Gotta love all the lock haters in the comments. It’s a first defense, to hopefully deter someone, not meant to stop someone who is determined to break in. The beauty of these style of locks is the convenience for the homeowner and ability to give a code to family, friends, etc. No one buying this is expecting to keep a three letter agency occupied for days while they rally the troops. 😂
exactly lol. i mean, if a determined person wants to he can just smash the window and jump right in...plus im sure that if they are stupid enough to commit crimes or breaking and entering here in texas...then i would think it would be safe to assume they are not smart enough to take the time to learn about these.
I dont hate it but I'd rather have lock picking lawyer open it with a chicken bone than buy a $200 paperweight that even your 5 year old niece open without a code.. it makes the lock pointless if you can open it with a chicken bone or a paperclip. having good security isn't something to stick your nose up for convieance
@@8Arachne8 They don’t; they live on an island that can only be accessed during certain months. They live 1000 feet underground, and they have a bunker built out of 10 different kinds of metals and then encased in concrete.
Making you press the lock button after putting in the code is actually a good security feature, and shouldn't be criticized as a shortcoming. If someone trying to brute force your lock isn't aware of your code length they cannot know exactly when they should press the lock button. If they get a failure upon pressing it they have no idea whether it failed because they got the sequence wrong or if they even had the right number of digits.
Say your code was 6 digits long and you type in any other combination of 6 digits it should just do nothing and allow you to enter more digits unless it's the correct 6 digits. This way it's convenient for the user and it doesn't give away how many digits is in the code to an attacker.
This is a super slick smart lock. I love that it has a fingerprint reader. I really do wish it connected over Thread as opposed to Bluetooth, but as long as you have an Apple Home hub nearby, you should be good. HomeKey is BOSS too!
Yeah Thread would be nice but going to be honest, it doesn't really matter once its setup and running. Fingerprints and passcodes are stored locally and Home Key uses NFC so I prefer it being cheaper and missing out on Thread.
@@StrifePulse Good point. Thread would have definitely increased the price, but if your using HomeKey or the fingerprint sensor, it shouldn't make much of a difference, if any.
TIL "Tail Finger" is a thing! Me" "Man, Jeff's battery is pretty low for this demo..." Jeff: "Home Key in express mode means you can unlock even if your phone's battery is dead which I will show you later..." Genius... This looks rad. Thanks, Jeff!
Tip I’ve always been taught is to use longer screws for your side plates. If anyone was ever to try it would make it way harder. I use about two inches on the door and super long dry wall screws on the frame
its not just about the price, its about Aqara seems to be much more stable than the other brands. I have a lot of Aqara sensors with homekit supported.
Great to see more content from Jeff, though it has been a long time since his last video. I'd love to see more from Jeff on the software/OS side of things!
I really like this smart lock!! HOWEVER … I think I would feel weird/scared not locking the door knob lock! Lol. I’ve been so conditioned into locking the door knob AND the deadbolt..to leave the door knob unlocked and only the deadbolt would take some major getting used to! Am I alone in this thinking? Lol
This is what I was thinking too loll. It’s muscle memory for me to lock the doorknob as I’m walking out. I think about what I’m doing at all so I’d have to severely adjust (as well as my family)
Just tried to add an additional fingerprint code and screwed up EVERYTHING. Nothing works now, AND the labels in the app don't make sense and are NOT intuitive what I did six months ago means nothing and I cannot logically follow my way back. So I'm ripping it out and getting a simpler way less expensive 'fingerprint' door lock. UGH!!!!
I always lol when I see deadbolts where the inside turn knob is literally right next to a small glass window that can easily be reached after breaking the glass Fancy box that is easily circumvented
12:12 Yup, your trim has the exact same little deadbolt-level ding in it that mine has from previous “smart” locks auto locking at a specified time while the door just happens to be open. Then you walk by and see an open door that needs closing and… BOOM! The door bounces back and now there’s a nice little ding in the door trim…
You say you can rekey but every other reviewer says although it can be done it’s difficult. Have you actually tried rekeying? Also you never mentioned it’s build. Is it all plastic? Metal?
i would love to see a bolt/latch along with the lock bar, so you can make the old lock obsolette. that way it can detect too when to lock from the other sensor. maybe a Aqara U200 has it and then i am gonna think about it…. :D imagine installing this to your main door, and a friend leaves and don't press the "lock button"….(asumming you want to throw away old lock)
Considering that it uses HomeKit, I wonder if you truly need their hub to make use of the remote features. HomeKit should have you covered if you have a home hub like a HomePod or an Apple TV.
