunately, does not allow such settings. In addition, you can also change and adapt the geolocation area to your own needs. There are settings from 100 to 1000 metres, you can also set your own time for which, after crossing the geolocation limit, the Tedee app will actively search for contact with tedee lock.

After this time, Auto-unlock will not work and to activate Auto-unlock again, you would have to go beyond your geolocation. You can set the activity time in the range from 1 to 60 minutes. This function is useful when you’re driving and are close to your home or just passing by but have no intention of opening your lock. Without this function, the constant waiting and searching for the lock signal would definitely affect the battery life of your phone. The biggest challenge when using Auto-unlock is the stability and reliability of the feature. Certainly, no one would want their lock to open on its own in the middle of the night, for example. Using this function is certainly a great convenience and changes your routines, but safety should still be a priority, and unfortunately, so far no one has come up with a 100% reliable method of determining whether you and your phone are outside or inside the house. A great help, in this case, is certainly the geolocation area, which means that the lock will not open a second time by itself until you go beyond the geolocation area again. Usually, this method works reasonably well but unfortunately, it is not very reliable, especially when you are not using your phone. Various techniques are used to determine your position as accurately as possible, such as GPS, which unfortunately is not very useful when you are inside the house. Additionally, information from your local Wi-Fi network or mobile network connection is also used. The problem is that the phone cannot accurately determine your location by GPS alone when you’re at home. Additionally, a locked phone disconnects every time from the Wi-Fi network, so only the cellular network remains. In this case, depending on the location of the mobile network mast to which your phone connects, it may turn out that the phone incorrectly determines your location with the possibility that it will appear to be outside of the established geolocation used for Auto-unlock, so when your phone establishes a direct connection with the use of Bluetooth, the lock will just open by itself, even though you are at home. Here, Tedee showed a lot of creativity and uses an additional security method that I have not personally seen in any other smart lock. In the advanced Auto-unlock settings you will find the ‘Check Wi-Fi’ function. When you turn on this function, the Tedee app will check and remember the Wi-Fi connection status of our phone when leaving the home geolocation zone. At the next activation of the Auto-unlock function, this information will be used to compare the last used Wi-Fi network and when the network names match then Auto-unlock will not function. The names will only match in the event of sudden jumps in the location of our phone, but when leaving the geolocation area normally, the lack of a Wi-Fi network will always be remembered. So far, this is probably one of the best safeguards against unwanted auto-opening of locks when using Auto-unlock. It is also worth mentioning here that if you also decide to buy the Tedee bridge, it has an additional built-in Bluetooth locator, the so-called iBeacon, which improves and speeds up the process of detecting the lock when using the Auto-unlock function, which is of course also available without the Tedee bridge.
At the very end of the Auto-unlock settings, you will also find information on when and how this function was last automatically activated.

The next item in the settings section is the Pull spring function, which is most useful and used more often for doors that do not have a handle. It works by holding the latch so that the door can be opened by pushing against the door if your hands are full. Among the lock settings, there are also separate settings for a button built into the front of the tedee lock. You can freely and independently activate or deactivate the following options; Opening or closing with a button, and closing with a delay, which is achieved by holding the button for a while longer than normal (until the LED blinks blue) as you leave the house, resulting in the lock being automatically locking after a specified time. The available time period is from 1 to 60 seconds.

For people who previously purchased the tedee lock before it received official HomeKit support and therefore do not have a separate HomeKit code, another feature in the lock settings allows the tedee lock to be added using the Tedee app itself, and so does not require a separate HomeKit code to scan. (requires new tedee lock firmware update)

Here you’ll also find here the lock calibration function, without which you would not be able to use the tedee lock. The tedee lock calibration process itself is very simple and only takes a moment. It consists of fulfilling two commands displayed within the Tedee application. First, you have to manually set the lock in the closed position using the knob and confirm it in the application, then repeat the same process by setting the lock in the open position. After a while, the calibration will finish and the lock is ready for use. In some products from other companies, the locks may lose their calibration after some time of use, especially when you use manual opening, amongst other reasons. With the tedee lock it’s a nice surprise that during all my time of heavy use, in all ways, I never needed to recalibrate the lock.

Other options are settings for the lock’s time zone, settings for what kind of push notifications you would like to receive from the Tedee app, for example, available updates, low battery, battery charging complete, whether the lock was opened manually or by a specific user, and much more. Some notifications require a Tedee bridge, but this is due to the fact that tedee lock itself does not have built-in Wi-Fi.

