Best Smart Locks 2023: Aqara, Wyze, Eufy, Schlage, Level, Ultraloq, Geektale, Lockly, Philips

I bought 10 of the newest and most popular smart locks on Amazon and put them to the test. Which one is the best?

Best Overall: Aqara U100

Best Budget Pick: Wyze Lock Bolt

Best Remote Access Lock: Eufy C220

Best "No Smart Lock" Look: Level Lock+

Other locks tested:

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00:00 Introduction
00:33 Locks by Price
03:00 Traditional Keyway Access
03:43 Fingerprint Reader Tests
04:35 Apple Homekey Tests
06:04 Keypad and Pincode Access
08:49 Battery Life
10:15 Motor Noise
12:29 Build Quality
12:49 Hacking Potential
13:28 Conclusions
15:22 Patreon Giveaway

[Dinie]

You should send the entire door to Lockpicking Lawyer to test out the robustness of the locks

[d.l.]

There is a significant feature discussion missing in this video - the auto lock/remote lock feature and if the lock knows if the door is open or closed. This is a security risk and a vital feature imo.

I bought a Eufy a year ago and although I loved its features, it would auto lock the door with the door being wide open and the app showed that the door was locked. After speaking with support who confirmed that this was not supported, I promptly returned it and got a Lockly Secure Pro. I don't know which other locks support this and the Secure Pro is pretty darn ugly (on the inside of the door), but to me this was very important. It creates a false sense of security that the door is closed and locked when it could very well be open and "locked"

[davidputt]

You are the Project Farm of the smart home world. Top notch.

[virajpadte]

This is undoubtedly the best smart lock video I have come across during my research. Thanks a ton for putting so much time in doing this analysis.

[davidwalser]

A couple of comments on the Aqara lock: First, it uses a Schlage-style key. However, its lock cylinder is NOT compatible with Schlage cylinders. (The pins used in the Aqara lock are slightly smaller in diameter than Schlage pins.) I was able to get my Aqara lock re-keyed to match the rest of the locks in our house, but the locksmith had to grind down some of the pins in the Aqara cylinder to re-key the lock. Had the locksmith needed longer pins to re-key the lock, I would have needed to re-key my entire house. You might not care about that because you'll never use a key to open the lock, but it is something to consider.

Second, the Aqara lock needs an Aqara hub to take advantage of all the features. (It also needs an Apple Home hub -- an Apple Homepod, Homepod Mini, or an Apple TV -- to take advantage of the Apple Homekit features.) The lock uses zigbee to connect to the Aqara hub, which is faster, more reliable, and more energy efficient than Bluetooth. The hub then connects to your wifi network. So, the performance of the lock is probably better with the hub than without. It is, however, an additional expense.

[Rabman]

@TheHookUp I have two of the original Schlage Encode locks and am very happy with them. I use rechargeable batteries with them and recharge them about 3 times a year. I have them integrated with home assistant and they work well. I can lock/unlock the locks from my dashboard. I have installed a passive NFC RFID tag on the doorframe painted the same colour, that triggers a home assistant automation through an Apple shortcuts. Its a bit of a work around, but it only takes about the same time as punching in the pin code to unlock. Convenient for when your hands are full. With this model you can set temp pin codes, with a schedule. The only thing I do not like is the maximum automatic locking time of 4 minutes.

[joeparris]

Great video as always! I was able to add the Aqara U100 to Home Assistant without buying the Aqara hub by using a bluetooth dongle on my HA mini-pc and the built in BT integration. It has been pretty reliable in my automations and the lock status updates back to HA are fast enough for me (1-10s). I did have to remove the lock from Homekit before it showed as available in HA. Apparently you can re-add it to Homekit to get apple homekey back but I don't have an iPhone/Apple Watch so I haven't bothered testing. Overall I'm a fan of the lock even without using homekey. The most annoying thing is the flimsly plastic cover you have to remove to change out the batteries on the inside portion. I feel like I'm going to snap it every time I remove it.

[bearxor]

I was an early adopter of smart locks, I bought a Lockitron during their bolt funding and have been keyless at home since.

I finally replaced the Bolt a couple years ago with the Level Lock+ and LOVE it, especially the nfc key tags for key rings.

[KDHJP]

I have an OG Yale touchpad deadbolt with a plug in Bluetooth module since 2017, never fails.

[jorgeferreira]

Right on time ... moving in 2 months and wanted to know the options. Thanks Rob.

[YoBiEast]

I’m a locksmith, I recommend the Schlage encode all the time . Did you update the app . It does allow restriction on codes if needed . Kwikset halo with the touch button is another WiFi option I recommend

And just for a fyi if anyone reads this I recommend the Schlage be365 for anyone looking for a electronic lock with out the extra bells and whistles

[dino.hurricane]

Dang. Was really hoping to see a smart lock video where you also compare how well they can integrate into home assistant

[brendanm]

Thank you for the analysis and breakdown. It definitely gives us things to think about. I'd be interested to know which of the locks are compatible locally with Home Assistant via Zigbee, Z-Wave, and Bluetooth via the ESPHome bluetooth bridge, and which features are available via those methods.

[drdread]

ive heard great things about the August smartlock too. great video man as usual

[rsp]

I picked up 3 of the Schlage locks about a year ago specifically for HomeKey, and I've been very happy with them. Good battery life (the door I use the most is currently at 20% on its original batteries) and instant unlocks from my watch.

[Gametris]

I really like my August Smart Lock. You can choose to add a keypad and keep it in range of the lock. It also lets you choose your deadbolt which is also nice

[LifeWithMatthew]

I've been using the Level Lock for a little over a year now I think, I have it integrated into Home Assistant using the built-in Homekit controller integration and an ESP32 running ESPHome Bluetooth extender. It's rock solid and can be bought for a LOT less than 300 bucks. It's my number one pick especially since it's presence doesn't interfere with the normal operation of your lock.

[Ziedo]

I love that the YouTubers are collaborative and friendly.

[the_thunder_god]

Something that I've seen with our setup:

We have one of the Eufy Locks (Smart Lock S230, used to be called the Smart Lock Touch & Wifi) that obviously looks like a smartlock, installed on our mudroom door. It is a newer door and the lock can actually autolock that door pretty reliably as it is a newer door and frame (installed when we moved in 4.5 years ago), unlike our front door. The front door has our video doorbell installed next to it as that is the one that we use the most.

The problem I've run into is a lot of people mistake our smart lock for our doorbell, even though it's obviously mounted on the door and not next to the door. This results in delivery drivers delivering packages to our mudroom instead of the front door. Fortunately, it's just a few feet to get a package placed at the mudroom door (mudroom faces the street, front door faces our neighbor, it's a couple steps down to the mudroom and it's to your right), but on a day like today, it's annoying in rainy (or snowy for that matter) weather.

Our smart lock has worked well, though I still had issues getting the striker plate mounted and we sometimes have issues with the door being shut properly enough to autolock. It and our Robovac are the only Eufy products I am not planning to replace. I'm convinced that replacing the front door and frame will be necessary before getting a smart lock for it. We have many issues locking it especially in the summer time when the door frame sticks due to expansion. If I ever do that

[sheji]

A great video. I've picked the Wyze lock bolt. The main reason is the key way (lack of). Maybe too many LPL clips. There are other type of locks that only replace the inside piece, from Wyze, Eufy and a couple of others, for the stealth approach. Also Wifi eats battery comparing to Bluetooth, Zigbee or Z-wave.