Best BUDGET Smart Lock with Home Key! 🔑 The New Aqara U50 Smart Lock

Aqara's new U50 smart lock with Apple Home Key supports HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa and more. It comes with many features at a fraction of the cost compared to competing locks on the market. In this video we'll cover the installation and all the features, as well as the pros and cons.
Video is sponsored by Aqara
20% Off (thru May 31st) Code - USCAU50P
Amazon US - amzn.to/4dOIQzz
Other Products Seen in Video:
Aqara NFC Card geni.us/U100NFC
Aqara U100 Smart Lock geni.us/AqaraU100
Aqara M3 Hub geni.us/Aqara_M3
NOTE: This description contains affiliate links that allow you to find the items mentioned in this video at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Chapters
1:06 Product Overview
1:42 Unbox & Installation
3:02 Setup in Aqara App
3:49 Connection Options
4:51 Connect To Aqara Hub
5:05 Adding Lock To Apple HomeKit
6:30 Manage Access In HomeKit
7:00 Apple Home Key
7:29 NFC Cards
7:46 Users & Passwords (Aqara App)
8:08 Other Features
10:10 Can it be rekeyed?
10:55 Pros & Cons
12:08 Compare to U100 Smart Lock
13:06 Price & Availability
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#HomeKit #SmartHome #Aqara

[@ShaneCreates]

⭐Save 20% on the Aqara U50 Smart Lock ⭐ use Code: USCAU50P (through May 31st) amzn.to/4dOIQzz Let's Connect! ► Instagram - instagram.com/shanecreates ► Twitter - twitter.com/shanecreates ► TikTok - www.tiktok.com/@shanecreates

[@swissfreek]

Oh snap I forgot the code the first time, thanks!

[@Mtgavin55]

@Shane I didn't realize these are Bluetooth devises. I can't get the U50 to operate when I'm away from home. Also U50 does not operate in HomeKit if Phone or iPad are not within range. How do you fix this? Thanks

[@kingsleymichel]

Just installed the U50 to my garage door. I have to say this is well made.

[@fadoodle]

Excellent video, as usual. I really appreciated your explanation about the various hubs.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching.

[@mcmdm50]

Thanks Shane, Gonna use your discount code and buy the U50 today - Great demo video

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching! 😃

[@mohamedrami7703]

As usual great video with all explanations and details. it seems also on the video that you are so tired!!!! take care.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching! Going to take a nap now... 😅

[@anthonywalters8809]

Great review! For the U100 vs the U50, is the only difference the fingerprint? With kids, I like the idea of fingerprint and will go that route if the tech inside is the same.

[@Corny_official]

Cool lock, hope we also get such a great lock in Germany too 👍🏼

[@kinseycreategoods]

Great video! Thanks for share

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching!

[@waylinnelson]

No codes for Canadian’s again! Ugh! Come on Aqara!

[@jaredmorse9957]

Thanks Shane! I wish it didn’t have the physical key though. It’s definitely the easiest point of failure for a smart lock (looking at you Level!) I use a Yale Assure 2 without the key and it’s been flawless. Thinking about upgrading to the Assure 2 Plus for HomeKey support, but keeping my eye on your videos for options. Glad you didn’t install this one on top of a Level Lock this time 😉 Thanks again 🙏

[@anothey93]

It's good the key is there bc aqara locks go wonky and stop working when the battery becomes too low...and sometimes it happens before it's alerting you of a low battery. I've experienced this several times.

[@LoopyChew]

It looks awesome, but what’s the difference between this and the *notices chapter named “Differences between the U50 and U100* oh.

[@edwardjamesjr1]

Shane, what’s the comparison of Aqara vs August/Yale smart locks re: HomeKit compatibility & other features?

[@waynerowe8477]

Great vid Shane…Nuanced question…do I have to use the code for you to get credit or is just clicking the link good enough? The re-key is the thing that held me back from the u100, so this is tempting, although I’ve never had a problem with my Schlage, EVER, so knowing Aqara will probably have a firmware glitch or two at launch gives me a slight pause, probably will get it though. With the 20% off, I’m also wondering why is this so under priced!! Thanks

[@MadMax-ge2ve]

How do you set it to auto lock of you forget to lock it ?

[@caffeinatedflights]

Hey great video, I came across this video 3 days too late. I’m really interested in the u50 but I missed out on your discount code. Any idea of a way for me to still access the discount now, I’d love to purchase it for 20% off. Please let me know. Thanks!

