Aqara A100 Smart Lock Review

[@iPhone-en2yn]

By far the best review of this lock which shows real use! No background music, no fancy lighting just real feedback. Thank you mate :)

[@timhealy3707]

probably one of the best reviews on the net! (and you're a home assistant nerd like me too) = ) thanks mate, all the way from Tauranga NZ

[@TheCreatureCorporation]

I’m in Tauranga too so I wonder if you’ve got the same kind of lock as me- I’ve got a door that has top & bottom deadbolts, do you know how easy it is to install with these or if it’s possible? I’m hesitant on buying one of these as I’m not familiar with this locking mechanism and how to use it with a smart lock

[@ryanle5600]

I just bought one today right after watching this video. 10/10/24

[@maxfang531]

Thank you for this review, it's very handy!

[@Exdia]

You should really put a black bar when you’re inputting your pin code instead of just pixellating it.. it’s really easy to deduce your pin code like this, be careful!

[@kaltek797]

There's way easier ways to break into my house, but the pin codes were changed anyway. I don't treat Smart Locks as more secure, just more convenient.

[@JustACatLover]

Nice video👍. Would like to check, if the night latch is ON admin fingerprint can open the door from outside?

[@kaltek797]

Yes, admin can always open from outside if the night latch is on.

[@adamhocking2194]

Watching the video, I can't see an option where you can just have it in fully unlocked mode from the front, like any other normal door handle / lock. Like say if you wanted to close the door after you went out for a minute and wanted to come back in just ONLY pulling the handle down to open it, is this not possible?

[@kaltek797]

Yeah that is called "Passage mode" and this lock doesn't have it. Mechanically, it could do it, but the firmware doesn't support this. I don't find it a problem though as it's so easy to get back in with fingerprint.

[@electrichimp]

Hi! I didn't follow, in what scenarios does the key doesn't work? The ideas of the lock getting buggy and not opening (as I've read other aqara locks do, like de u100) and the key not working sounds like a red flag for an otherwise pretty nice looking alternative.

[@kaltek797]

It's been a while but I think if the last time you engaged the lock was with the key, then it might not be able to be used to unlock. As long as the door was not latched *using* the key (and was latched using the door handles), you should be fine.

[@Nikkia73]

Hi! Great information. Very helpful, just what ive been looking for. Quick question, was yours a special buy? I bought two A100's and both only have the longer strike plate (without the side/guide part). So I'm now trying to workout how to get some 😢

[@kaltek797]

Hi Nikki, no I just ordered it from Amazon Australia. I wasn't even sure what kind of strike plate setup I would get and, honestly, it depends on your door jamb design whether it's an issue or not. My jamb sticks out beyond the metal plate, so even with the extended strike plate, I still have some impact on the door jamb by the latch. I need to work out some way of avoiding wear on my door jamb.

[@liormoneta1195]

There are multiple flavors for this product. I think there is the ZigBee version vs the pro. Additionally, for both flavors your can choose between 2 types according to the door thickness. There is the 40-80mm and the 80-120mm. Maybe this can affect the plates you get with the product 🤷‍♂️

[@KaldekBoch]

@@liormoneta1195 I looked into this a little bit and the A100 Pro is without ZigBee, and only sold in China. I guess their plan is to use it for Hotels or something? I hadn't noticed that there are "thin" and "thick" versions when I bought mine, although at the time it was only readily available on Amazon. It's now being sold by local electrical retailers.

[@donfer18]

Hi wonderful smart door lock and review where you order it from. Do you have a link. Please thank you

[@kaltek797]

You can buy these on Amazon.

[@MikeHunt-ik3rg]

Hi ,I just had this installed today ,every time I try to open it an alarm goes off ,I have to remove batteries to stop it , can you please tell me what to do ? Thanks

[@kaltek797]

There is a tamper alarm button on the back of the outside plate that presses on the door. If your installation doesn't press hard enough on the door this button can easily become un-pressed and trigger the alarm. Worst case you can just put a shim behind it but the best solution is to twiddle with your installation so that it grips the door securely. I seem to recall having the same problem and needing to remove and re-do the installation.

[@pick88888]

Hello, How to setting lock mode Left to Right, Thank you 🙏🏻

[@kaltek797]

It's just a screw you adjust to flip the handle over, and you also flip the latch. It's very easy, and the manual does explain how to do it.

[@onemore9269]

hi, is a100 has passage mode?

[@kaltek797]

No, unfortunately there isn't a passage mode on the A100.

[@markbfenton]

Great vid mate appreciate. I am also an HA user in Aus, and I'm smart lock shopping now. I detest cloud polling services in HA and avoid them like the plague, did you manage to get the Aqara hub working with HA locally only with all features? How quickly does the entity in HA update to 'unlocked' after you unlock it, is there much of a delay? Would you recommend this lock? Is there anything that you don't like? Does the fingerprint reader fail often or is it reliable? Cheers!

[@kaltek797]

Unfortunately I didn't get the integration into HA working. It was a rabbit hole so deep I ended up not having the time to get into it as it was all about hacking the hub and so forth. The U100 works in HA if I recall, but the A100 does not. It hasn't really impacted the way I use the lock, but it does frustrate me.

[@Fahadkh97]

Hello one question, did you change the door handle position from opening right handle to left handle open ?

[@kaltek797]

Yeah you just have to flip one part inside the lock.

[@Eddie_-_]

Great review

[@AbdulaalAAlrebh]

Hi I pay Aqara Smart Door Lock A100 from Amazon , It seems that the internal and external components of my A100 smart lock are reversed during installation, causing the internal lock not to open the door while the external one continuously opens it. I believe the issue lies in the installation. Could you please let me know which part is responsible for this in the lock?

