r/homeautomation • u/chanceorchoiceer • Jun 13 '25
QUESTION Best smart locks?
I'm changing out all of the exterior locks at my house including my garage. What are most people using for a smart lock? It just seems like there are a lot of options.
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u/Eclipse8301 Jun 13 '25
Schlage Encode plus
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u/StrngthscanBwknesses Jun 13 '25
They have great looking options. I have installed them at my house and at my friend's rentals. The tenants love them. They have a physical key backup and connect to WiFi. AA batteries last quite a while, 6 months at our house.
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u/JHG722 Jun 14 '25
I like ours, but something happened and I can no longer unlock it with my iPhone. Haven’t been able to figure it out.
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u/duckvimes_ Jun 13 '25
Horribly overpriced, no Matter support.
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u/adeadfetus Jun 13 '25
What would matter support provide?
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u/duckvimes_ Jun 13 '25
Future-proofing
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u/adeadfetus Jun 13 '25
How does that give you future proofing? I don’t understand.
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u/duckvimes_ Jun 13 '25
If you want to switch to other smart home systems or controllers in the future, Matter gives you more flexibility.
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u/adeadfetus Jun 14 '25
Flexibility sure, but it’s not future proof. Matter is constantly evolving and still pretty immature.
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u/sose5000 Jun 14 '25
Let’s see. Supports WiFi, Apple home, google home, Alexa, and Bluetooth. So incredibly locked down..
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u/Candid-Cockroach-375 Jun 13 '25
Love my Eufy 3 in 1 if you want the most efficient, beat value option
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u/CrybullyModsSuck Jun 13 '25
Yale YRD 216 or 226.
The 216 has physical buttons and a physical key backup.
The 226 can be connected externally to a 9V battery to power it back up and has a physical key backup as well.
I've installed hundreds of these locks.
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u/Eckx Jun 13 '25
I have the Kwikset Home Connect 620 Z-wave lock. It's been fantastic. Paired fairly easily, and has been rock solid. Installed sometime in Feb I believe and it's still on the same set of batteries.
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u/Actormd Jun 13 '25
My WYZE locks have been very reliable. Battery life is great and allows you to generate one time codes for visitors or guests
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u/secret_life_of_pants Jun 13 '25
I’ve been side-eyeing the Wyze Lock Bolt for my back door. Do you have that one? I’ve got the Schlage Encode Plus for the front (which I love) but can’t justify the cost of another for the back door. Lock Bolt looks pretty solid and simple for what I need it for.
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u/batshttcrazy Jun 14 '25
I have many Wyze products including the front door lock. I have found them reliable and they have a good app.
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u/Medical_Chemical_343 Jul 25 '25
I’ve similarly been impressed with Wyze products. They aren’t marketed as heavily as other brands but the value is great!
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u/Sherz_ Jun 16 '25
I’m surprised no one is mentioning the Aqara u100. I’ve never had problems with mine and it’s a fair price as well.
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u/jds013 Jun 23 '25
The Ultraloq Z-Wave version is just $70 on Amazon. I got one - it works just fine. With SmartThings it functions just like my Schlage BE469. A bargain. The pictures aren't quite precise - it uses the Schlage SC1 keyway and can easily be rekeyed to match your other Schlage, Baldwin and many Kwikset locks.
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u/GulfCoastLover Jun 13 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
I have the quickest Halo WiFi models. Batteries last about 6 weeks with a set of Panasonic rechargeables. Very happy with these as they have autolock function and good push notifications. I like that the physical key can be reset easily using the smartkey function. I used it to set all my locks to use the same physical key so I only have to have one on my backup keychain.
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u/wrambling Jul 03 '25
What’s people’s thought about Level Lock+ are these just as reliable compared to Schlage and Yale?
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u/418Miner Jun 13 '25
+1 for Schlage. the wifi-connected locks are more power-efficient than Z wave. Z wave is constantly polling the locks and drains the batteries.
whatever you get check the security rating of the lock. Schlage used to be the most secure but that’s probably changed.
3
u/jds013 Jul 01 '25
> wifi-connected locks are more power-efficient than Z wave. Z wave is constantly polling the locks and drains the batteries.
