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Jun 01, 2024

The Best Smart Locks for 2023

*Deals are selected by our commerce team

A smart lock is arguably the most important part of a connected home. In addition to allowing you to easily unlock and lock your door, a smart lock also monitors who enters and leaves your house when you're away. Some models simply let you use your phone to open and close doors. Others let you assign special access privileges to friends, family members, or staff. The most advanced options work with voice commands and support third-party smart home devices and services.

With that in mind, we've gathered everything you need to consider before picking a smart lock below, along with the top models we've tested.

Sturdy construction, ease of use, and multiple lock and unlock options make the U-Bolt Pro our top overall pick. Its zinc alloy exterior component contains a biometric fingerprint scanner, a keypad, and a traditional keyway that hides behind a fold-down faceplate. The lock's built-in Wi-Fi radio helps it connect to your network, plus allows you to lock and unlock it from anywhere using your phone or with Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. It also comes with a sensor that lets you know if your door is open or closed.

The U-Bolt Pro is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to smarten up their home with a connected lock. This complete lock assembly is very easy to install and offers some of the most advanced features we’ve seen. For instance, it has a Magic Shake feature that allows you to unlock your door by shaking your phone, as well as an Auto Unlock setting that uses your phone’s location to disengage the lock when you approach it. It also works with all sorts of third-party devices via IFTTT.

August has released several outstanding smart locks over the years, but the Wi-Fi Smart Lock is the first one that has a built-in Wi-Fi radio. This lock replaces the interior component of your existing lock, is easy to install, and looks more stylish than previous models. Its $249 price might seem high, but you get plenty of features including a sensor that lets you know the door's status, Auto-Lock and Auto-Unlock options, and multi-platform support.

This lock's broad support for third-party integrations makes it an excellent addition to any smart home. It works with Alexa and Google voice commands and is a great fit for homes that use Apple HomeKit or other automation platforms from Honeywell, Logitech, SimpliSafe, and Samsung. Additionally, IFTTT support lets it interact with lots of other smart devices.

You can control the reasonably affordable Bosma Aegis Smart Lock with your phone or voice (via Alexa and Google Assistant). Like the August Wi-Fi lock, it replaces only the interior component of your existing lock; the outside escutcheon and keys remain intact. The lock provided smooth and whisper-quiet operation in testing and offers some useful security features, including Break-In Detection (which sounds an alarm if someone tampers with it) and a Door Security Alarm (which continuously sounds an alarm if you leave the door open).

If you want to turn your traditional door lock into a smart lock without replacing any exterior components, the Aegis Smart Lock is worth a look. It’s easy to install and upgrade with accessories, plus it works well with other third-party smart devices. That said, it lacks an embedded Wi-Fi radio and requires a hub (included) to connect to your home network.

The Eufy Video Smart Lock is unique in that it combines a smart lock and a video doorbell in a single device. We like that it offers fingerprint, touchpad, mobile app, and key access, as well as its sharp 2K video resolution. Intelligent alerts and multiple LEDs for night vision round out its feature set. Just note that you must install the included chime box to enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

If you want to add a smart lock and video doorbell to your home, but don't feel like dealing with multiple devices, the Eufy Video Smart Lock is a worthwhile choice. You pay premium dollars for this combo, but the convenience of a single device might be worth it for you.

The sleek and customizable Yale Assure Lock 2 is available in Bluetooth or Wi-Fi variants. Both models support HomeKit, and the company plans to launch Z-Wave and Matter-compliant modules that should ensure the lock's compatibility with the next wave of smart home devices. The base model includes a physical keypad, but you can upgrade to a touch screen if you want. Physical keys and a companion app are additional unlock methods whichever way you go.

If you like to customize your smart home devices, Yale's lock system gives you the freedom to choose which features you want. HomeKit support is a relative rarity in this segment as well.

Wyze has always been all about affordable smart home solutions and the Lock Bolt is no different. This smart lock has a sleek design and a few premium features, including a fingerprint scanner and a backlit keypad. You have to be within Bluetooth range to access it with your phone, but it’s still a solid value at just under $70.

