Hi,
Just wanted to gather some information on smart/digital locks for the front entrance.
Had a quick look on the forum but the two existing posts aren't relevant.
If you currently have one, can you please advise on which "make : model" and the reason why you purchased this.
I've also added poll of the the top 10 smart locks according to numerous google searches/reviews, feel free to contribute and comment if you have experience with them.
Thank you,
+1 Samsung DP609
I got one installed and Ive got to say its the best door lock I've had. Looks great and functions great.
100% looks great and that wow factor from the guests and friends.
bloody expensive too from what I can see, but definitely looks great!
I got mine on the prime day sale for $599.
Shame they don’t go on sale that often
You’re the ozbargainer! I’ve got mine for $699 month before prime day sale.
Lockly, $399 at Bunnings and a solid bit of kit and feature rich. I have three of them in my house.
Same.
Lockly deadbolt. Works like a charm.
Can recommend Lockly(mortise version) as well. Have been using it for over a year, and we have not changed the batteries yet.
I also have Lockly and works great
I've got a lockly. It looks top notch and has worked perfectly. I installed it myself without any issues.
The batteries seem to last forever. It's been great.
I'd buy another in a heartbeat. It's one of the few tech items I've bought that 'just works'. No hassles whats so ever.
Do they have any special requirements for door types? Our front door is really old (wood and glass)
Gainsborough freestyle because it was easy to retrofit
I got this installed when I moved in last year. Did you setup the wifi bridge or the Bluetooth by any chance?
I have the bridge installed. They finally added Google home support a few weeks ago as well
Id like to have one but we have a slimline deadbolt (small square) that sits under our push/pull handle. After looking at the sizes of these smart locks, im not sure any would fit.
I've had a Samsung door lock and deadbolt on 2 houses (one is a residential rental) for 7 years and 3 years. Changed batteries a handful of times and other than that they've been flawless. Love them.
"this is the lockpicking lawyer"….
🔒🔏🔓
… and as always…..
Schlage Encode in satin nickel finish. Love it! So functional and safe.
this seems to be a popular choice, apparently it's well build and made in the states too… most components are metal and sturdy opposed to plastic…
any flaws you can think of? and is there a reason you didn't choose matt black?
The colour matches our front door (hot pink) and external finishes. It feels super premium and well finished.
It's well integrated with our Google Home ecosystem. I can be in bed with my phone next to me and ask google to lock the front door and it's done. The other day I drove 45 minutes away and checked the app and realised I hadn't locked the front door. One click and two seconds later the front door was deadbolted. I've since set up auto-lock after 15 seconds. The Schlage app is really well finished too, haven't had any issues with that. I would love an android widget for the phone home screen to lock/unlock and see status of the lock, but may be in the future this feature will be added.
I also like that you can set different codes for different people and get notifications on the phone when that code is used, or not. i.e. notify me when the cleaners arrive and depart, but don't notify me when the family is opening and closing the door. Viewing the access logs is great too.
The only fault (and I kind of like it because of this) is that the locking mechanism is louder than a manual door lock as the deadbolt is mechanically wound in and out of the lock. But as I said, it just sounds really high quality and sturdy so don't mind the sound.
I got both Samsung and Yale, but Samsung is the best out of both.
As @ModdySwag referenced above, check the Lockpicking Lawyer's YouTube channel for non-recommended locks!
had a look at this, can't see to find any reviews on digital/smart locks. Does he review those?
I've got a later version of#4. It came with the proper latch that can't be forced when shut. The dimple underneath has been replaced with the key. Cost $130 from AliExpress about 6 months ago and works very well. Batteries are still on 97%. Bought some extra RFID tags for all the family and cars. The finger print sensor isn't as good as your normal phone. I've added the same thumb several times and this improved the ease and reliability of detection.
The convenience of these Smart locks are the real bonus. Going for a walk and not having to take keys. The choice of RFID fob, fingerprint or code gives flexibility. Instead of hiding a key outside I now have a battery pack and USB cable just in case the batteries go flat and I've ignored the warning tones.
Cool, I had a look! Can't say he uses any main stream brands but its interesting
I'm looking at the Aqara n200
Schlage Sense, got it because it allowed me to add the lock to HomeKit and access all my devices from that.
Ordered one of these bad boys from America;
https://www.kwikset.com/products/detail/910-smartcode-tradit…
Connects into smartthings and allows me to edit the door codes remotely and do a bunch of conditionals with this addon http://smartthings.rboyapps.com/
Plus it integrates into homeassistant via smartthings.
The Samsung dp-609 does most of those features out of the box without add ons. Also connects to google home and Alexa
I've had my lock for a good 3+ years, there wasn't too many that connected into homeassistant at the time (what drives all of my home automation)
Get one with auto lock when you close the door. I recently bought a new Samsung one that doesn't have it and I regret it.