The last function available in the settings section is Force unlock. This function allows you to force communication with the lock via Bluetooth in case you’re using the tedee bridge and you’re having problems with connecting via Wi-Fi. Additionally, in case of any other lock issue, this will also try to force unlock your lock via Bluetooth connection regardless of the actual lock position.

The last of the three tabs at the bottom of the main page of the lock gives you access to the lock activity list. All information about events is stored there in chronological order. For example, whether the lock was opened or closed automatically or manually, and by whom, or information about firmware updates. It also lists when the lock was used with HomeKit. Unfortunately, in this case, HomeKit itself does not distinguish between individual users, so here you are unable to find out exactly who operated the lock at that moment, except that HomeKit was used.

TEDEE BRIDGE IN THE TEDEE APP

In the case of the Tedee bridge, everything in the Tedee application looks similar to the lock except that due to the nature of the device itself, there are fewer options and settings available. As is the case with the tedee lock, you can share the bridge with other users and manage their permissions. However, this does not affect the permissions and functionality of the tedee lock itself. This only allows you to grant access to other users to manage the settings of the Tedee Bridge itself. In addition, you can change the name of the bridge there, check the connection status of the Wi-Fi network, check the availability of updates, set the time zone and select the type of push notifications that you would like to receive. In the case of the bridge itself, only two types of notifications are available, informing about a new firmware update being available and a successful update. We also have the option of changing the Wi-Fi network to which the bridge is connected, without the need to reset it. This is a small but useful detail and I would definitely like to see such a solution in other products where a reset of the entire device is usually required in those instances where you want to connect it to another Wi-Fi network, or simply change the network name or password.

The Tedee app can also be secured with its own, separate pin code, which prevents the app from being opened by unauthorized persons. At first, this function may even seem unnecessary, especially in times when we rarely use phones that are not protected by a code on their own. One useful example would be to deter your own younger children from inadvertently change any settings, or unlock the lock. Additionally, the relatively frequent and regular updates of the Tedee app make a very positive impression.

OTHER PLATFORMS

The tedee lock, in addition to the just added HomeKit support, can also be integrated with Amazon Alexa and Google Home. There are also other integrations with systems from Fibaro, Grenton, Consolomio, eeDomus and Homey. For more commercial applications, there is a public platform for programmers and the already mentioned, Tedee web portal, available to everyone, thanks to which we can also manage more devices remotely from any web browser.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH TEDEE LOCK

As mentioned before, I have been using the tedee lock for several months, and luckily I also got access to Homekit support for the lock whilst it was still in beta. Despite using the beta version of the lock firmware and the beta version of the Tedee app, everything worked very smoothly and without any problems worth mentioning. There is definitely a noticeable difference in response time depending on whether you control the lock using the Tedee application or using HomeKit. The tedee lock responds much faster to any commands when using the Tedee app, but nevertheless, I find the response time to HomeKit commands is still very good compared to many of the other locks available in HomeKit. It’s hard to say whether it depends on HomeKit itself or whether there is still a place in this topic for future optimizations by Tedee. What attracts the most attention initially is the size of the tedee lock itself. I would dare to say that this is probably the smallest lock of this type available to HomeKit users today. The materials used, unconventional solutions, such as, for example, the magnetic cable for charging the lock’s battery, or the universal power supply attached to the bridge, together with the careful workmanship of everything, give a very positive overall impression.

The only thing I miss the most today is the ability to open the lock without using my phone – for example, with codes, NFC or a Keyfob solution. It’s always possible that our phone battery can run out, or we would like to facilitate access for children, or less tech-savvy family members etc. Contrary to appearances, there are also times when we cannot or simply do not want to take the phone with us. Of course, there is always the possibility of using a standard physical key, but not using a key is almost certainly a major reason why you’d buy a smart lock in the first place.

Despite the fact that tedee lock does not have such additions as of today, it looks like this situation will change soon. We received information directly from Tedee that such a device in the form of a separate Keypad with a built-in NFC reader is already prepared and should be available for sale at the beginning of October this year. We also received imagery of this device from Tedee, which we can now show you. Whilst you can use separate pin codes to open the lock, you will also be able to use a device using NFC functionality.

