Overall this is an excelelnt product amd very good value. I chose it specifically for its Apple HomeKit integration and was not disappointed. The device itself is well made and designed and has “Apple like” quality. HomeKit integration was simple and quick via the QR code on the battery compartment. Some great features, especially the fingerprint reader which , so far, is flawless in functionality. Installation was largely straightforward until I got to attaching the battery on the back of the door. The two screws needed are ridiculously small and very fiddly to insert. Patience and a tiny screwdriver (not included) are required for this part. Recommended. Read more
I got the Aqara Smart Lock because it works with Apple HomeKit, and I love the idea of just holding my phone or Apple Watch to unlock my door. It's super cool and convenient since I always have my phone and Apple Watch with me. Setting it up took a bit longer than I thought it would, but it wasn’t hard—just a little time-consuming. Once I got it up and running, it worked great with Bluetooth. The Bluetooth connection can take a few seconds to connect when I’m close to the lock, so it’s not instant. But once it connects, I can see logs of who opened or closed the door and control the lock. You really need the Aqara hub if you want to check logs or control the lock away from home. I ended up getting the Aqara Smart Hub E1, which is the cheapest one I could find. It took a bit of work to connect it to my Wi-Fi since it only works on 2.4GHz. I had to temporarily disable the 5GHz band on my Eero router, but thankfully, the Eero app made that easy. It disabled the antenna for 30 minutes, which was more than enough time to finish the setup. Make sure you set it up in the Aqara app first before syncing it with HomeKit. I accidentally tried to set it up in HomeKit first, and that caused the Aqara app to not recognize it, so don’t make the same mistake I did! Once the hub was connected, the lock connected super quickly, much faster than with just Bluetooth. You do have the option of controlling the lock with just an Apple HomeKit hub like an Apple TV or iPad without using the Aqara hub at all, but having the Aqara hub is way better. It gives you faster connections and access to all the management tools while away from home, unlike HomeKit, which only lets you lock and unlock it remotely. So if you just care about unlocking and locking while away from home and already have an Apple TV as a hub, then you technically don’t need the Aqara hub as well. Overall, I really recommend the Aqara Smart Lock. It’s the fastest operating lock I’ve ever used, the fingerprint sensor is the most accurate I’ve seen, and it’s been extremely reliable. It has so many ways of opening it that my family finds it very convenient. I love this lock, and I hope it continues to work well for many years. Read more
I replaced an August Wi-Fi smart lock. As much as I wanted to love the August, it does not play well with Apple HomeKit. It will constantly drop off the network, it never worked unless you were within Bluetooth range. But that's another review for another time. This is very easy to install, appears to be very high-quality, and is rock solid stable. Never drops off my network, always available in HomeKit, and always responds to commands. It was super easy to set up; sensor for open/close has been highly accurate and didn't require nearly as much fine-tuning as my old Smart lock. It requires five AA batteries. Still cheaper than a pair of CR123s, which my prior lock ate like candy. Hopefully the battery life will be better. Now for the not so good:, it should be easier to have this re-keyed. I rather liked having all of the deadbolts in my home accessible via single key. not so with this one: this thing uses a non-Kwikset lock tumbler. The native app is absolute trash. The instructions read like they were run through Google translate a few times. Which was surprising. However, once you get it, set up at HomeKit, you can forget about the native app. I would likely replace the other locks with this one. I really dig it. Read more
Overall this is a solid product. One of the few (maybe even the only one) that works with HomeKit. Fingerprint reader works well but capturing your print took a few tries because it kept saying too small. Not being able to unlock when you’re not home is a bit weird. It requires a hub from what I read. But it seems to work with HomeKit. Still figuring some things out but happy with purchase. Install wasn’t hard and is adjustable to fit most doors. And it looks super nice. Looked at some others and they looked lame by comparison. Read more
