Of all the different types of smart home products — lights, thermostats and cameras, to name a few — smart door locks are among the most popular. Going beyond the simple key, these locks can be operated using your smartphone, and can be connected to a larger smart home system to make your life easier. For example, your lights could automatically turn on when you unlock your front door, and your thermostat will be set to Home mode. We reviewed a half-dozen smart locks from several well-known brands, as well as one from a company new to the space. Our top pick is the Kwikset SmartCode 916 Touchscreen Electronic Deadbolt ($249), which was easy to install, has a number of safeguards (including an alarm), and can be connected to a wide range of smart home systems. The Schlage Connect Touchscreen Deadbolt ($179) came in a close second, followed by the August Smart Lock ($199), one of the few that works with both the Nest Learning Thermostat and Apple's HomeKit. Yale announced that its Real Living Assure Locks will also be compatible with HomeKit by the end of March 2017, but will require the purchase of the Yale HomeKit Network Module, which gets inserted into the lock.
Sold together, the lock and the module will cost $250; sold separately, the lock will cost $200 and the HomeKit module will cost $75. To gauge the effectiveness of all the locks, we timed how long it took to install each on a door, and then evaluated them on their features, including security (alarms, tamper-resistance), the number of codes you can program into each, and smart home compatibility. First off, you have to decide what kind of lock you want to purchase. At their most basic level, smart locks are generally divided into two categories: those with keypads, and those without. (Some, such as the August, have an optional keypad). A keypad gives you the option of assigning codes to different people, so you don't have to hand them a physical key, or have to remember to bring a key with you when you leave your house. However, keypads take up much more space on your door, and there's the chance, however remote, that a thief can guess your code to get into your home. Another good feature to look for is a built-in alarm that will sound when someone tries to forcibly open the lock;
the better locks will have this feature, plus the ability to adjust the sensitivity of the alarm. Pretty much every smart lock can also be opened using your smartphone, but many don't have a dedicated smartphone app, so to use this feature, you'll have to purchase a smart home hub, and use its app to control your lock. When you link a smart lock to a smart home network, you'll be able to access its more advanced features, such as controlling it remotely. If you have, or want to use a smart lock as part of a whole-home network, it's important to know if the lock will work with other devices. Unfortunately, it can be maddeningly difficult to find that information through the lock companies themselves. A better bet is to check with the smart home networks themselves. Here are some sites: Wink, Nest, SmartThings, and Apple. MORE: Smart Home Guide: What to Know Before You Buy Currently, only August integrates with both the Nest Learning Thermostat and Apple's HomeKit.
While you can potentially link other locks to the Nest Learning Thermostat, you'll have to do it through another smart home hub, such as the Samsung SmartThings. However, expect to see more locks compatible with both systems in the near future. Like their traditional counterparts, most smart locks come in a variety of finishes and styles, so you can pick the one that best matches your home's décor.This whole smart lock business was just a blip only a couple of years ago and now there are about a couple dozen makers in the category. I did a thorough review of the CES 2015 exhibitor roster and found at least 14 makers of digital locks that employ ZigBee, Z-Wave and Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth Low Energy or BLE) plus home automation hubs for integration and remote access. No, I didn’t forget about Wi-Fi. As far as I can tell, no makers of Wi-Fi locks are (formally) exhibiting at the show, although I have received invitations to meet with a couple of them separately, which I’m not doing.
To date, I believe only Lockitron (not shipping) and LockState (shipping) have promoted Wi-Fi door locks. While LockState has an interesting method for stretching battery life on its locks, Wi-Fi is a power-sucking technology generally unfit for door locks. Both Lockitron and LockState are no-shows this year at CES. So too are two darlings of the press, August and Goji (which I kind of made fun of here). So where does that leave us for CES 2015? Here’s what I found, along with booth numbers. Highlights are below, or simply flip through the slideshow below for images and details of all products (working). Shipping except for the Internet gateway Details & images of new SecureScreen technology One of the more interesting products - cell-based OEM product from M2M Key Corp. SEE ALL PICS IN GALLERY BELOW M2M Key Corp. (70232) OEM manufacturer offering M2M cellular locks - a very interesting approach Yale Real Living (21000 - Z-Wave Alliance booth in South Hall 1)
Just added BLE to Z-Wave locks Not a very pretty thing, but some very interesting features on this Z-Wave access-control ecosystem (details in the slideshow) Shipping under multiple brands Schlage/Allegion (21000 and Nexia booth 20135) Very smart and novel BLE locks primarily for safes ... for now! RF technology unclear (presumably BLE) but SimpliciKey has its own cloud service called KeyCloud that requires a hub Some electronic door locks with point-to-point keyfobs are shipping, but not the Internet-connected version with KeyCloud service OEM for Kwikset Kevo, a BLE device Startup with a BLE lock Just started offering Z-Wave products including inexpensive $100 lock Maker of MyQ Wi-Fi garage door controllers, Chamberlain is taking “innovations from the garage door to the front door - shown for the first time ....” according to a press teaser. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Smarter, more energy-efficient and secure homes.
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