This is the most versatile smart lock ever – and Apple users will love it

A great smart lock is arguably the foundation of any smart home system. For years now, there have been very few HomeKit-compatible smart locks on the market that support Apple’s Home Key. But more companies are trying to change that. Akara is one of them.

Aqara, an internationally renowned smart home device maker, has been selling smart locks compatible with the Apple Home Key for some time now, but exclusively in East Asian countries like Malaysia and Singapore.

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Now, the company is launching its first Home Key smart lock in the US Aqara U100 Available now for the price of $190. Was the wait worth it? I’ve been testing it for the past few weeks, and the short answer is: Absolutely.

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Aqara U100 Smart Lock

The Aqara U100 Smart Lock is the first in the US to offer a combination of Apple Home Key, keypad, fingerprint, NFC tag, and physical key for unlocking options for $190.

Getting the Aqara U100 to my front door was easy enough, even though my review unit didn’t come with instructions. It took a few minutes to figure out which piece went in before the other, but a deadbolt is a pretty straightforward mechanism. The whole process took less than 15 minutes.

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Once the U100 Smart Lock was on the door, I set it up with the Aqara app on my iPhone and used the Aqara M2 Hub to connect to it.

Although the Aqara Hub is not required to use the Smart Lock’s basic features, you will need it to perform remote locking and unlocking actions, view the current lock status and configure password settings from your phone, and create automations with other Aqara devices Is. ,

Without the hub, the U100 lock can only connect to your phone via Bluetooth and be controlled as long as you are within Bluetooth range.

The Aqara U100 Smart Lock is unique in the US because it is the only smart lock on the market that simultaneously offers the following unlocking options:

• Passcode Unlock: The U100 lock features a keypad for entering 6-10 digit passcodes to unlock, and users can add one-time passcodes or ones that only work during preset time periods, such as 3 p.m. every weekday – Can be locked for babysitter from 6 o’clock in the app up to 75 passwords are set.
• Fingerprint Unlock: After setting up my U100 to unlock with my fingerprint, I’ve never had a problem with it failing to recognize or respond to it. Users can add up to 50 fingerprints to the app and Aqara says its fingerprint reader has a 98.6% recognition rate.
• Apple Home Key: I set up the U100 lock to unlock with my iPhone using an NFC-powered Apple Home Key. It adds a virtual key to your iPhone’s Wallet and you can unlock your smart lock just by bringing your iPhone or Apple Watch to it.
• NFC Tag: You can also program NFC tags to unlock the Aqara U100, which is perfect for anyone who isn’t an Apple user or for use as a keycard for houseguests.
• Mechanical Keys: The U100 Smart Lock comes with two physical keys to use with it, and the keyhole is hidden behind a sliding panel on the lock’s face.

Although I didn’t find the Aqara mobile app very intuitive, I did like the variety of features available for the U100 Lock. You can add different users and give each a unique unlocking method. For example, I’ve given myself a passcode and a fingerprint so I always know who entered and how when I’m checking the lock’s event history.

The app also lets you customize alert settings and choose the voice volume and language for any voice alerts during locking operations. Thanks to the built-in gyroscope for motion detection, you can set the device to auto-lock when the door is closed (without the need for any additional modules).

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That being said, it wasn’t all sun and automatically closed the doors. I struggled at times to lock the U100 behind me or when I swiped it, and at one point had to go back inside to find the mechanical key because it wasn’t working for me.

While my experience was mostly positive, I also found the app to be very slow and unreliable at giving me locked status, even when my phone was within Bluetooth range. Sometimes it would give me the wrong position and say the door was locked when I could clearly see it was not.

I still loved the Aqara U100 because of two things: 1.) the pros outweigh the cons and 2) it’s such a new product with upcoming firmware upgrades constantly improving its performance.

Given how elaborate smart locks can be, I was biased in this review to the simplicity of the Level Lock+ and the attractive design of the Yale Assure Lock SL. but all the extra unlocking features that make it Aqara U100 Unique has me twisted.

Being able to consistently (and flexibly) unlock my door with either my fingerprint or my Apple Watch, and not one or the other, has added the exact amount of convenience to my life that I look forward to in all smart household appliances. I look at the equipment.