Aqara Smart Lock U100, Fingerprint Keyless Entry Door Lock with Apple Home Key, Touchscreen Keypad, Bluetooth Electronic Deadbolt, IP65 Weatherproof, Supports Apple HomeKit,…

 THE PROBLEM—

If your existing lock uses a drive-in style deadbolt (round, no faceplate), the deadbolt included with the Aqara U100 Smart Lock is incompatible as it has a non-removable faceplate. The tailpiece slot on the Aqara Deadbolt (the part that accepts the rod and turns to extend and retract the deadbolt) is uncommon, at least according to the locksmiths I’ve spoken with.

Some doors cannot be modified to include a faceplate, such as metal doors, or, like me, you might want to avoid modifying your door to have a faceplate.

SOLUTION—

Buy the Design House 783332 Pro Deadbolt from Amazon ($14 CAD as of writing) as it has a removable faceplate and can be used as a drive-in style deadbolt that has a slot compatible with the U100’s tailpiece (the rod that goes through the deadbolt and turns to extend and retract the deadbolt).

If you receive a calibration error with this deadbolt, try calibrating the lock with the door open (the app will tell you to have it closed). If it works, you’ll need to chisel out the hole for the deadbolt in the doorjamb/doorframe to allow the deadbolt to fully extend to prevent constant beeping (and error messages in the app). I think this was an issue with my particular door, as the hole for my deadbolt seemed overly shallow.

If the Design House 783332 Pro Deadbolt is unavailable, or if you want to try to find one with a shorter deadbolt, other deadbolts from Design House or Emtek that use a + shaped slot for the tailpiece should work.

BACKSTORY / FULL EXPLANATION—

I was excited to try the U100 as a replacement for my two August Smart Locks— they eat CR123A batteries for breakfast and would routinely disconnect from my Apple HomeKit setup.

My first attempt at installing the U100 came to a complete halt— the deadbolt latch included with the smart lock has a non-removable faceplate that requires modifying your door if it was configured for a drive-in (round, no faceplate) style deadbolt.

I wasn’t comfortable modifying my doors to accommodate a faceplate, and I wasn’t going to pay a professional to do it. After all, I justified this new smart lock purchase based on estimated battery savings, and I wasn’t about to extend my timeline to riches.

After visiting a Home Depot and two locksmith shops, extensive Googling, a support email to Aqara, and a plea to Reddit, I couldn’t find a solution that didn’t include modifying my door to fit a faceplate. According to the locksmiths I spoke with to find a compatible drive-in deadbolt, the part where the tailpiece slides through the deadbolt to turn the lock was one of a kind. So my first U100 went back to Amazon.

This kept me up at night—every fiber of my being wanted to stop buying CR123A batteries. Then I remembered the August Lock came with a deadbolt tailpiece compatibility graphic— my first good lead.

According to the August Lock deadbolt tailpiece compatibility graphic, Defiant, Emtek, Weiser, and Weslock, all use a similar tailpiece (size and orientation) to the Aqara U100’s deadbolt.

After some Googling, the Emtek tailpiece slot appeared to be positioned in the right spot on the lock and utilizes a + shape which should allow it to be compatible with the U100 tailpiece. The tailpiece slots from the other brands could theoretically work, but I didn’t want to risk the mechanism having reversed lock/unlock positions.

Looking on Amazon for Emtek replacement deadbolts, I found a brand called Design House which seemed to utilize the same tailpiece slot and placement as Emtek. All of their locks come with a faceplate, but my prior research suggested that the faceplate on most locks is removable. I landed on the Design House 783332 Pro Deadbolt, which was $14 Canadian and shipped with Prime.

Once I received the new deadbolt, I easily slid off the faceplate (no tools required) and ordered a new Aqara Smart Lock U100. When it arrived, I installed it following the instructions but used the Design House deadbolt instead of the Aqara. As the tailpiece slot on the Design House is + shaped, be sure to match the orientation of the tailpiece with the knob on the interior side of the U100 so that you don’t have to disassemble and reassemble the lock to change which way the tailpiece fits into the tailpiece slot on the deadbolt.

After installing, when setting up the smart lock in the app, I received a calibration error that I couldn’t move past. After a quick panic that there was some special magic in the Aqara Deadbolt, I wised up and tried calibrating the lock with the door open (rather than closed) to triangulate the issue. Sure enough, it calibrated, but it still wouldn’t work with the door closed (the smart lock would beep, and the app would throw errors and require recalibration).

As it turns out, the hole for the deadbolt in my doorjamb/door frame was shallow and didn’t allow it to extend fully. I did have to chisel out the hole, but this was an issue with my original door installation and not resulting from the Design House deadbolt being freakishly long.