[@ggtirevite]

Hi Shane, excellent video. I agree with you that the homekey feature at this price point is probably the best, I'm a bit confused about the Apple Home Integration. I have a Yale Assure 2 and it connects with Wifi and it's been flaky. I saw you connect the lock to the M3 hub but will adding the device directly to HomeKit instead of Matter still maintain the connectivity through the Aqara hub? Thanks in advance.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching. Yes you can have the lock connected directly to homekit and connected to a hub. It's just that if your hub is also connected to homekit via Matter, your lock will show up in the home app through the Matter hub. You can still use the lock connected directly to homekit, but may have duplicate devices in the Home app in this scenario. My preferred method is to use the lock paired directly in HomeKit, while also connected to an my Aqara M3 hub. I chose add my M3 hub to homekit through the traditional HomeKit integration, not Matter. When you do this, the lock does not come into homekit through the hub. I hope that makes sense. It's all a little confusing. Watching my video on the M3 hub may help clarify that last part some if needed. I prefer using the homekit integration of the hub, not the matter integration (at least for adding the hub to Apple Home).

[@grantlesueur]

Thanks Shane. The key compatibility was critical information. My house is an HOA with downstairs Neighbour’s so I would prefer to not issue new keys to other tenants. I have the Schlage key sets.

[@ShaneCreates]

Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

[@SolarizeYourLife]

HOA BOOOOOOOOOO

[@markwilkins9048]

I just installed a U50 to my front door and security screen door. I added the front door to HomeKit and the Home Key works fine. I added the screen door to HomeKit but for some reason the Home Hey doesn’t work. When I bring the phone close to the lock I get the confirmation on the screen of my phone, but the U50 doesn’t unlock. Any suggestions?

[@GaryMetzker]

Dude. This thing looks awesome. I’m So tired of changing batteries on my August lock. A couple questions? Does the battery life seem any better when paired to Zigbee vs HomePod? On the old lock do you find you used the finger print reader for hands free operation. I have an Apple Watch, so seems like that HomeKey express would work great. Just not sure about my wife having to take out the iPhone while carrying groceries.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for the questions. I've always use my Aqara locks in homeKit, which connects over bluetooth. So I don't really have a long-term comparison of the battery life when using it only in the Aqara app connected to an Aqara hub. Personally, I almost never used the fingerprint reader. That's probably because I have an Apple Watch also and have trained myself to use that. I don't think my family used the fingerprint reader either, but the lock was on a door to the garage and not the primary front door. My family is used to using the numeric keypad on my front door locks.

[@Darctones75]

When are you going to review the new inovelki white series thread switches?

[@ShaneCreates]

It's coming! 😃 Been working on it. Should be in June.

[@davidfindley8517]

Question: How do you compare the Aqara U50 with Schage Encode plus lock.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for the question David. I think the Schlage Encode Plus has a better build quality. It can also connect via Thread. But it also cost twice as much. The Aqara locks have all the same features (or more) at a fraction of the price. That's why I think the Aqara U50 is the best option if budget is your primary concern. Both work well and support Home Key. I recommend them both... just depends on your budget and what features are most important to you.

[@Mtgavin55]

I have two U50 Aqara Locks. Got one to sync to Aqara Home App and Apple Home Kit. Works great. My Front Door U50 will not sync to Aqara Home App. Therefore, not able to do proper setup. Was able to Set it up on my Apple HomeKit but can't get codes and users setup. Anyone else having this problem? Should I just send back to Amazon?

[@jayabbondanza2042]

I've been having issues with my U100 for a while so I was excited for this new version but my family really likes the fingerprint option. So that might be a deal breaker, but not for sure yet

[@ShaneCreates]

My family is used to used to using the passcodes mostly (I use Home Key the most personally). But yea, if yours is used to using fingerprints, it might be tough to take that away from them.

[@luisrudge]

@@ShaneCreates I'm using the U100 in my front door. I was looking for a cheap option for my back door and I think this is it. I might even use it in my detached garage door as well.

[@CarlRyds]

Wasn’t Matter supposed to make smart homes easier… seems to me that it just makes things more complicated 🤷‍♂️

[@ShaneCreates]

Maybe in the long run Matter will make things easier. But I can't argue that it definitely is making things a bit more complicated during this "transitional" period.