Additionally, the Keypad includes an extra button with a bell symbol. This is designed to send a notification to the Tedee app when the button is pressed. This is definitely not the equivalent of a classic doorbell and is not related in any way to HomeKit or the built-in ringer function on Apple devices, but it certainly opens up a lot of new potential opportunities for Tedee’s future and for us a good topic for speculation. As soon as we have access to the new Tedee Keypad, we will definitely come back to this item and present exactly how it works.

Tedee lock with HomeKit support will be available for purchase on the Tedee official website from September 1st. In addition to the silver color, there is also a black finish option. The first batch of the black finish locks sold out very quickly, but another batch should appear in the coming days. Certainly, the good news for everyone who already has the current tedee lock is that they will soon receive a firmware update that will also allow HomeKit support for current devices. This update is already at the certification stage and may be released this week, or as Tedee assures us, by mid-September at the latest.

Usually, I do not comment on the prices of the products themselves, so instead I try to present as accurately as possible what you will receive in return for the price of a given product, leaving the assessment to the users, because even though the price of the set described by me belongs to higher-end products generally, if you need a smart lock which you can rely on instead of spending time, solving problems, along with a minimalist and very attractive design that can be easily integrated into various interiors, I can say that you definitely would not be disappointed. Additionally, Tedee provides a 5-year warranty on its products.

I believe that even without HomeKit integration, the tedee lock itself was a very attractive proposition, and now that we have received additional support for HomeKit, the attractiveness and capabilities of this product have only increased even more.

Full disclosure: Tedee provided HomeKit News with the Tedee Smart Lock and extras for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was made, requested or has not in any way influenced our opinion of this product.

The post Tedee Smart Lock (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

It has been a while since the Nuki Lock 2.0 actually came out, and I’ve in fact had the lock here for approximately 12 months myself, but with the one extra that Nuki recently released – the Nuki Power Pack – I’ve finally got everything I need to do a more full review, so let’s proceed.

PACKAGING

The box that the Nuki Lock 2.0 comes in is nicely made, but ultimately rather larger than it needs to be, and in this day and age is rather wasteful. Still, it does protect the content well enough, so there is that. Whilst the box states that it works with the ‘Big Three’ (Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit), it does integrate with a ton of other platforms, some of which may be of interest to our readers beyond HomeKit. The rear of the box has all the info you need in terms of requirements and contents, the former of which I’ll list below;

• Bluetooth-ready smartphone
• Android 5.0 or higher
• iOS1o or higher *
• Nuki app (iOS or Android)
• Operating temperature 10 – 40ºC
• Designed for indoor use only
• A compatible door lock**

* this may have changed since iOS is now on iOS14 and Nuki may have added functionality that no longer works with iOS10.
** We’ll touch on the types of doors the Nuki is designed for later, but essentially it works with mortice locks, which usually use some form of cylinder lock.

One edge of the box shows a rather simplistic guide to how the lock is installed, whilst one side interestingly states that the lock is actually made in the EU, which isn’t something you see too often these days. As you can see in the third image above, the lock is well packed which I guess goes some way to explaining why the box is so damn big.

THE LOCK

The box contains a set of documents, including a card that has one of two instances of the HomeKit code, the lock itself, two plates that connect to your door, and a small square magnet (not pictured) that acts as a door sensor. The reason for the two different plates is essentially down to how much the edge of your lock cylinder protrudes from the door or the housing around the lock. If there’s 3mm or more of cylinder you can use plate A. This plate has three hex screws that can be secured around the edge of the lock cylinder, with the help of the provided Allen key, to keep the plate (and by extension the lock) in place. If the lock cylinder is flush with the housing, then you’ll have to use Plate B, with quite strong adhesive backing.

The basics of how the lock works are that it sits over the top of the key placed in the inside of your door’s lock, so that when the motor turns, so does the key, thus locking and unlocking your door. What is important to note is that with one exception, the Nuki Lock 2.0 works with keys only. Additionally, the lock cylinder has to be of the type that has what is known as an ‘Emergency Function’; this is where, if a key is placed on the inside of the door, someone is still able to insert a key into the lock from the outside and also be able to turn the lock. The inside key also has to turn at the same time. If your lock cylinder can’t do this and you want the Nuki lock, it’s simply a case of replacing the cylinder with the type that does have this emergency function, which is readily available and usually not expensive. Nuki sells one themselves, although the price is higher than some of the locks you can find elsewhere. Cylinder locks are quite easy to replace, and if I can do it, which I did, then anyone can. You can see in the first image above, that the lock grips the key with the slot inside the rotary section.

