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.

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.

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

---

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)

---

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

---

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?”

---

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

---

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.

---

---

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.

---

---

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.

---

---

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’.

---

---

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;

---

---

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).

---

---

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.

---

---

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.

---

---

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.

---

---

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.

---

---

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.

---

---

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;

---

---

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

---

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.

---

---

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

---

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.

---

---

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?

---

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.

PACKAGING | UNBOXING

The packaging of the tedee keypad is minimalist. Due to its small size, everything fits in a flat brown box in which you will find the tedee keypad itself, a few sheets with codes and information with a link with which you can download the digital version of the user manual. There’s also a small envelope with a set of mounting screws that can be affixed to the exterior wall along with a special Allen key used to open the device in order to replace the batteries.

Technical specification of tedee keypad

• Model: TKV 1.0
• Weight: 120 g (without batteries), 155 g (with 3 AAA batteries)
• Dimensions: 48mm x 135mm x 28mm
• Power supply: 3 AAA batteries (included)
• Battery life: as stated by the battery manufacturer
• Bluetooth communication: Bluetooth BLE 5.0 / 2.4GHz
• IP protection class: IP65

The tedee keypad is available in a single dark grey colour and is made entirely of plastic. The keypad buttons are rubberized and illuminated. The whole thing is certified with the IP65 protection rating, which allows the keypad to be mounted outside. IP65 means it provides protection against low-pressure jets of water from any direction, as well as against condensation and splashes of water. tedee keypad can be mounted with the included pair of screws or with the use of adhesive tape which covers the back of the housing.

The device is powered by three 1.5 volt AAA batteries, which are already installed in the device when you buy it. When you need to replace the batteries, all that’s required is to unscrew one screw on the bottom, using the included Allen key, allowing you to remove the entire device, separating it from the backplate fixed to the wall.

THE KEYPAD

The layout of the buttons is very simple and clear. In addition to the buttons numbered from 0 to 9, there are three additional buttons, which I’ll go into more later. The device itself is not big but it is definitely not the smallest keypad compared to other companies, although I consider that an advantage because the size of the buttons themselves and the breaks in the arrangement of them make it easy to use regardless of who uses it, or the size of their hand/fingers. After pressing any button, the keyboard will be illuminated with a yellowish light, along with a discrete sound emitting from the built-in buzzer. Both of these functions can be managed from within the Tedee app.

The principle of operation of the tedee keypad is quite simple, as one would expect; It allows you to enter an appropriate, predetermined pin code, to open the tedee lock without the need for any additional devices. You have the ability to create up to 100 different pin codes, each containing between 5 to 8 digits. From a security point of view, this gives users between 100,000 to 100,000,000 different possible code combinations! In addition, Tedee also made sure that it is not possible to enter simple pin codes with repeated numbers (000000 for example). In order to unlock the lock, you have to enter the appropriate previously set up pin code using the number buttons, then press the button on the keypad marked with a padlock symbol. Each entry of the correct code is also confirmed by the single green blink of the LED located in the upper part of the keypad. If an incorrect code is entered, the LED will blink red once.

If the button marked with the bell symbol is pressed, the LED blinks green several times and a push notification will be sent to phones that have the Tedee app installed, and are logged in to the account to which the tedee keypad is assigned. The button marked with the symbol C associated with the English word Clear, allows you to delete the entered code if you’re not sure whether you have entered all the correct numbers or the correct sequence. If you also have the keypad’s buzzer activated, you will also hear the sound corresponding to the LED blinking that is also confirmed with each press of a button on the keypad.

Tedee Smart Lock (review)

ADDING THE KEYPAD

Before you can use the tedee keypad with tedee lock, it needs to be added to your Tedee account which first requires connecting both devices via the Tedee app. It’s a very simple and intuitive method that literally takes a minute. In the Tedee app menu, you need to select the ‘add new device’ option, then after selecting the keypad option, the application will allow you to add the device by manually entering the device code or by scanning its code. The activation code – in the form of a QR code and in the form of numbers – is placed inside of the device itself, under the batteries, and can also be found on a piece of paper in the packaging.

After scanning the tedee code, the keypad will be added to your account, whereupon a list of available, with nearby locks for which you can connect the keypad, will be shown. All you need to do is select the appropriate lock from the list and then press the ‘pair’ button. The tedee keypad can only be connected to one tedee lock at a time. It communicates with the lock via the Bluetooth protocol and it’s worth remembering to place the keypad near the lock during the process of adding it and later when using it.

