Keys are a time-tested means of access, but they won't do you much good if you leave them inside on your way out the door.
Today's crop of smart locks think they have a better way. All of them offer convenient, key-free access to your home, whether by code, by app, by proximity, or by the touch of your finger.
Some of them don't even accept keys at all, which makes them immune to forced entry via lock picking or
lock bumping.
There's
a lot to consider before upgrading to a smart lock, and it's a pretty expensive upgrade at that, with most costing somewhere around $200 -- as much as 10 times more than their non-connected predecessors. The category continues to grow, though, so here's a quick rundown of some of the more notable options.
If it's paired with your phone or with a keychain fob, the Kwikset Kevo will unlock for you with just a tap.
Chris Monroe/CNET Kwikset Kevo (second generation)
Now a second-gen smart lock, the Kwikset Kevo is a connected deadbolt that uses Unikey's touch-to-unlock technology to let you inside with just a tap. The lock pairs with your phone or with a fob over Bluetooth. When you touch it, the Kevo uses Bluetooth to see if your phone or fob is close by and determine whether or not to let you in.
We use a Kwikset Kevo
to let us in and out of the CNET Smart Apartment, and we're fans of both the touch-to-unlock convenience and the inconspicuous design. Just make sure that your phone will work with it, particularly if you're an Android user. And be prepared to spend -- the second-gen Kevo retails for $230 and charges $2 each time you want to share full access with someone else.
Yale's smart deadbolts let you in with a code -- and the newest ones don't take keys at all.
Colin West McDonald/CNET Yale Real Living Touchscreen Deadbolts
Like Kwikset, Yale is no stranger to smart locks, with a relatively diverse line of connected deadbolts to its name. Most feature touchscreens on which you can punch in a code to get inside, as well as ZigBee or Z-Wave radios to let you sync your lock with a larger connected home platform like
Wink or
SmartThings.
The newest generation of these locks take things one step further by eliminating the keyway altogether and rendering your keychain obsolete. That might sound like a potential problem since these smart locks are all battery-powered, but Yale came up with a clever safeguard to keep you from getting locked out if your batteries die. If the deadbolt's four AA batteries ever run dead, you can touch a 9-volt battery to the bottom of the lock's exterior to give it just enough juice for you to punch in your code and step inside.
Coming later this year, the Kwikset Obsidian is another touchscreen smart lock that doesn't accept keys.
Mark Licea/CNET Kwikset Obsidian
The Kwikset Obsidian is another keyless smart lock that will come out later this year. We got an up close look at it at CES, and we liked the minimalism of the compact design. It smartly borrows that 9-volt battery trick from Yale's keyless locks. And the Obsidian also includes a clever feature that displays two random numbers for you to press before entering your code, which is meant to keep potential intruders from studying your fingerprints to figure out your code.
With an expected retail price of $180 -- $50 less than the Kevo -- the Obsidian will be a lock worth keeping an eye on when it arrives this summer.
The Apple HomeKit-compatible Kwikset Premis will let iPhone users in with a Siri command.
Chris Monroe/CNET Kwikset Premis
There's one more Kwikset smart lock worth mentioning, and that's the Kwikset Premis. It uses the same, touchpad-centric design as most of Kwikset's smart locks, but it adds in compatibility with Apple HomeKit, a set of smart home protocols built into the software that runs iPhones and iPads. With HomeKit compatibility, you can control and automate the lock directly from Apple's Home app alongside other compatible devices, stick a shortcut button into your iPhone's Control Center, or even lock and unlock it with Siri commands.
Like the Kevo, the Premis retails for a steep $230. But unlike the Kevo, it doesn't charge you anything extra to share access with friends, family members, roommates, and service workers. In fact, the lock's well-designed app does a terrific job at managing multi-users, including options for limiting access to specific days and times, or for creating codes that expire after a set amount of time.
Schlage was actually the first to make a HomeKit-compatible smart lock.
Tyler Lizenby/CNET Schlage Sense Bluetooth Deadbolt
Kwikset isn't your only option for a smart lock that works with Siri. Schlage was first to the market with a HomeKit-compatible deadbolt. It's basically the exact same product as the Premis, albeit with a slightly less polished app. You'll also probably have better luck finding one at a discount, given that it's been out longer.
The August Smart Lock fits over your existing deadbolt, and works with HomeKit as well.
Chris Monroe/CNET August Smart Lock
Your third notable option for Siri voice control is the HomeKit-compatible version of the August Smart Lock. What's interesting about August is that it isn't actually a deadbolt, but rather, a deadbolt-turning gadget that sits over the top of your existing lock. That makes it a pretty appealing pick for renters, or for anyone who likes the lock they've got.
All three of these HomeKit-compatible options use Bluetooth to pair with your phone, which means that you won't be able to control or check on them if you're away from home (although if you have a third-gen or better Apple TV, it'll act as a Wi-Fi range extender and solve that problem). August also offers its own plug-in gateway device that'll let you use the app to control the lock from anywhere in the world, but you'll have to pay an extra $80 on top of the lock's already expensive $230 asking price.
August now offers a kit that works with mortise locks.
August August Smart Lock Mortise Kit
Just recently, August announced a new kit for its smart lock that's designed to make it work with doors cut for
mortise-style deadbolts. Most smart locks won't fit into doors like those, and the standard August won't work with locks like that, either. So August's Smart Lock mortise kit a nice addition to the category, and one that should help August expand into commercial settings and apartment complexes, where mortise locks are more common (though, in fairness, we have a mortise-style lock on the front door of
the CNET Smart Home).
The only real caveat is that the mortise kit isn't DIY-friendly like the August itself is. For now at least, August is only making it available to locksmiths, building managers, and other professional dealers.
New York-based startup Latch is raising big money to bring smart locks to businesses and apartment complexes.
Latch Latch M-Series Smart Lock
August isn't the only name that's making a play on bringing smart locks to the connected apartments of the future. There's also Latch, a New York-based startup founded by Apple alums that's quietly raised lots of money for the past few years. Now, they're ready to make their play with the Latch M-Series Smart Lock, another mortise-style connected deadbolt that features the notable addition of a camera in the center of the touchpad. Whenever someone unlocks the thing, it'll snap a picture of who's coming in.
Like the August Mortise Kit, this is a dealer and building-owner-only product, so you can't buy it direct right now. But don't be surprised if you start seeing them in office buildings and apartment complexes by the end of this year.