The Nuki is powered by four AA batteries, although at the start of this year, Nuki released their long-awaited ‘Power Pack’ – a rechargeable pack that can last up to twelve months between charges. The second image shows the battery compartment door, which is also the holder for the batteries. The second instance of the HomeKit code is located on the base of the lock, and luckily, it’s on the main body, so even if you replace the battery compartment with the Power Pack, the code is still there. However, it’s only a sticker, and can (and probably will) eventually come off, so do keep the card handy, or make a note of the code.

As you can see from the images above, the lock is made from a mix of aluminium and textured matt black plastic. Nuki now offers a limited edition white & silver model as well. the lock is 60 x 60 x 110mm (W, D, H), so not the smallest lock, especially compared to the Level lock, which is internal, but the benefits of keeping your original keys and not having to remove the lock at all are a big deal, especially for renters.

The only outwardly and visually moving part is the dial which is part of the tubular aluminium section. This is the part that you can turn to lock or unlock your door, as well as have the motor automatically do the same. My only minor gripe with the lock is with this part itself, as the dial really has no real ‘grip’ to speak of, and as such could be a little hard to turn for some people, most notably elderly or infirm members of your family. I guess Nuki felt by adding some texture or ‘tread’ to the dial would somehow corrupt the design aesthetic, which I can appreciate, but good design is just as much about the functionality as the visual, so maybe down the line they can think of a way to add this.

INSTALLATION

the dial also has an LED ‘ring’ that can show you the status of the lock, depending on its particular state. I’ll get back into that later, but for now, I’ll show you the basic stages for how I fitted the lock to my particular door. Our apartment door has a mortice lock, with a Euro Cylinder. Originally, the lock came with a Euro Cylinder that only had a lock on the outside, and a non-removable thumb-turn on the inside, so the Nuki wasn’t going to work, as the thumb turn would have to be removed before attaching the plate to the edge of the cylinder. I simply replaced the cylinder with one that was able to have keys on both sides, one that also has the ’emergency function’ I mentioned previously. There was no need to replace the whole lock, just the cylinder.

With the new cylinder installed, I first made sure the lock was in the unlocked position, removed the key, and fastened the plate (A) to the edge of the cylinder, as I had just enough clearance to be able to attach the plate. Once secure, I simply place the Nuki lock on top of the plate, added the batteries, and the lock began to calibrate itself. Everything was done in around a minute!

THE NUKI LOCK 

Although there are a ton of options for the lock via the Nuki app, some of the basics of the lock are visual, courtesy of the LED ring in the centre of the rotary dial. This ring will light up in a few different ways, depending on the state of the lock;

• when unlocking (not manually), the whole LED ring will light up and flash
• Once the unlocking procedure is complete, the top quarter of the LED ring will be unlit, showing the door is unlocked
• When locking (not manually) the three quarter lit LED ring will flash whilst locking
• Once the locking procedure is complete, the whole LED ring will be lit, showing the door is locked

both of these LED ring states will show for a few seconds before turning off, but if you want to know the status of the lock, you simply have to turn the dial slightly, and the LED ring will light up in the appropriate state to show you whether the door is locked or unlocked.

The brightness of the LED ring can also be adjusted or even totally turned off, within the settings of the Nuki app.

• Further to this, if you’ve left the door unlocked, the LED ring will eventually emit a very short flash every few seconds to let you know the door is unlocked
• If the batteries are getting low on power, the top quarter of the LED ring will blink every few seconds to let you know the batteries need replacing

This ring also encircles a fully functional button that can be programmed to do a small selection of things, all via the Nuki app. This button is capable of detecting single and double presses, with the following actions able to be assigned to these;

• Intelligent (the default mode)
• Unlock
• Lock
• Open Door
• Lock ‘n’ Go
• Disabled
• Show State

The first of these options, Intelligent, is a simple toggle, so if the Nuki is locked when you press it, it’ll perform an unlock, or vice versa. Unlock and Lock are self-explanatory, whilst Open Door might confuse some – I’ll get back to that in a minute. Lock ‘n Go allows you to press the button, which will unlock the door for a preset amount of time, before automatically locking itself. You can set the Lock ‘n’ Go duration from as little as 5 seconds, going up to 60 seconds (5, 10, 15, 20 (default), 30, 45, 60). Disabled, is once again obvious, and Show State allows you to see the state of the lock.