The manufacturer recommends a distance of no more than 2 metres. In addition, if you also have the tedee smart bridge, the tedee keypad will also be automatically connected to it, thanks to this you will gain such additional functions as push notifications when someone presses the bell button on the keypad, automatic keypad firmware updates and notifications about low battery status. However, by design, the tedee smart bridge is not required to use the tedee keypad with tedee lock. After successful activation, the tedee keypad will be visible on the home page of the Tedee app among our other devices.

By pressing the name of the keypad, you get access to settings and features for the keypad itself. Here you can see which lock the keypad is associated and to which user it is assigned. You can also disconnect it from the lock, in case you want to connect it to a different lock. You will also find access to the options to create and change the pin codes used in the keypad. In practice, these codes are saved in the lock itself and not in the keypad and we will be redirected to the appropriate place in the lock options. Here you will also find access to all settings related to the keypad itself. In the settings, you can give the keypad any name, check the connection status and battery status. Additionally, in the battery tab, you can also mark the type of batteries used in order to correctly display their status. You can choose between standard 1.5v batteries and rechargeable 1.2v Ni-MH batteries, depending on which type you prefer.

The next setting option shows you the software version and allows it to be updated. You can also activate the built-in buzzer, which will make sounds every time you press a button on the keypad. Two volume levels are available, low and high. The sounds made by the keypad are discreet and the two settings do not differ drastically from each other, but they are still loud enough to fulfil their role in confirming a button press, whilst not disturbing the surroundings. The next setting is to set the keyboard backlight; You can turn it off or on and you have three brightness options – low, medium, or high. In the case of the buzzer and the keyboard backlight, it is worth remembering that using the maximum values will increase energy consumption.

The next setting concerns an additional doorbell button located on the keypad itself. You can activate or deactivate it. Its function, when active, is to send a push notification to phones that have the Tedee application installed and are logged into the account connected to the keypad. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, it is not possible to use this button in any other way or to make it available to other systems. Maybe it will not replace the classic doorbell, but it can be useful, especially when you are not at home. The rest of the settings are time zone settings, notification options about available firmware updates for keypad and low battery status, device information and logs.

One of the most important things in addition to reliable operation in this type of device is certainly the ease and flexibility of managing pin codes, thanks to which you can open the lock. You will not be disappointed here. As mentioned before, you can create up to 100 different codes from 5 to 8 digits. When using the tedee keypad in your home, it is certainly hard to imagine that you would use even half of the number of available codes, although let’s not forget that solutions of this type work very well in small and medium-sized companies and also in rental apartment solutions. The options for the codes can be found in the Tedee app in the section where you manage the permissions of tedee lock users, or in the options of the tedee keypad itself. You can create codes that never expire and work at any time without any restrictions, for example for household members, or you can use one or all of the three available options to restrict when a single code is supposed to work. These options can be freely mixed with each other, so it is possible to set any combination. 

The first of the three available restriction options is Temporary, which is time/interval based, using a specific date and time range. After this time has elapsed, the code will stop working. The next option, Specific Days, allows you to select the days of the week for which the code will work. Without using the previous restriction option, this schedule will automatically repeat every week. The last option, Daily Hours allows you to limit the use of the code to set hours. As in the previous example, if you do not use any additional options, these hours will be automatically repeated every day. The code created in this way can be easily shared directly from the Tedee app. Since the code is all numbers, all system-wide split and transfer options are available. From iMessage to Mail, AirDrop and more.

You can delete, create, or change already created codes at any time. However, it is worth remembering that if you have a tedee smart bridge, you can do it from anywhere, via remote access, when you are away from home. In the event that you do not have a tedee smart bridge, all changes will be sent to the lock only when your phone connects via Bluetooth directly to the tedee lock. Additionally, each use of the code is recorded and shown in the Tedee app in the tedee lock’s historical data, with the username of the code or the name of the code itself when sharing access with other people. Any attempts to enter a wrong code are also noted there.

IN USE

There are many ways and various additional accessories that allow you to unlock smart locks without the need for a phone or watch. These options vary between manufacturers and different lock models. As usual in such cases, there are always some advantages and disadvantages. If you want one specific solution that will work in every situation, I think that the keypad is just such a general solution. At first, biometric data such as fingerprint readers or cameras, keycards based on RF or NFC communication, various keyfobs or even one of the recently very popular topics in the form of the latest addition from Apple, called HomeKey, sound very interesting and certainly can in many cases, make our lives easier, but they have one major drawback. They require direct contact with the person you want to provide access to your lock or install an additional application. Even in the case of Apple HomeKey, you cannot assume that each person uses the Apple system and has an Apple ID. In the case of keypad devices, you do not have this problem and you can create a code at any time that you can remotely share or simply pass it on, and it does not require anything from people to whom you share this code. Of course, it all depends on what you need. If you do not need to provide other people with access to your tedee lock, then the tedee keypad can still be useful at times when you do not want to take your smartphone or smartwatch with you, or if the batteries in them happen to run out at the most inconvenient moment.