My Samsung door lock does have it. There is just a switch on the inside panel which can toggle it on and off
Yeah I've owned two of them now and didn't realise when I bought this one that it didn't have it.
First one did and I loved it.
Except for A30, all other Samsung models auto lock when close the door
The A30 doesn't have any door closed detection but can auto lock after 10, 30, 60 or 120 seconds.
I've currently got the Lockwood "T-Lock", got it on sale for about $90 after seeing it on the Home Assistant forum. It integrates very easily with HomeAssistant & Zigbee2MQTT, after making a minor change to the Zigbee2MQTT configuration.
Question for those with the Samsung Door Locks (DP-609 etc), who are also using Home Assistant, did the lock integrate easily with home assistant, or was there a bit of mucking around to get it working?
Have the A30, not sure if the other locks are any different but I didn't have any luck. Uses it's own app, no API available.
Can link with Smartthings, but I couldn't get that to work properly and Smartthings integration requires HA to be open to the internet which I don't want to do anyway.
I've got no issues to get it done and integrate my dp609 with Google Home. Just have to setup door lock in a Samsung Smart Lock App first (which you will set up anyway to manage fingerprints/pin codes/tags etc) and link the App to your Google Home. Don't forget to set up passcode in a Smart Lock App as well.
I have three different ones, purchased over a 18 month period.
A cheapish Lockwood Bunnings ($299) with the network accessory built in…. the best of all my locks for doing what it should . Opening and shutting doors…… but it does not have an app. The main issue with this one is that adding a new pinched requires being at the lock to do.
A Samsung Smark lock ($499 or $599), with Fingerprint reader. This is very good has an app and lets me know when someone has entered the house has functionality to create time limited pinches etc for tradies. The only issue I see is that Samsung are not the best with long term support. Fingerprint reader is a PITA, if you are a tradie it will never work for you as any damage to your prints and it doesn't read. But it is very good for children where you do not want them to tell their mates their pin code.
A lockly ($799) with camera built in, this is what we use for our Airbnb property….. this is a pain in the backside. To use the features properly means that almost no one can operate it the first time….. We have had maybe 10 guests stay in the past 4 months and 2 out of 10 have been able to operate this lock when they arrived! with the Lockwood lock, 1 person needed instructions. It is very feature rick and the camera has been very useful to see who is at the door. It does not do any motion sensing though so will not work as a detection device.
If I had my time again, I would go Samsung for Airbnb and properties where you want the app functionality and if I am not changing access lists etc very often then I would simply get the Lockwood.
Lockly is an amazing lock with a flawed app, for example it seems to need to connect to the app when you make each change rather than doing this just once - a problem when my rental is over an 'NBN' mobile connection.
@mlbrooke great feedback and input. Thx
I use a Yale YRD-256 on the front door. Have had it for about a year and a half now, and have yet to need to change the batteries.
The girlfriend and I no longer carry keys on us at all, which is really freeing. I have it hooked up to Home Assistant using the Zigbee module and have automations set up to automatically lock the door as soon as it's closed, alert me if it's left open for more than 2 minutes, lock it when we go to bed, lock it when we leave the house, and shortcuts to unlock it easily from the phone as we return from a walk with the dog.
Have also set up a "tradesperson" code which I can remotely enable/disable if someone needs access to the house without us around.
Has been rock solid, and was a very simple replacement to the old deadbolt which was already there.
Got a Samsung A30 as wanted fingerprint entry for the kids. Was ~$350, does the job but does leave couple of things on the wishlist for me. Had about 6 months and just had first battery change (pretty much spot on with stated battery life) In that time has dropped off my WiFi twice and needed to pull battery to get back online. Lock worked fine without connection, just no notifications.
Wish it had door open detection as I use autolock and be better if it didn't try to lock when the door was open. Better battery life would be good too. Also is no API, so I couldn't integrate with Home Assistant.
I haven't tried them but the Eufy Wifi lock ticks these boxes (apart from HA integration, not sure on that one). Has door position sensing, 1 year battery life with rechargeable li-ion pack (though proprietary) and better system for a flat battery, USB port to plug in a powerbank rather than a 9V battery. Also has a mechanical key lock. I guess biggest downside is lock will have a bit of downtime while you recharge the battery.
Also have a couple of T-Locks (Yale Assure SL) which were around the $100 mark and they are great if you just need a PIN lock. Nice compact keypad, no connection issues, easy HA integration with Zigbee (no Wi-Fi) and battery life is looking great. Going on around 5 months and reporting 95% battery still though not used as much as the Samsung.
Milre Keyless Lock MI-450S
Simple, cheap, solid, comes with RFID tags. I had another digital lock from the same brand for ~10 years before this one.
I've got Samsung dp609 installed when moved into a new house last June. Really happy with it even there is no firmware updates yet (it's a Samsung yeah…) and a set of 8 x AA batteries died in 3 months or so, but with WFH and going in and out frequently, I'd say that it's another "normal".