Going back to the Open Door option, if you’re familiar with Mortice locks, they tend to come with a latch connected to the handle, much like doors that use deadbolts, however, mortice locks tend to have the latch connected to the mortice lock in one manner or another, so in a traditional way, when you turn the key of your mortice lock to unlock it and continue to turn the key, the latch will then start to ‘unlatch’, thus opening the door. The Nuki takes advantage of this by allowing the lock to continue turning to the point that the latch is in the unlatched position, thus essentially opening the door so that you don’t even need to turn the door handle. This is especially handy if you have your hands full of shopping, or maybe you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to turn the handle. To be honest, I’m not sure why mortice locks aren’t more popular in the US for this and other reasons.

You can set the lock to either unlock or ‘open’ by default, when using the Nuki in HomeKit, via the Nuki app.

Having had the lock in ‘real-world’ use for a year now, I’ve found it to be really reliable to use in a physical sense, and so in terms of its build, it is pretty solidly built, with the exception of the issue with the dial being not as easy to grip for some. This issue is of larger significance with mortice locks, when compared to deadbolts, as locking and unlocking the latter is one smooth action, essentially like sliding the bolt on a gate, for want of a better analogy. With mortice locks, there’s a certain amount of resistance until the lock clicks into the opposite state it was in, so if you’ve ever felt that resistance you get when turning certain types of keys until you feel that ‘click’, you’ll know what I’m referring to.

CONNECTIVITY

Like pretty much all HomeKit smart locks, the Nuki uses Bluetooth to connect in the first instance directly to your phone, and for when you’re out of Bluetooth range of the lock, via a Home Hub (Apple TV4+, HomePod, HomePod Mini etc.). For remote access via HomeKit, you need one of these Home Hubs, however, if you want to use the Nuki app for control when not directly connected to the lock via your phone, you need the Nuki Bridge. You also need this bridge when using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

In the screenshots above you can see the connection status of the lock, both via Bluetooth and the Nuki Bridge. The first screenshot shows an excellent connection for both WiFi and Bluetooth, which is due to me being in close proximity to the lock and connected to WiFi. The second screenshot is when I’m around 10 metres away from the lock with at least one wall between my phone and the lock, so the signal is reported as ‘good’ in this instance, although the signal is probably on the cusp of being disconnected for Bluetooth. The third screenshot shows that although I’m connected to the lock via the bridge/WiFi, there’s no Bluetooth connection to the lock at all, as I’m out of the house. As already mentioned, none of this is relevant solely for HomeKit use, although if not everyone in your household, or someone that needs regular access to your lock, doesn’t use HomeKit, isn’t given access to your HomeKit home, or doesn’t have an iPhone, then if they want to remotely access the lock, a Nuki Bridge is needed.

NUKI BRIDGE

The Nuki Bridge, as previously mentioned, is an optional accessory when it comes to HomeKit, but if you want it, you can find it slightly cheaper when purchased as part of a bundle, that includes the Nuki Lock 2.0. In the case of the packaging, it’s way over the top and there’s a lot of wasted space, so I’m not sure what Nuki were thinking here, but it certainly wasn’t the environment! All you get is a small manual and the bridge itself.

The bridge employs the same plastic as the lock – matt and textured, along with the Nuki logo on the bottom. The bridge itself is pretty basic, and at 60 x 60 x 50mm (W, H, D) seems a little large considering its limited function, but it does what’s needed, so it doesn’t matter too much. As this is more aimed at EU consumers, there’s only one version, which comes with a type C plug built-in. Nevertheless, it can work with 100-230v AC at 50/60Hz, so all that’s needed is an adaptor if you use a different type of socket, as I do.

On the front is a large button for pairing/resetting the bridge, along with a sole white LED. That’s about it, with setup achieved in the Nuki app, which essentially helps you pair the bridge to your lock and connect the bridge to WiFi, thus giving you access to the lock remotely. There’s not a lot to say about it other than it seemed to set up rather quickly, and to date, has been pretty solid in terms of connectivity.