The Lock Bolt is a good choice if you want a basic smart lock you can control from your phone and unlock with the touch of a finger. It’s a complete lockset that is simple to install and worked well in testing, though it doesn't integrate with other smart devices (including from Wyze), offer remote access, or support voice commands.

One of the first things you should consider is how much it costs to upgrade your traditional lock. After all, a smart lock costs a lot more than the standard-issue lock you can pick up at the local hardware store. A few smart locks cost around $100 (not many of which made this list), but if you want a lock that you can control from anywhere and that offers features such as voice commands, push and email notifications, and tamper alarms, expect to pay somewhere between $200 and $300.

Many smart locks pair with a mobile app that allows you to lock and unlock doors with a simple icon tap. Some offer access via the web, allowing you to control things from your PC. Most apps allow you to add permanent and temporary users, as well as set access schedules for specific days and times. Make sure your smart lock records activity logs so you can go back in time to see who entered or exited your home and when.

If the lock is Bluetooth-enabled, you have to be within range (around 30 feet) to control it. However, locks with built-in Wi-Fi radios or that use a Wi-Fi bridge allow you to connect from almost anywhere once you set them up with your router.

The latest smart locks offer features such as voice controls, geofencing, and auto-locking features. Voice commands via the companion app make smart locks much more convenient; for example, you can simply tell your phone to "unlock the front door," to disengage the lock.

Geofencing features ensure that you never have to worry about whether you locked up after you left the house; just use the mobile app to set up a perimeter around your home and make sure your phone's location services are active. When you leave the perimeter, you can set the lock to automatically engage behind you. Similarly, the auto-lock feature configures the lock to automatically engage if it remains unlocked for a specified amount of time.

Other features to look for include keyless touchpads for those times when you don't have your phone or your keys, tamper and forced entry alarms that warn you of a possible break-in, and push, text, and email notifications that inform you in real time when anyone enters or leaves.

None of the locks we tested are especially difficult to install, but some are easier to set up than others. Some are even viable for renters.

If your new lock comes with both an interior escutcheon (the housing you mount on the inside of your door) and an exterior component (usually a touchpad or a keyed cylinder), you probably need to completely remove your old lock (including the deadbolt mechanism and strike plate), before you can install the new device. This is simply a matter of removing the two bolts that attach the interior escutcheon to the exterior component and removing both pieces. Two screws also secure the deadbolt in place.

The good news is that most smart locks work with standard pre-drilled holes; you often don't need to worry about drilling new ones. Additionally, some smart locks simply attach to the inside of your door and use your existing keyed cylinder and deadbolt hardware; with those locks, you have to remove the interior escutcheon only. Either way, estimate anywhere between 10 and 25 minutes to remove your old lock and install the new one.

Alternatively, you can use a conversion kit like the SwitchBot Lock to add smart features to your existing hardware. Just note that this particular option requires a purchase of a separate hub to unlock its full capabilities.

Some locks integrate with other connected home devices, such as smoke alarms, and services, such as Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. That last service enables you to, for example, configure your doors to unlock when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm goes off or set your smart lights to turn on when someone unlocks the door.

Depending on your home automation setup, you can even pair your lock with a video doorbell so you can see who is at the door before you unlock it. You might also configure an indoor security camera to begin recording when someone unlocks the door.

Keep in mind, not all smart locks are designed for your door. The Igloohome Smart Padlock is a Bluetooth-connected padlock, for instance (the company now sells an updated version of this lock, but we have yet to test it). Models like this are built to be as tough as any standard lock, but use Bluetooth to unlock with the tap of a button when you're nearby. They also let you grant temporary or permanent guest access to your terms via the app.

The BoxLock, meanwhile, is a Wi-Fi-enabled padlock with a built-in scanner that lets mail carriers secure your packages in a storage box where would-be thieves can't see or access them.

For more on smart home safety, see our picks for the best smart home security systems and the best outdoor home security cameras, along with our tips for building a DIY home security system.

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