Aqara Good Lock U200 evaluation: Highly effective, however difficult

The smarter your good residence will get, the smarter you get. Not less than that is the way it’s purported to work, proper? With so many good residence units accessible available on the market, it may be onerous to select the right home ecosystem for you. You possibly can select to remain model loyal and solely use choices from, say, Amazon that function Alexa help. In the event you’re an Apple fanatic, you need to use HomeKit-enabled devices.

There’s the choice to look to the longer term and go for units that talk with each other. These can be units that use the nascent Matter protocol; the tech does not require one type of hub and may make the most of Thread border routers or Matter-enabled units to speak. As increasingly more units are being supplied with the know-how, producers try to maintain up with the demand. The neatest of good houses are going to have units that effectively and shortly talk.

That’s the reason the newest good lock from Aqara is ready up that means. The Aqara Good Lock U200 provides native Matter functionality, as Aqara is an energetic companion with all of the Matter updates. For people who have the newest know-how, the U200 is a superb addition to their residence. However for many who do not, it may nonetheless perform nicely with out ever hitting its full potential. I have been in a position to make use of the Aqara Good Lock U200 for a short while and listed here are my ideas.

Beneficial

Aqara Good Lock U200

The Aqara Good Lock U200 provides keyless entry into your house in a number of methods, reminiscent of by way of voice instructions, fingerprint studying, app compatibility, and extra. It has native Matter help, making it suitable with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Google Residence, and Samsung SmartThings. 

Execs

• Matter help
• A number of methods to enter with no key
• Broad compatibility for doorways

Cons

• Requires an Aqara Hub M3 to get probably the most out of it
• Tough set up

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Value, availability, and specs

The Aqara Good Lock U200 is out there now in North America and Europe. It retails for $270 within the US and could be bought on Amazon. In the event you go to the Aqara website, it can convey you to the Amazon internet web page to be able to buy the good lock. The lock itself weighs 1.37 kilos and measures 2.44 x 2.36 x 5.98 inches. That implies that it’s suitable with US deadbolt locks which might be between 2 3/8 and a couple of 3/4 inches. That is large compatibility, so whilst you ought to examine to see if the U200 will suit your door, likelihood is good that it’ll.

This can be a biometric lock that connects by way of Bluetooth to be able to work along with your good residence and smartphone app. You possibly can management the U200 from the Aqara app in addition to with many different units. The lock is powered by rechargeable Li-ion batteries which might be slated to last as long as six months per cost, which is boosted due to the Matter capabilities. You may also hardwire the lock with an AC or DC energy provide. The app can even let you know when you should recharge it.

What I appreciated in regards to the Aqara Good Lock U200

It has a variety of helpful security measures

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As somebody who has reviewed a variety of Aqara merchandise earlier than, I knew what to anticipate when setting the U200 up. Earlier Matter-supported units such because the Motion and Light Sensor P2 are straightforward to arrange within the Aqara app and want a hub to work nicely. With most of Aqara’s units, the corporate’s Hub M3 is critical. That is not essentially the case right here. You should use different Thread border routers to get the performance you need out of the U200. Nonetheless, it can work finest with the Hub M3, which, in fact, is bought individually.

As soon as I linked the U200 to my Hub M3, I used to be in a position to then combine it simply into my residence ecosystem. I depend on Amazon Alexa in my residence and synced it with my Echo Present 8, which is a Thread border router in its personal proper. With that and the Alexa app, I will arrange automations for the U200. As a result of I’ve the Hub M3, I used to be in a position to arrange the distant unlock function. As you are organising your Aqara Good Lock U200, you are in a position to take action a lot when it comes to understanding tips on how to function it.

You possibly can unlock this good lock a couple of other ways. There’s typing in a passcode on the keypad, which you’ll create simply for prolonged use, or you possibly can generate a brief passcode with the Aqara app. You should use your fingerprint to lock it, however that may be a bit finicky. Utilizing Amazon Alexa to unlock the door works nicely due to the mixing. Urgent the unlock button within the app allows you to distant open or lock the door. It can additionally work with an NFC tag or Apple Residence Keys, neither of which I’ve. Lastly, it does include a bodily key if you wish to use it.

The U200 is sleeker than different Aqara good locks, such because the U50. The Quiet Mode function does not require the usage of a hub or Thread border router and could be carried out from the app, as it can unlock the door quietly, in order to not disturb anybody within the residence. You may also activate the Auto Lock function, which is able to mechanically lock the door as soon as it’s closed. There are additionally included Tamper Alert capabilities that maintain your privateness safe if somebody is attempting to learn your pin over your shoulder or hack into your door.

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What I did not like in regards to the Aqara Good Lock U200

It is not as straightforward to put in as I hoped

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Usually, I do not thoughts putting in Aqara units. Lots of them are easy and also you simply must scan a QR code to convey up directions or a video on tips on how to set up one thing. However for some cause, the Aqara Good Lock U200’s QR code introduced me to a lifeless hyperlink as an alternative of an set up video. The consumer handbook that pops up makes use of an extremely small font and is generally full of footage that do not describe precisely what you should put the place. When putting in a door lock, it is not probably the most intricate course of, however it does require some understanding of what occurs earlier than one other step. It was more durable to determine due to the poorly designed handbook and the lifeless hyperlink.

Aqara boasts that the potential of the U200 is that it really works with Matter over Thread units. That’s true, and it’s the means of the longer term. However to be able to get probably the most out of your good lock, you must have both a Thread border router or an Aqara Hub M3. This requires further purchases on high of an already costly lock. This will deter some individuals from buying. Additionally, I do not love that the lock itself has rechargeable batteries, however the keypad could be run with AAA batteries, inflicting you to vary two varieties of batteries at totally different occasions.

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Do you have to purchase the Aqara Good Lock U200?

The Aqara Good Lock U200 is a fancy-looking lock that may definitely defend your house with its unbelievable security measures. The truth that you possibly can unlock or lock this in so many alternative methods is an actual testomony to the design by Aqara. Sadly, you’ll possible must spend much more cash to get probably the most out of its performance. This is not unusual with Aqara merchandise, so if you’re somebody who’s accustomed to the corporate, you might be possible conscious of this example. However it’s value stating for people who aren’t.

If you wish to arrange your house with know-how that’s solely going to serve it nicely as extra good residence capabilities come out, it’s a good buy. However if you happen to aren’t geared up but to make use of it to its full capability, it could be value ready some time. That being mentioned, the Aqara Good Lock U200 is a good lock and can assist your house develop into even smarter.

Beneficial

Aqara Good Lock U200