While using the tedee keypad and changing its options, I didn’t run into any problems. It just worked as intended. One thing is also worth mentioning; The specificity of Bluetooth devices is that when they are not used for some time, they go into what is known as ‘sleep time’ for maintenance and prolonged battery life. In some devices from other manufacturers, this causes a noticeable delay in response to the first commands. You won’t notice anything like that with the tedee keypad. The device reacts almost instantly, every time and to every command without delay. The size of the keyboard is so universal that it is easy to use regardless of the person. The keyboard backlight and sound feedback fulfil their purpose very well. It is also resistant to all external weather conditions and it’s hard to really complain about anything here.

In the video above, I quickly demonstrate three features; the ‘doorbell’ button, the result of adding an incorrect pin code, and the tedee lock, unlocking after entering a recognised pin code.

The tedee keypad is not protected in any special way against possible theft, except for one Allen screw that opens the device to replace the battery, but apart from the effects of possible vandalism, you do not have to worry about security. No data or codes are stored in the tedee keypad itself. All data is stored in tedee lock and the keypad is only used for the mere transmission of button presses. The same tedee keypad cannot be reused with another account without first deleting it from your account, so it becomes rather useless to any would-be thief.

The Tedee company is also developing further additional functions, such as increased security features for example; the function that automatically locks the keypad keyboard when you try to enter an incorrect pin code several times. A function is also being developed that will enable the locking of the lock with the keypad, which is not possible at the time of writing. These features will be made available through future app and firmware updates. Additionally, perhaps the most interesting fact is that the tedee keypad also has an NFC module that is not used at present. Although you could not receive any specific information on any plans related to the use of the NFC module, this opens up many potential opportunities and I am personally convinced that it will not go unused, so we will certainly hear about it over time when Tedee introduces additional new features.

There is one thing that I think would gain a lot if it was changed which is related to the push notification sound received via the doorbell button. Currently, the standard system sound for iOS notifications is used, which does not differ in any way from the sounds of most other notifications, which in the case of not looking at the phone screen does not distinguish it in any way. If it were possible to use a different sound or different sounds to choose from, then the user would know without even looking at the screen that someone was ringing your door via the keypad. The option to activate the so-called Critical Alerts in iOS for the tedee keypad would also be useful. Critical Alerts consist of the fact that the notification sound is played even when our phone is muted.

If you want to be able to open the tedee lock without taking your phone or smartwatch with you, and you want a simple and reliable way to share your lock with other people in any situation without requiring anything from the people you want to share it with, I think you will be very pleased with buying a tedee keypad. The price is also affordable and comparable with similar devices from other manufacturers.

Full disclosure: Tedee provided HomeKit News with the Tedee Keypad 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 Keypad (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.

The post Nuki Lock 2.0…plus (review) appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

Danapad’s elegant Danish design and small footprint (35mm x 82mm) provides an out-of-the-box, easy-to-install and secure access solution that requires no permanent alteration to the door or entry area. Designed for all weather extremes, Danapad works well in hot and cold climates and can withstand the effects of salt, fog, and rain.

Danapad, like Danalock V3, is managed via the Danalock App, a cloud-based access control application that enables the user to provide one of three levels of access to guests: permanent, recurring, or temporary/one-time. Visitors no longer need to bring a key or a phone. They simply enter their four- to 10-digit pin codes into the keypad, which connects to the smart lock via Bluetooth to unlock the door. In instances where many different guests operate the lock, such as on a rental property or a locked-off common area, guests do not need to own a compatible device. When someone enters or exits, the Danalock App messages the homeowner/business manager, reassuring parents that their children are home from school or building managers that the contractor has arrived on time.

“The smart lock is the ultimate ‘enabler’ in smart homes and buildings, offering a host of services, such as temperature control, lighting, etc., on entry,” said Henning Overgaard, co-founder of the Danalock smart lock. “Thanks to its superior functionality, security, and worldwide install base, Danalock V3 is being adopted by telcos, IoT service providers, and e-commerce retailers, as well as logistics and alarm companies that are integrating Danalock and Danapad into their solutions.”

The post Danapad appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.

The post August Smart Keypad appeared first on Homekit News and Reviews.