'ZDNET Recommends': What exactly does it mean?
ZDNET's recommendations are based on many hours of testing, research, and comparison shopping. We gather data from the best available sources, including vendor and retailer listings as well as other relevant and independent reviews sites. And we pore over customer reviews to find out what matters to real people who already own and use the products and services we’re assessing. Key Lockable Storage Box
When you click through from our site to a retailer and buy a product or service, we may earn affiliate commissions. This helps support our work, but does not affect what we cover or how, and it does not affect the price you pay. Neither ZDNET nor the author are compensated for these independent reviews. Indeed, we follow strict guidelines that ensure our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers.
ZDNET's editorial team writes on behalf of you, our reader. Our goal is to deliver the most accurate information and the most knowledgeable advice possible in order to help you make smarter buying decisions on tech gear and a wide array of products and services. Our editors thoroughly review and fact-check every article to ensure that our content meets the highest standards. If we have made an error or published misleading information, we will correct or clarify the article. If you see inaccuracies in our content, please report the mistake via this form.
The Aqara U100 smart lock is likely the most versatile smart lock on the market, and it's available on Amazon for only $150 as part of the company's Big Spring Sale .
Aqara recently launched its first Apple Home Key smart lock in the US. The launch came after Aqara had already sold many Home Key-compatible smart locks outside the US market, so it's not a newcomer to the smart home world. But was the wait worth it? I've had it for almost a year, and the short answer is: Absolutely.
Getting the Aqara U100 on my front door was reasonably straightforward, even though my specific review unit didn't come with instructions. It took a few minutes to figure out which piece goes on before the other, but a deadbolt is a pretty straightforward mechanism, so it was easy. The entire process took less than 15 minutes.
Also: iPhone users, this smart lock was literally made for you
Once the U100 smart lock was on the door, I set it up with the Aqara app on my iPhone and used an Aqara M2 Hub to connect to it.
I used the Aqara Hub M2 to set up the U100 lock.
Though an Aqara Hub isn't necessary to use the basic features of the smart lock, you do need one to perform remote lock and unlock actions, view the current lock status and configure password settings from your phone, and create automations with other Aqara devices.
Without a hub, the U100 smart lock can only connect to your phone via Bluetooth and be controlled as long as you're within Bluetooth range.
The lock blends seamlessly alongside my door.
The Aqara U100 smart lock is unique in the U.S. as it's the only one on the market to offer the following unlocking options in one:
Though I didn't find the Aqara mobile app very intuitive, I loved the different features available for the U100 lock. You can add other users and give them each a unique unlocking method. For example, I've always given myself a passcode and a fingerprint to know who entered and how when checking the lock's event history.
The app also lets you customize alert settings and choose the voice volume and language for any voice alerts during the locking operation. Thanks to a built-in gyroscope for motion detection, you can set the device to auto-lock when the door is closed (with no extra modules required).
That being said, it wasn't all sunshine and automatically locked doors. I struggled at times with the app's Beta features, especially when it came time to get the U100 to lock behind me or when I swiped it, and at one point had to go back inside to find the mechanical key because it wasn't working for me.
Though my experience was mostly positive, I found the app very slow and unreliable at giving me the lock status, even when my phone was within Bluetooth range. Sometimes it'd just give me the wrong status and say the door was locked when I could clearly see it wasn't.
The Aqara U100 smart lock has a hidden keyhole.
I still loved the Aqara U100 because of two things: the pros outweigh the cons, and it's a new product with incoming firmware upgrades constantly improving its performance.
Considering how elaborate smart locks can get, I went into this review biased toward the simplicity of the Level Lock+ and the sleek design of the Yale Assure Lock SL. But all the additional unlocking features that make the Aqara U100 unique has turned me around.
dealership key management system Being able to consistently (and flexibly) unlock my door with either my fingerprint or Apple Watch, and not one or the other, has added the exact amount of convenience to my life that I look for in all smart home devices.