The Nuki Bridge connects to your Nuki Lock using Bluetooth 4.0

NUKI KEYPAD

The Nuki keypad is something I thought would be of use, especially if someone forgot both their keys and their phone. The small package is decent enough to protect the contents and isn’t needlessly large for once. Inside, you get the keypad, a pair of screws with corresponding rawl plugs, and a couple of rubber gaskets (not pictured), as well as the manual in a variety of languages.

The keypad uses a rubber casing to make sure the device is weatherproof, given that it’s for outdoor use, and has ten buttons – numerals 1 to 9, plus a back arrow. Above the keys are six small LEDs that light up as you press the buttons, and will animate when you’ve finished entering your code by pressing the back arrow. As with the Nuki Bridge, this is designed to directly pair with your Nuki Lock, using Bluetooth 4.0. The keypad is pretty small, at only 85 x 28 x 10mm (H, W, D). The battery used is a standard CR2032 type and should last around 18 months, based on 30,000 presses.

You can either stick the keypad to a surface using the quite strong adhesive backing or use the provided screws to affix it. The base of the keypad has a small button that allows you to detach the keypad from the backplate in order to replace the battery.

I’ve not been using the keypad as long as the lock itself, but so far I’m a little disappointed with its performance if I’m honest. This could be due to the older Bluetooth 4.0 standard, but even when the keypad is awake and active, it would seem that some of the time the keypad won’t unlock the door. Usually, after the second or third attempt I’ve been able to get it to work, although, on most occasions, it works the first time. There seems to be little discernable reason for this slightly patchy performance, as the keypad is well within the range of the lock (5 metres or less). Although I do appreciate the design, the company should really have this using Bluetooth 4.2 at a minimum, and ideally, be using Bluetooth 5.0.

NUKI KEYFOB

Another optional extra is the Nuki Keyfob. This is the smallest one of them all, at only 55 x 25 x 5mm (H, W, D), which has to be if it’s going to fit on your keyring. The packaging, like the keypad, is sensible and keeps everything in place. The keypad is really pretty light, so it’s not going to add any real weight to your set of keys.

The keyfob uses a CR1632 coin battery, and although I couldn’t find any information on battery life, I’m going to guess it’s going to be around 12 months with average use. Setup is simple enough and pairs directly with your lock. The interesting thing to note here, however, is that the keyfob can be paired with more then just one lock, so if you have a Nuki lock on your front and rear doors, one fob will work with both. Nuki claim their keyfob can be paired with up to 100 locks, which is quite impressive.

There’s not much to the keyfob, with just a single button and a small LED above that. Still, the keyfob can do a lot with just one button; by default, the button is capable of three actions, based on single, double or triple presses;

• Single press: intelligent locking. This means unlocking or opening the door (knob) when the door is locked and locking when the door is unlocked.
• Double press: unlocking the door
• Triple press: locking the door

You can change these to other functions available, however, including Lock ‘n’ Go, and No Action. Another nice option is to be able to disable or restrict access for the keyfob at any time, so if you lose it, you can simply remove any access options.

Unfortunately, similar issues I found with the Keypad, are evident with the Keyfob too, and as it’s not cheap, I think you have to think twice as to whether this is something you want to spend your money on if flawless performance is of the utmost importance to you.

HOMEKIT, THE HOME APP & THE NUKI APP

The Home app

As you might suspect, the Nuki Lock, whilst HomeKit compatible, doesn’t really give you any extras in the Home app, so it’s all rather basic. That’s not a problem for the most part, as all you’re going to be doing for much of the time is lock or unlock the door. You can see the battery level in the settings at least, which isn’t the case with the August Lock (3rd Gen) I’ve also been testing out for some time.

The Nuki App

The main screen of the Nuki app shows the status of the lock as well as offering you a way to unlock (or lock) the door, which is achieved with a simple swipe on the screen either from the left or right. You can change this in the preferences, with a variety of options for either side. If you swipe up from the bottom of the screen, you get access to the four basic options – Lock, Unlock, Lock ‘n’ Go, and Open Door.

Clicking on Settings takes you to a series of options for the lock, which includes managing the smart lock – this option opens up further settings that cover a wider variety of functions. You can also manage users from this main settings page, and check which users and devices are active. This would include devices like any Keyfobs or Keypads that have been paired with the lock. You can also create, edit or delete keycodes for the keypad used by any active users, so if you want to restrict a user’s code to only be used on certain days of the week, or hours of the day, you can do it here. These types of functions can generally be found with most other smart locks of course, but then not all smart locks have optional keypads or keyfobs, that can be included in restrictions.