[@Thierry.g38]

Thanks for this new video. About Connection Options, there is something I didn't understand. You said Aqara Hub is mandatory only if you want to use Thread to use it with Alexa or Google and we can integrate this smart lock directly to Homekit and remotely control it with an Homekit hub. But how this smart hub communicates with Homekit hub (without any aqara hub) as it's written in its technical specification the supported protocols are "Zigbee, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC" ? I was thinking homekit only supports Wifi and Thread ....

[@ShaneCreates]

HomeKit also supports Bluetooth. So if you are using the lock paired directly to HomeKit, it will be communicating via bluetooth.

[@ginjeff]

Disappointed that it uses Bluetooth for HomeKit instead of Thread. I can't use BT locks everywhere that I need them due to metal doors & ductwork. We have become addicted to HomeKey, my wife brings it up all the time as the best feature ever.

[@WalidAmghar]

Excellent video Shane, of all the reviews I saw you are the only one to mention that you need to set it up directly with HomeKit to get the home key. My question is there a difference in battery life connecting it directly to HomeKit vs connecting it to an aqara hub ?

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching. I’m not really sure what the difference in battery life would be, if any. I doubt there is much difference. It really comes down to Bluetooth vs thread. Since I primarily use HomeKit to control my lock, I’m mainly using Bluetooth.

[@WalidAmghar]

Thanks for the reply, I just installed it and set it with HomeKit. Will see, I'll report back when battery is low

[@badtoro]

I wish kwikset would do home key

[@JokinUriarte]

Great explanation, and en excellent installation guidance, unfortunately that lock could never work on an European door.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching. Yes, this lock is designed for US style deadbolts. Aqara will be releasing the U200 in the near future which will be compatible with EU locks.

[@te897]

Love your channel. I just pre-ordered and so you know the code did not work but I got $30 by using my Capital One card so you probably didn't get the credit. Being able to re-key and a better price point was all I needed to buy vs the U100 I just never pulled the trigger on.

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching! And thanks for letting me know. I've updated the code in the description.

[@johnkwolf]

I think swithbut is still the better option

[@sendo427]

I thought you said you couldn't use homekey if you connected to aqara hub first, well for me apple key works but maybe they updated it because I did have a firmware update when I had setup the u50. Also my aqara M3 didn't automatic put the u50 into homekit and i found no way to do that besides pressing the home kit setup button and then scanned qr code and that's how my u50 got into homekit so maybe that is why the applekey works when connected to both hubs????

[@ShaneCreates]

It sounds like your M3 hub is not connected to HomeKit via Matter. When your hub is connected to HomeKit via the traditional HomeKit integration (not matter), the lock does not get exposed automatically. You need to add the lock directly to HomeKit and you can use HomeKey. If your M3 hub is connected to HomeKit via Matter, the lock DOES get exposed to HomeKit automatically but you cannot use HomeKey. So you can pair the lock to an Aqara hub and directly connect it to HomeKit at the same time. Only when connected directly to Homkit is when you can use HomeKey. When connected through a hub via Matter, you cannot. It’s confusing. Hope that makes sense.

[@RyanNee]

My door opens the other way - when I'm inside my apartment, the lock mechanism is on the right side / when I'm outside of my apartment, the keypad would be on the left side. Is there a way to use this lock with a weird backward door like mine?

[@ShaneCreates]

Yes it should work both ways

[@RogerWilsonTodd]

Instead of dealing with stocking and changing AA batteries for life of the lock, does Aqara provide a USB-C rechargeable power pack for added convenience, reduced operating cost, and longer time between charges?

[@159648sentile]

Just buy a set of rechargeable AAs. The life time on 6 or 8 batteries would long outlast the lock before I upgrade.

[@ShaneCreates]

They do not make a power pack for this lock. You could purchase rechargeable AA batteries for it though.

[@RogerWilsonTodd]

@@ShaneCreates Isn’t it time to adopt Apple’s strategy of moving beyond individual consumer-replaceable batteries, and adopt an integrated battery rechargeable via USB-C? Or would you want an iPhone that takes four AA batteries???

[@victuringan1429]

I hope they make a version for renters 😮‍💨

[@ShaneCreates]

The upcoming U200 will be great for renters.

[@islandsnow]

So if I have a u100 already and say I add another u100 or the u50 will your home key work on multiple locks?

[@ShaneCreates]

yes

[@Breault720]

Shane. How much did Home Depot charge for rekeying the lock?

[@ShaneCreates]

$5

[@paullhenriquee]

Does it work with multilock doors? Like UK doors?

