3/31/2024 0 Comments Wireless deadbolt lockYou’re forgiven if you don’t want to replace your antique doorknob on your vintage Victorian with a metallic device that looks like it would be more at home keeping people out of a strip mall bank branch.Ī sizeable number of smart lock products don’t require you to replace all your existing hardware. In a more advanced setting, different keys can be generated for the same lock, so a homeowner can tell when each member of the family came in, or when the housekeeper arrived. Digital locks can be changed at a moment’s notice (which is why that old hotel key card in your wallet isn’t good for anything), and the property owner can generate a record of when each door was opened. Lost hotel key card? Replacing it is no big deal.īut the biggest benefit of electronic entry systems is that they are highly configurable. The electronic solution is just so much simpler. On the flipside, hotel guests have readily accepted key cards (and in some cases, smartphone-based solutions) as the primary means of getting into their room. Hotels learned long ago that keys are easily lost, expensive to replace, and simple to bypass, as thieves can pick locks or simply make copies of a key to allow for unfettered future access. You can thank the hospitality industry for finally pushing locks into the digital age. Other models retain the traditional key cylinder for backup. Yale’s Real Living locks feature external posts to which you can connect a 9-volt battery, giving you enough juice to get the door open. What do you do if the batteries inside the lock die-and you’re stuck outside? Some locks allow for emergency power to be applied should this happen. Make sure to pick a model that supports the entry method (or methods) you prefer. Entry meansįrom apps and keypads to fingerprint readers and good, old-fashioned keys, there are myriad ways to unlock a smart lock. We look forward to checking out more Matter smart locks in the weeks and months ahead. The good news is that smart locks are included in the Matter specification the bad news is that for now, only a few Matter-enabled smart locks are available. Then there’s Matter, the new smart home standard that promises to unite the major smart home ecosystems. If you’re using a smart home hub like the Samsung SmartThings or Wink Hub, look for a lock that supports Z-Wave or Zigbee, instead. Some Bluetooth locks, like the Yale Assure system and the August Smart Lock, offer a radio module as an add-on to connect to your home network. Level Lock+ (now marketed as Level Lock+ Connect, which includes the Level Connect bridge) review The arrival of Matter compatibility will presumably iron out the kinks for Alexa and Google Home users, but Level’s promised Matter update (the lock is Matter-certified, but its Thread radio is still dormant). While the Level Lock+ Connect is now compatible with Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Home, we believe Apple users will have the best experience with this lock. It remains our highest-rated smart lock–there is nothing better on the market today–and it could get even better when its Thread radio is activated, adding Matter compatibility. The inclusion of the bridge also erases the biggest cons we had for this minimalist lock that looks as good as it operates. Now bundled with the Level Connect Bluetooth-to-Wi-Fi bridge, the Level Lock+ Connect is fully compatible with all three of the major smart home platforms: Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit (including Apple’s “home key” NFC tech), and Google Home.
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