This could be your perfect smart lock - Aqara U50

Aqara has a new, less expensive U50 smart lock that supports Apple Home Key! This is a great new lock, but it is only ideal for certain types of smart homes. Let me explain...

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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
01:18 In the box
01:52 Installation
03:13 My first problem with this lock
04:18 The touch panel
05:27 Using with Aqara's hubs vs Home Key
07:30 Home Key experience
07:48 Who this lock is perfect for

💼 DETAILS:
- Some links in this description are affiliate links and might support the channel at no additional cost to you
- This video and all of Eric Welander's channel is a production of E. Welander, LLC

[GreenArrowNetwork]

For my HomeKit automations speed is really not a big deal. Locking the door at night, or after everyone leaves home. A short delay is no big deal. Un/locking with the watch or phone or keypad is instant, which gains approval from others who just use the lock. I really like my u100, and if you don’t care about fingerprints (which are cool, and also instant) then the u50 looks like a great choice.

[ElevationEveryWeekend]

I installed the U100 a few months back and it’s been very good overall. I am not using an Aqarq hub. Homekey and the fingerprint reader work well. The only complaint with the design is the molded tumbler, which didn’t work with my older steel door, so I had to modify the door which was a project. Most door tumblers you can remove the pressed on square plate, but since the Aqara is molded I had to cut out the door. And yes, if there is ANY resistance when the door locks it will error out, I had to also modify the jam plate slightly to fix that. I might consider the U50 for a back door.

[silentnoobkilla]

I just installed the U50 via HomeKit and avoided the Aqara app completely, which means I can’t update the U50 since updates aren’t available directly through HomeKit. My question is: if I download the Aqara app and connect it to update the firmware on the U50, will HomeKit still function as intended, including HomeKey support, or is HomeKey only supported when using HomeKit exclusively?

[LoopyChew]

My P2 swears by the fingerprint reader. I love HomeKey, myself, but lack of prints is a dealbreaker.

The thing is, I like the idea of rekeying the lock, and I hope they bring that to V2 of the U100. Then I move my existing one to the back door and make that my main.

[waynerowe]

Great vid! First time with home key and just got it installed…will other users in the home automatically receive the home keys?

I followed instructions from the manual, and have it bound to aqara and using through HomeKit…it’s slower than my Schlage sense for sure. Super fast through the aqara app though so I’m confused. Is there any feature I need that only the aqara app provides?

[ElevationEveryWeekend]

The passcode operation is a bit annoying so we always use homekey or fingerprint reader. I do like getting lock notifications on the Apple TV’s!

[tomvetterani]

Eric - just bought 2 U50 locks on Prime Day. Installed one, completed the process, and then went to pair it with my H3 hub. It was then that i realized that i installed the lock on our vacation home's page in the Aqara app. I reinstalled it in the correct home, but upon trying to reset the lock, it prompts for the pairing password. I didn't keep it from the initial install and now cannot reset the lock. I've tried Aqara support (not good) - no response. Are you aware of a way that i can either expose the pairing password, or bypass it to get the lock installed? Thanks in advance for your help.

[Duane_A]

Since the lock will be communicating with my Apple HomePod Mini to use HomeKey, will the lock also relay the zigbee signal for my Aqara vibration sensor on my mailbox?
If not, I need a recommendation for a zigbee lightbulb for the porch light (white or RGBW, idc), that will also work with Aqara M2 HUb, HomeKit & HomeAssistant.
Having a zigbee relay is the priority, but I feel that I'm wasting money to not use the HomeKey option.

[JoshsSmartHome]

Nice video Eric. This seems like a pretty good lock option at this point.

[PrivateHireGuy]

Really useful video, thanks. Any idea how this would work for us in the U.K, with lift up handle deadbolts?

[pontiacwolf]

One question I have about this Locke, or any other Apple home key lock. How do they do in direct sunlight? I would like to put one at my door that we use the most right off my driveway. There isn’t any porch or overhang that protectsit from the elements. Since it would be attached to a metal door facing west. It would get pretty hot during the summer.

Have you experienced any malfunctions of any type due to extreme heat or extreme cold?

[garanceadrosehn]

How about telling people to start by tapping on the lock icon "to wake up the lock"? (instead of saying _"click on any digit to wake up the lock"_ and then needing to explain _"but that digit will be igored")?_ I guess that what I'm asking is if the lock wakes up when someone presses that lock icon?
What would be nice is if a lock like this had an indicator of some sort for how many digits it has recorded. So maybe six little LED's, where the first one lights up after it registers the first button pressed, the second one after it registers the second one, etc.
It seems to me that if people strongly prefer to have a 4-digit code, then they could have a 6-digit code which is just their favorite 4-digit code followed by the first two digits of that same 4-digit code. Or does the lock require that the 6-digits be 6 unique digits?

[BondByPythons]

Will this work if we need to lock/unlock if we are away from home?

[briancovid]

Why wouldn’t it support thread rather than zigbee 😢

[wojtek-]

My Schlage Connect registers the first touch and still has much more than 6mo battery life. I know this one has more features, but they could have done it on this lock too. That is very annoying.

[sendo]

God!! no one is making any install videos showing what screws are supposed to be used because it doesn't explain which screws go where in the manual.

[ggtirevite]

Eric, this is perfectly explained. I watched another video and didn't understand as well what the compromises were. I am very interested butI use Apple Home only, so I will wait until they come up with a lock that connects to their M3 hub (for stability), preferably over Matter AND also supports HomeKey. I am currently using the Yale Assure 2 over Wifi biut it's been flaky for me, so looking for an alternative ... Still looking I guess.

[michaelmchenry]

The Aqara U50 lock is a piece of crap. The instructions that come with it are superficial and useless....I should not have to watch a 20 minute video to see how to install a lock. I have three e-lock in my home. An August lock, easy to install, works reliably, an Elamor M22 Wifi lock, very similar to the Aqara, and the U50. The U50 has been a pain to program and will simply NOT LOCK using either Alexa commands or routines. It unlocks, but will not lock. This is a function that works seamlessly with the other two locks (noteworthy, the Elamor M22 lock uses the Smart Life app which has a solid interface to Alexa). The Elamor lock comes with a flowchart like sheet that explains each step when programming any function. I comes with a detail instruction booklet for installation and basic functions. Why Aqara cannot do this, IDK. I have four Aqara shade rollers and an M2 hub which work perfectly with Alexa....so I had no reason to believe the U50 lock would be such a pain. Aqara support has been absurd (send us a video!???? - really? A video of nothing happening?). Do not buy this product!!!!