Are you sure? Schlage says you get up to a full year with 4 alkaline AAs on the Z-Wave lock (which matches my experience) but only 6 months on the Wi-Fi lock.
A properly configured Z-Wave hub doesn't poll the lock - both locks just send messages when they lock or unlock by key, by code, or by command.
Wi-Fi requires much more power than Z-Wave.
2
u/418Miner Jul 01 '25
probably depends on the hub and management software. Samsung Smartthings hub with rboy lock management software results in frequent polling and batteries lasting about a month. YMMV
2
u/PuzzlingDad Jun 13 '25 edited Jun 13 '25
If you've got a hub that supports ZigBee or Z-Wave, I'd get a lock that supports one of those protocols. They are designed to use lower-powered antennas and are better on battery life. I chose a Schlage smart lock because it was easy to use the existing cylinder from the Schlage locks we already had.
1
u/r34p3rex Jun 14 '25
I just replaced my Yale August lock with a Lockly Visage Zeno. The facial recognition works awesome and perfect for when my hands are full
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u/relatively-physics Jun 18 '25
Yale Assure 2 seems to be the most recommended here, and most likely for good reason. It’s reliable, works with multiple ecosystems (Matter, Z-Wave, etc.), and the keyed or keyless options give some flexibility. But for anyone looking for something a bit different, Ultraloq has been solid too. Good build quality, and has been really good with me so far.
1
u/unknown_user250 Jul 02 '25
I like our ultraloq, except the fingerprint recognition goes to shit if your finger, or the keypad is wet. (My husband is super tired of getting stuck in the rain) also, the keypad just died after 3 years. So I’m looking for something new.
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u/Medical_Chemical_343 Jul 25 '25
I think it’s fair to say anything with battery powered WiFi is best avoided. Battery life will be better on just about anything else.
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u/Illustrious-Car-3797 24d ago
Yale is great and simple. For all those of you who want more advanced and more unlocking options, Samsung should be your go to
If you live in an apartment complex you may not be able to install Samsung as they are not 'fire rated'
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u/John_tethral 20d ago
I’m trialing different Philips versions right now (WiFi vs WiFi bridge). Seeing if I can bridge the automations with other things.
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u/Interesting_Pen_167 12d ago
Curious if anyone has tried the Aqara smart lock? I see only one poster here mentioned it (positive). I have had good experiences with other Aqara gear and already have a hub so considering giving it a shot.
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u/passwd123456 9d ago
Aqara U200 here. I like that you only replace the indoor part of the deadlock, so can still use your existing key, and it’s only noticeable from the inside. The external keypad can be placed anywhere within a couple meters of the lock and uses AA batteries or can be wired into doorbell power. Deadbolt part is an included usb-c rechargeable battery.
Matter over Thread, but if you want to use the fingerprint sensor, you have to use the Aqara app. Also, the keypad battery status is only through the Aqara app, as well as changing default lock settings like sound, autolock, quiet mode. Everything else seems to be available through your matter controller (HomeKit, etc).
There are only a couple/few existing Aqara hubs that work with it since it is Matter. M3 and I think M100, but I’m using HomeKit and Home Assistant, so no need for an Aqara hub for me.
Initial setup was straight-forward for me.
HomeKey support works great, fingerprint is also nice and fast.
I think one of the bigger annoyances is that the lock jammed status is not propagating to HomeKit. In the Aqara app, it shows jammed, but in HomeKit it just goes back to unlocked. So, I had to set it up so that if lock status is unlocked after lock attempt => jammed.
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u/Prestigious-Rip297 9d ago
here in PH, MGS is currently the best in the market. We have it at our home n it is soooo lit!
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u/Mygate_smart_devices 6d ago
Most global locks like Schlage or Ultraloq work well in the US, but they don’t always fit Indian doors. That’s why we built Mygate Smart Locks, designed for Indian apartments, with fingerprint, PIN, RFID, app unlock, and one-time guest access, all integrated into the Mygate app.
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u/Chance-Dogman Jun 13 '25 edited Jun 21 '25
It's not cheap but the Yale Assure 2 does extremely well. Lots of people use it when the automate everything in a home.
It works with a bunch of hubs or just from your phone. Locks are a pretty good place to start if you're automating a home piece by piece.