[@ShaneCreates]

The U50 is designed for US style deadbolts. The U200 (mentioned at the end of the video) should be available in the near future and will be compatible with UK door locks.

[@jackgreenwood-allum3169]

Does it still work with the G# camera hub? Thanks

[@ShaneCreates]

Yes you can pair it to any of the Aqara zigbee hubs, including the G3

[@GreenArrowNetwork]

If you only bind it to HomeKit can you still update firmware (without it being added to the Aqara app)?

[@ShaneCreates]

Good question. I'm not sure if Aqara supports firmware updates through the Apple Home app. I don't think they do but again, not 100% sure. Personally, I would just use the Aqara app, even if just for the initial setup and firmware updates, if nothing else.

[@GreenArrowNetwork]

@@ShaneCreates I agree having in Aqara is preferable, I only ask because My u100 stopped connectiong to the Aqara app, and won't connect even after a hard-reset and re-install. Homekit works just fine. I guess it's time to email support at Aqara.☹

[@Nosjamesmenzer]

I wish you would have included some home assistant stuff with the lock to show us what is capable of doing with home assistant if it's compatible Which it seems like it show just go right in to home assistant

[@progoproductions]

Any Aqara smart locks for UK yet??

[@kinseycreategoods]

Wait for U200 , it is a retrofit lock like Nuki / Dana

[@progoproductions]

@@kinseycreategoods thanks! Shame it looks nowhere near as good and I’m still concerned how well it would work with the common Key-operated multi-point locking system. As you have to pull handle up before you can lock the door I feel it will mean product is not as useful as you would be loosing features.

[@GustafAnigmA]

Will it be available on EU market?

[@ShaneCreates]

No this lock is designed for US style deadbolts. The U200 (mentioned at the end of the video) should be available sometime soon which will be compatible with EU locks, as well as US locks.

[@originalmagneto]

Do they have an EU version?

[@jayjake]

Unfortunetely most of the smart locks are US only, personally using Linus Yale but its not that classy i would say

[@mewkeewoo3145]

Would it be a good for front door within gate compound ?

[@ShaneCreates]

No this product is designed specifically for US style locks. But they will have the U200 in the near future (mentioned at the very end of the video) that will be compatible with EU and US style locks.

[@swissfreek]

Rekey! This is the first time I’ve seen this mentioned on any smart lock. Smart locks are a non-starter for me since I live in an apartment, *but* maybe if I can get it rekeyed to the original lock so my landlord can still get in, maybe I can get away with it?

[@ShaneCreates]

Yes! Worth a try. And if that doesn’t work you may want to try a retrofit lock that only requires you to change the inside part of the lock (so you can use the same keys). The SwitchBot Lock Pro and the soon to be released Aqara U200 are two retrofit smart locks.

[@swissfreek]

@@ShaneCreates I’ve looked at some of those but I haven’t seen one with HomeKey yet and that’s what is really selling me on a smart lock. I ordered the U50, we’ll see if the landlords complain 😜

[@ShaneCreates]

The U200 should support Home Key when it’s released. But hopefully your landlord is cool with the U50 for now. Good luck!

[@onthetrench4178]

What’s up with the U200? Should’ve been shipped in april, right?

[@lets-automate]

It's coming very soon 🤫

[@ShaneCreates]

I don't think they ever specified April. I think they stated "Q2." So hopefully that means we'll see it in the next month or so.

[@onthetrench4178]

@@ShaneCreates i looked it up on aqaras kickstarter page. It says shipping in April.

[@lewig8998]

Where is U200 lock?

[@ShaneCreates]

It should be coming soon.

[@ouch1223]

this is the LockPickingLawyer...

[@yuhzeetsite]

It’s the same price

[@jaredmorse9957]

Is it the same price?

[@ShaneCreates]

Same price as what…? The U100? The U100 was always around $200, although it would often be discounted during various sales. I’m sure the U50 will also go on sale.

[@SolarizeYourLife]

BOOOO I already have a zigbee hub not going do ANOTHER zigbee hub...

[@S2580ss]

Great video as always Shane. But my ears bleed a little bit every time I hear “lady A” 🫠

[@ShaneCreates]

Thanks for watching! Trying something different as people complain when I say "Alexa" in videos. Just trying not to set off everyone's smart speakers! 😅

[@yuhzeetsite]

It’s the same price

[@jaredmorse9957]

Wait, are you trying to say… it’s the same price? Didn’t quite get it the first time 🤦🏼‍♂️