Good review. A couple of quick questions: Can you confirm that the physical key will unlock even when there is no power? Would love to know how this works with a hub? It’s Bluetooth so does the hub need to be very close to it? (Such was the case with August which was a deal breaker for me.)
When you have typed the password in wrong, have you tried just continuing with the correct code as this is a brilliant security feature on one of my devices incase someone is watching you type it in.
I know it’s just the rig holding the iPhone stable, but my mind keeps seeing it as a drill with a black bit extension and a silver screw behind the phone…
The average person isn’t going to be able to rekey it, like they could with a Kwikset smarkey, but a locksmith will be able to rekey it easily. The brass ring, at the base of the tailpiece, just unscrews and the lock cylinder slides out, which provides access to the pins… It’s obviously more involved than that, but that’s the simplified process
@@RandomBogey I know what re-keying entails. What I meant to say was that it can’t be re-keyed AT ALL. Another RU-vidr took it to a locksmith and they couldn’t do it.
@@watch_your_six I don’t have one, and I haven’t looked into it, so I can’t say 100%. But based on the looks of it, I’d say it is rekey-able, if it is the schlage cylinder it looks to be.
Very insightful review thank you. Any updates after months of using this lock. I’m about to buy a smart lock and this is in my short list. Btw, does it come with a doorknob? Or it’s something you buy separately? I’m new to the SL game. Thanks again
I am surprised the smart lock does not have a flashing indicator when the battery is low or at least a battery meter on the app or lock itself. Great job on the review, please bless us with more smart lock reviews💯
This is a good looking lock, but Bluetooth is a no for me with bad experience with Level Lock battery life. This lock does not look as secure physically compared to the Schlage Encode Plus.
I have it and everytime I share the passcode it never works. It looks so simple on this video but in real life.. all I can ever use is the app or my finger. Which is not so nice when you’re an Airbnb host 🤦🏾♀️
My only complaint that I can see is there is the physical key backup. I personally believe an all digital lock is safer than one that has a physical key. I ordered one anyway through and plan to super glue the key hole door shut.
Does it have anti-peeping password mode? so for example you can enter a fake password before the real password to avoid someone peeping at your entering
I have the Schlage Encode Plus and an iPhone 15 with ios 17. After a month I still can’t connect the lock with home. Its driving me crazy. I will buy this over the level
Presumably, one could use a USB-C phone or tablet to charge the lock in an emergency as well. Has anyone tried this? Think I may hide a short USB-C cable in a faux sprinkler head. :^)
@@scottwass the question is would this work via Matter on both Ring and Homekit. I prefer not to tinker to much I drew the line at Homebridge I rather not over complicate my setup I already get lost in what scene or shortcut does what lol
The key is very insecure. Easy to pick. The wide range of access options also adds to the vulnerabilities. Impressive lock with all the features but insecure as a lock.
1:53 Are you sure it can be rekeyed? Shane Whatley did a review of this lock and says it cannot be rekeyed He even shows video of a locksmith trying but saying it cannot be done.
What is the privacy of the app? Is it a Chinese company spying on you? This is crucial information for smart devices. I use my own server and avoid cloud service as much as possible.
What will happen if someone steals my phone and express mode is enabled? That means the thief can unlock the door right? How can I disable the home key feature without my phone?
Hmm the problem is actually like losting the key, but the goodthing is that you can log in to the Home app on another device and then delete the lock (requires a homepod/apple tv and make sure you bring the key).
@@kinseycreategoods replacing a traditional lock is much cheaper than buying a new smart lock. I’m just wondering if this is a security glitch. But if you can login from another device, I guess you are good.
I got this lock after watching Jeff’s review. Have it all setup, but it keeps not responding to HomeKit. 😡 It will work for a few minutes and then I’ll use Apple Home or Siri to unlock it and it will say it’s not responding. Any ideas?