I’m still playing around with the smart lock (I just installed it), but in early testing, it’s been very responsive in HomeKit to lock and unlock the door at home and when I’m away. HomeKey and the Fingerprint Reader are lightning fast, and the integrated numbered is much more delightful to use than the (sold separately) August Lock keypad. I’m excited that there is an easy-to-activate “Passage Mode” that can be activated on the lock itself, allowing you to temporarily turn off auto-lock (which, after living with a smart lock that doesn’t do this, was a key-selling feature).

I’ll update this review if I encounter any issues.

I hope this helps!

Matt

ETHICS DISCLOSURE—

I did not receive any compensation or free products for this review. All products mentioned above were purchased without reimbursement and I am not affiliated with Aqara or Design House in any way.

Title: Cutting-Edge Security Integration – Aqara Smart Lock U100 Review

I recently integrated the Aqara Smart Lock U100 into my smart home setup, and it has surpassed my expectations in terms of security, functionality, and seamless tech integration.

Design and Build:

The sleek, modern design of the Aqara U100 complements any door, and its robust construction instills confidence in its durability. The IP65 weatherproof rating ensures reliable performance in various conditions, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

Fingerprint Recognition Technology:

The standout feature is the fingerprint keyless entry system. Setup was a breeze, and the accuracy and speed of the fingerprint recognition are impressive. It provides a convenient and secure way to access my home without the need for keys or codes.

Touchscreen Keypad and User Interface:

The responsive touchscreen keypad is user-friendly, allowing for easy code entry and configuration. The intuitive interface guides users through setup and customization, making it accessible for both tech enthusiasts and those new to smart home devices.

Smart Home Integration:

The Aqara U100 seamlessly integrates with popular smart home ecosystems, including Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. This broad compatibility ensures that the smart lock effortlessly fits into existing setups, providing a cohesive and interconnected home automation experience.

Bluetooth Connectivity:

Bluetooth connectivity enhances the overall user experience by enabling convenient remote access and monitoring via the Aqara Home app. The responsiveness of the lock to commands ensures a reliable connection between the app and the smart lock.

Security Features:

The Aqara U100 prioritizes security with advanced encryption protocols, ensuring the protection of user data and preventing unauthorized access. The electronic deadbolt mechanism adds an extra layer of security, and the lock status is conveniently monitored through the app.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the Aqara Smart Lock U100 is a technologically advanced and highly secure keyless entry solution. Its integration with leading smart home platforms, robust build quality, and innovative features make it a standout choice for those seeking a reliable and sophisticated smart lock. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or simply value the convenience of a keyless entry system, the Aqara U100 is a worthwhile investment in modern home security.

Me gustó y súper funcional

EDIT: 8/7/23 – Included Cheapo Batteries died (temperate zone temps, one or two motorized locks a day [unlocked for most of day]) Going to see how long Energizer Max batteries last

Most of stuff below is still valid, lock seems fine, it occasionally makes chime noises by itself with no one nearby, so not sure what that is
END EDIT

I took a chance on this as this seems to be a lower cost homekey compatible Door lock that I wanted to put on back door. I’m comparing it to the Schlage Encode Plus that I have on my front door, Kwikset Homekit Premis and August 2nd Gen which this is replacing to get to a full native homekit door setup. (The August was working within homekit by using homebridge)

I watched the initial review videos which is what convinced me as well. I also have other Aqara items and the brand seems to solid and I felt comfortable testing.

Initial Impressions are good, the unit is hefty and seems well built, the backplate is a little plasticky compared to schlage and kwikset, but pretty good. You’ll need a long shaft philips head driver to attach the back lock to the door plate, that’s the only real issue I had with install.

They only include QR codes to manual and install video, which was okay, but don’t expect detailed paper instructions.

Install was fine, trickier for me because I had old 3/4″ crossbore/Door Latch hole which I had to enlarge. If you have standard 1″ crossbore, you should be fine. The screw on the door jamb side could be longer for security reasons, but the back door its mounted on has a window on it.

Aqara pairing was fine, it did have firmware update issue that kept failing, force closing the app and restarting solved the issue. Firmware update happened fine, but took 5ish minutes.

Registering fingerprint was easy, its similar to touch ID where it asks you to touch it 7 times.

Binding to Homekit app was fine from Aqara App, it even imported the passcode I set on the aqara side to the homekit side. Homekey worked fine.

It seems binding to an Aqara hub may improve HomeKit response times.

In all, seems like solid cheaper competitor to the Schlage Encode Plus. The fingerprint feature if reliable is nice bonus compared to the encode plus. Time will tell about battery life. I’m tempted to get another to replace the kwikset homekit premis. I’m comfortable rating this 5/5 for now unless I encounter issues or if it eats batteries (it does come with some cheapo batteries which I appreciated).