AqaraSmart Lock U100, Fingerprint Keyless Entry Door Lock with Apple Home Key, Touchscreen Keypad, Bluetooth Electronic Deadbolt, IP65 Weatherproof, Supports Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google, IFTTT, Gray

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.

I was at a point where my wife would get mad at me if I was home after her work shift and I didn't unlock the door in time since her keys were always either lost, or deep in her large work bag. I decided to look into something where she didn't have to worry about her keys anymore and it was simple and reliable for her to use.This solved all our issues. This works with HomeKit almost perfectly except for one thing.I like the fact that the fingerprint reader is accurate and fast. It never feels like we're waiting too long for it to unlock. It takes maybe about a second to confirm your fingerprint, and then it makes a chime, and then you can hear the door unlock. I haven't had an issue with the fingerprint reader. I know some people have complained, but I just make sure my fingers are dry and it works 99% of the time. I think the biggest flaw when using the fingerprint reader is the angle that you programmed it at. I would say, program your reader with the door closed, and as close to a real-world scenario so the angle is as accurate as possible.I like that it also has a combination code (6-digits) that you can also program in, just in case your finger is dirty or wet. This is a good back up.I like that it has a physical key as well. I'm still someone that likes to carry my keys everywhere, and it just helps with ease of mind that I know if anything electrical fails (like the battery dying), I still have my physical key to use to enter. I haven't had any issues with the battery after 6 months, and the app still states that my battery percentage is high. I'm sure they last longer than the stated (8 months).I also like that it integrates with HomeKit. We both have iPhones and being able to use NFC by just tapping our phone on the door is amazing. I usually have my phone in my hands, and this is another cool feature to use, granted I don't use it as much as the fingerprint reader. Also, I cannot get the HomeKit key to work on my wife's phone, so I can't really recommend this as a good working feature. I wanted to be able to just share the key through HomeKit whenever I need to let someone in my home when I'm not there, but the way I've been doing that is just unlocking it through the HomeKit app when I know someone is waiting by the door. This takes about 30 seconds for it to unlock, but it's a nice feature to have when someone needs to get inside your home for an emergency.Overall, I would highly recommend these to anyone looking to get smart home locks. I've already received a couple of compliments and when people come over, they ask about them all the time. Don't spend too much time looking anywhere else, these locks make it easy to enter your home and make sure it is secured at the same time.

Why did you pick this product vs others?:Pros:Super easy to install. Nice features over other smart locks. Nice sturdy build. Apple Homekey works great (also see below). Fingerprint sensor works great. Cons:Knob on back feels a little flimsy compared to other locks I’ve tested. Homekey only works with one phone unless you buy a separate Apple hub device. Overall, this is a great lock and nicer than my 5-year old Schlage with much improved features. I was slightly let down for the lack of having the ability to have my family use Homekey without purchasing a separate hub. Although this is no fault of Aqara’s, it doesn’t seem to be explicitly mentioned in their advertising or documentation that you need to buy a hub to use Homekey with more than one device.