Have you ever felt super accomplished and proud of yourself for managing to grab all the groceries out of your car and closing the trunk in a single trip, only to have your hopes and dreams smashed in a second when you realized that as soon as you approached the door, you forgot to grab your keys out of your pocket?
Investing in a smart lock could make this problem one of the past. Smart locks are extremely convenient home accessories that make it easier to enter and leave your residence. They use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology to connect to your smartphone, smart speaker, or home network, so that you can lock and unlock your doors remotely. That way, you can give quick access to guests, repairpersons, or delivery people.
Besides eliminating physical keys, most smart locks also let you generate unique custom codes to give to family and friends that you can delete or change when you need to. Since most smart locks are connected to the internet, they can also help you keep track of when members of your family leave and get back home. They’re a good option for vacation homeowners who want an easy but secure way to allow guests to enter a property and keep it locked when they depart.
What to Consider
Full Deadlock Replacement Versus Retrofitted Smart Lock: When shopping for a smart lock, you’ll first need to determine what type of smart lock you want to buy. Some smart locks can be installed on top of an existing deadlock without requiring you to replace the cylinder or key. Others require a full deadbolt replacement. Retrofitted setups are the easiest path to having a smart lock, and are a good option for renters who don’t want to change keys.
Make Sure Your Door Is Compatible: We also recommend inspecting your door prior to purchasing a smart lock so you know it'll be able to automatically turn your deadbolt. If you need to push or pull on the door for the bolt to turn smoothly — or if your door is misaligned — there’s a good chance a smart lock won’t work with your setup. Pro tip: You can likely install the app for the smart lock prior to purchasing it in order to get an idea of what installation will look like, and if your door will be compatible or not.
Your Own Unique Usage Needs: Smart locks vary greatly in features, so you need to determine how you want to interact with your smart lock. Some smart locks have keypads for inputting a pin, and most allow you to download an app and open your door with your smartphone or smartwatch. Some have embedded fingerprint scanners, while some sync with your smart speaker to unlock and lock your door using your voice. Others can use your smartphone’s GPS signal to automatically lock or unlock your door when you’re within a preset boundary.
How We Chose
We compared more than two dozen smart locks to analyze their feature sets, ease of installation, and overall durability and reliability. Because we’re talking about products that literally give folks access to your home, we sifted through companies’ privacy policies to see how manufacturers deal with customer data. We also spent several hours reading up on exploits, vulnerabilities, and former breaches that smart home companies have dealt with. We ensured our picks use encryption and two-factor authentication, as well as requiring passwords for their apps so that your home is safe.
If you’re ready to make the switch to a smart lock, we’ve found the best options for every budget.
The August Wi-Fi is the best smart lock for most buyers. It offers an incredibly easy installation that takes under 20 minutes. It’s reliable and fast to unlock. Since Wi-Fi is built into the August, you don’t need to buy a smart home hub to enable remote access. It also utilizes Bluetooth, which helps lengthen its battery life.
Although this smart lock is bigger than some other options, we don’t think it’s larger-than-average size should be a dealbreaker ... especially since the device works with practically every major smart home platform. You can integrate it with your Google Assistant, HomeKit, and Amazon Alexa system.
If you’re looking for an excellent smart lock that lets you grant virtual keys to guests, see who is coming and going (and when), and control your lock remotely, the August Wi-Fi is a fantastic option that easily upgrades your existing deadbolt.
The ULTRALOQ Smart Lock U-Bolt Pro is one of the most versatile smart locks we’ve come across. A Wirecutter top pick thanks to its clean hardware and low-profile design, this option requires a full deadbolt replacement to use. What makes the ULTRALOQ stand out from other options is the number of ways you can interact with the lock. Users have a choice of six ways to enter their home.
You can get entry via your smartphone app, by scanning your finger, by entering a code on the lock, by literally shaking your smartphone, by having the lock automatically unlock based on your location, or with a good, old-fashioned key.
The ULTRALOQ uses 128-bit AES encryption so you can ensure it’s safe. Its app allows you to conveniently see who has access to your lock and how, and you can add or delete users as you wish. We strongly recommend opting for the ULTRALOQ smart lock that includes the Bridge, as this accessory allows you to control the lock remotely.
The Level Lock is a handsome and modern HomeKit-compatible smart lock that’s one of the few locks that doesn’t look like a smart lock. It takes just 15 minutes to install, and has a significantly slimmer profile than every other smart lock.
It works with Apple’s HomeKit platform for remote control and voice control via Siri on your Apple devices. It’s also worth a mention that the Level Lock does not work with Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant.
The smart home accessory is available in four finishes, including satin chrome, nickel, polished brass, and matte black. Level also sells a more affordable product dubbed the “Bolt,” which fits inside your door to add some extra smarts to your existing deadbolt.
The slightly more expensive Level Touch supports touch control, which theoretically makes it easier to unlock the device by just tapping on it. However, the lock is extremely sensitive, so even the slightest brush of your hand will cause the lock to get triggered — potentially causing you to slam the bolt into your door frame.
You also need to leave at least two blocks to use the touch feature for unlocking, so the Level Touch likely won’t be a good fit for city dwellers who are within walking distance to shops and restaurants.
The budget-friendly Wyze Lock may not have all the bells and whistles of more expensive smart locks, but it does offer an easy setup and clean design, which makes it more convenient to open and lock your door. Unfortunately, this option doesn’t integrate with the Google Assistant, but you can control it via an Amazon Alexa-enabled smart speaker or with your smartphone.
Our biggest complaint is how large its external housing is. (It’s about the size of a smartphone.) Overall, the Wyze Lock is well worth its reasonable $130 price point, and grants users an easy way to unlock their door remotely, see the history of when the door was opened, and grant keyless entry.
For those in search of a keyless smart lock system, consider the Yale Assure Lock SL. It has an attractive and highly minimalistic keypad that you use to input an entry code. You can create custom codes for friends, family, and other folks you trust. The device even has an auto-lock feature, so you’ll never have to worry if you forget to lock it.
This smart lock is another highly versatile option, since it’s compatible with Amazon’s Alexa, the Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, and Samsung’s SmartThings platform. Basically, that just means you can control it with almost any smartphone or smart speaker.
If you’re fine completely forfeiting your keys and are looking for a reliable, easy-to-install, and nice-looking smart lock, the Yale Assure won’t disappoint.
If you can get past its expensive price, the eufy Smart Lock Touch is an excellent smart lock that packs plenty of smarts and useful features, and gives you three attractive finishes to pick from.
Compared to other smart locks, the eufy is much faster to unlock. It scans your fingerprint and unlocks your door in less than two seconds. Don’t want to use your fingerprint? The eufy supports unlocking with a smartphone app, a PIN code on its keypad, or by using a key.
We appreciate that the eufy is built with a stainless-steel, fully waterproofed housing. The smart lock also received high marks from editors at Consumer Reports, who said that the doorbell performed better than average in their brute-force tests for kick-ins, picking, and drilling.
Brandon CarteSenior Electronics EditorBrandon Carte has been the technology editor at BestProducts.com since 2017, where he's been covering the latest gadgets and scouring the internet for the greatest deals; His tech reporting has been featured on TopTenReviews.com and USA Today.
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