[@kaltek797]

There is a screw that you remove from one side of the locky body and reinstall on the other side. It's described in the manual.

[@s_zhurkin_dance]

Hello! (Excuse my English) Your video was very useful for me but I have a question, I hope you will give me the answer. I have the same lock, and when I open the door that little direction tongue (which you blocked on your video with the help of that equipment) makes a very loud irritating click! I can’t get rid of that sound so I blocked that little tongue with the help of a piece of plastic card and glue🤣 so the question is, what is the purpose of that little tongue? Can I leave it blocked or not?) I’ll be very happy to hear your opinion!)

[@kaltek797]

That tongue just signals that the door is fully closed. It is an annoying noise, and maybe you can leave it blocked but if your door does not behave as desired you may need to unblock it.

[@TheMrsorge]

Hi mate. Thanks for the video. I have installed the doorhandle facing the exact same way as, except I am having a problem where the internal handle does nothing when turning, as if it was on the external side. Any idea of the issue? Is there a screw or something i need to relocate?

[@TheMrsorge]

Dont worry i just read in comment below 😂

[@KaldekBoch]

@@TheMrsorge hahah yeah I was going "I thought they already asked that question!" but it was just someone else. Don't stress too much, I scratched my head for a bit when I installed mine too. The benefit of making edited vidoes is you get to appear smart even though you may have actually been whacking it with a hammer for a while like Patrick from Spongebob.

[@iPhone-en2yn]

Sorry can I ask, how’s the wooden door wearing with that little latch hitting the door each time? Have you found any solution for that issue at all?

[@kaltek797]

It's wearing a bit. I keep thinking about how to solve it and I'm really surprised none of the provided plates extend that far down. I am also planning on reducing the spring tension on that latch as it's quite strong.

[@TaterPS]

Will this lock work with the US/ Canada app?

[@kaltek797]

Honestly no idea, sorry. I'm in Australia so it's a real mixed bag here if we use the same apps as the US, or get punted off to "Asia".

[@mr.o5577]

I love this lock but can't buy because of one reason only, the zigbee does not work with HA, somehow aqara zigbee doesn't work in HA.

[@kaltek797]

Yep this does bug me still. I haven't as yet been affected by the lack of HA integration, but then I'm mostly home so I don't have the "hey can you let in the cleaner" type situations.

[@anishina]

Hello, I have an Aqara N200 and when I change my iPhone and had to login again at the Mi Home app from Xiaomi, I couldn't remember my login and password. With that, I had to create a new login and when I tried to pair the door lock, the app says that I have to unbind the door lock first from the previous account, but it's not possible. Any ideas how to "unbrick" my door lock? I already tried to contact Aqara support and Xiaomi support and none of them answered me.

[@kaltek797]

Isn't there a factory reset button on the lock somewhere? I'm not sure if that will help but it's where I would start.

[@IchigoTensaZangetsu1]

Can the auto-lock be disabled? (Auto-lock means as soon as you close the door, it can’t be open from the outside)

[@kaltek797]

No, it can't. It's not an "auto lock"; rather it's just that the outer handle is *never* connected to the mechanism unless you have authenticated and then it is connected briefly to allow you to open the door. My wife had the same concern you do, but in reality it's not a problem because you can always open the door with your fingerprint. However if the issue is for ensuring small children can get in and out of the house easily, then yes it might not be suitable.

[@iclouddevice8616]

you can use passage mode i guess

[@IchigoTensaZangetsu1]

Passage mode doesn’t lock automatically?

[@iclouddevice8616]

@@IchigoTensaZangetsu1 yes it is

[@kaltek797]

@@IchigoTensaZangetsu1apparently the A100 doesn't have a passage mode yet.

[@gryg666]

Hey, can you lock the door remotely, including night latch?

[@kaltek797]

The door is always locked as soon as it closes. The additional latches can only be engaged by lifting the door handle up (for the secondary latches) and turning the night latch from the inside (for the night latch). So no, the additional latching cannot be done remotely. More specifically, the only electronically controlled mechanism in the entire lock is the one that connects the external door handle to the latches. That's as complex as it gets inside the assembly.

[@berwickcomputers]

Are you saying that the 3 dead bolt locks cannot even be scheduled to lock at a certain time time of night. That I would have to physically go to the front door and lift the handle.. If so that would be a deal breaker for me. As I thought you said earlier in the video that the door was closed but not locked as in the three lock but then you click lock on the phone app...

[@kaltek797]

@@berwickcomputers hi mate, sorry for the delay. Berwick - just near me! Anyway, yes you are right the additional deadbolts can only be activated by hand. Someone else asked about the mechanism and literally the only motor inside the assembly is one which connects the external door handle to the internal one when an unlock is commanded. As frustrating as that is, for my own use case it's been enough and the lock isn't vulnerable to the old magnet hack.

[@peaceful668]

where to buy this lock in canada ?

[@kaltek797]

Pretty sure Amazon sell these. But I don't live in Canada so I don't really know.

[@o0o74]

those original battery that come with the door lock sucks, it's like those printer ink cartridges that comes with the printer print 10 pages and it's empty, change it.

[@kaltek797]

I dunno mate the ones that came with mine have been fine. It would depend if they are Zinc-carbon rather than alkaline, if you're aware?

[@LolindirTasartir]

the real problem is finding it! the cheaper option is aliexpress but, ya know, its aliexpress!

[@imik3y]

Shame it’s not weatherproof

[@kaltek797]

I think they're mostly covering their ass here. But, having said that my door is under cover and behind a security grille.