The Activity logs section can show who has used a specific device for entry, be that keypad, keyfob, or their phone, although if a user uses a standard key, there’s no way of knowing who opened the door at that particular time. This is also the case for opening the door from inside the house, as most users will open the door manually upon leaving.

You can also manage all the other optional peripherals from the app of course, which also includes devices I’ve not featured here, like the Opener, Smart Door and the fingerprint sensor (not shown). The app has tons of options for the lock and other devices, so many in fact, I’m not going to attempt to list them all here. One specific function I use is Night Mode which allows the Nuki to double-lock at a certain time of night, for extra peace of mind. What’s also nice is that the Nuki app is compatible with Siri Shortcuts, although functionality is a little limited.

NUKI POWER PACK

At the start of the review, I mentioned the reason for the long delay in reviewing this product, which was the Nuki Power Pack. Now that I have it, and have it working, I feel like I have everything I need with the Nuki, and don’t have to worry so much about changing batteries, although I need to charge the pack of course. I won’t have my wife complaining about the number of batteries I get through as well, so that’s also something! In the box, you get the power pack itself, and a rather short USB-C to USB-A cable.

The Power Pack basically combines the battery holder from the original battery compartment, with four rechargeable NiMH cells. there’s a USB-C port on the base for recharging the pack, and Nuki even states that you can keep the pack permanently charged if you have the cable plugged into a mains adaptor, although with such a short cable on a moving door, I’m not sure it’d be such an elegant solution. There’s not a lot to say about it other than it’s a more than welcome addition to the set of Nuki products I have.

SUMMING UP

I’ve only tested out a few locks so far – Vocolinc’s T-Guard (I’ll also be reviewing the updated version soon), the Reagle Smart Lock, along with forthcoming reviews for the aforementioned August Smart Lock (3rd Gen), and the Terncy Titan Smart Lock, which is long overdue. Of all of these locks, the Nuki and the August the only are the ones I’ve been able to fully and permanently test/use in the home, as deadbolt locks aren’t so commonplace on doors in Taiwan. So I guess in some ways this could colour my judgement of this lock when compared to the others. I’ve tried to avoid that, and can honestly say I still only look at the functions of the lock, in comparison to other locks, regardless of how long or how permanently they’re in use.  It’s not a perfect lock, and I do think there’s room for improvement, but I do like the design, and the size really doesn’t bother me at all, although I’m sure it would be an issue for some people. I’m reasonably happy with the additional control options (keypad, keyfob), even though they really need an update in the Bluetooth department, but most of all, I’ve been very happy with its reliability, which has been pretty flawless so far in terms of the core product.

If your lock is of the type that can work with the Nuki, I’d recommend it hands down, as I feel confident, after having it in use for the last 12 months, any serious issues would have made themselves clear by now, of which I’ve seen none.

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Using HomeKit end-to-end encryption and authentication technology, the data between the devices is only stored on your iOS device, it will not be stored in the cloud, and there is no sharing method to ensure data security and personal privacy.

Using a semiconductor fingerprint sensor and a larger fingerprint recognition module, the fastest unlocking speed is 0.5s. Unlock the door, fast and smooth, all in one go.

Eight sensors to monitor door lock status in all directions. Support all kinds of abnormal alarms, if found abnormal, will send a reminder message through the App.

The C-level electronic lock cylinder can detect abnormal keyholes. When a foreign object is inserted or the key is not removed, it will promptly feedback and remind. The true ferrule runs through the lock body and is safer than the false ferrule. Even if the lock housing is damaged, the lock cylinder cannot be easily opened. The door lock is equipped with two electronic keys. Before use, it needs to be registered at the door lock. The key has a built-in chip that others cannot copy. If the key is lost, the key can be cancelled.

When opening the door, any garbled characters can be added before and after the unlock password to prevent others from peeping (Virtual digits + the total number of ‘unlock’ passwords does not exceed 20 digits).

By connecting the Aqara Home App through the gateway, more functions can be realized, such as: when people are not at home, they can remotely check the status of the door lock. It is clear at a glance whether the door is locked and who will unlock it at what time.

The door lock handle has a motion detection function, which can distinguish whether the user locks indoors or outdoors, so as to carry out the corresponding smart home linkage, making the home more intelligent and understand you.

https://www.aqara.com/cn/smart_door_lock_HL_pro.html

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