Unlock Convenience with the Aqara U200 Smart Lock and Home Assistant

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Please help me! What do you think about Smart Locks? I'm still a bit scared to use them, aren't you?

[@MartinDolan]

If someone wants in, they can break a window, kick the door in or just pick a normal lock. So basically don't worry about it. Locks are to keep out the honest burglars. 😂 Some positives about smart locks : * You can check if it's locked or lock them remotely if you forget. * you don't have to carry keys. * if you are away you can remotely let a friend in if needed. * it can alert you if door is opened while away * burglars might think that if you have a smart lock you've probably got security cameras, sensors and all sorts of stuff so pick a different house. But then again they might think if you can afford a smart lock you've probably got other expensive gadgets worth stealing... But like I said, if they want in, they will get in... If the lottery of life says it's your turn to get burgled....🤷 I've had smart locks for years.. Not having to carry a key is worth it. .... Best of all, it always makes me smile and think "I live in the future" when I hear the door unlock as I walk up to it when I get home. ❤

[@wotnix]

I never advise to use smart locks, because only a real key, can't be hacked!

[@MartinDolan]

@@wotnix correct... A real key lock can't be hacked... Electronically... Unless you use a lock pic rake tool stuck on the end of an electric toothbrush to vibrate the pins for about 15 seconds till it unlocks. The only thing that will prevent that is if you leave your key in the other side of the lock. But who in their right mind would do tha- Oh wait... Never mind... 🤣

[@MAMDAVEM]

I don't use them because if a key is inserted on the inside I can't open the door with a key from the outside.

[@alexanderwalker9145]

@@MartinDolan wait what automation do you use to unlock the door as you walk up to it? Or are you just using your phone to unlock it?

[@waynelee8416]

best thing ive bought for years, both my adult kids said its stupid. they are both now putting them into their homes. its brilliant

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Yes, I like it as well now.

[@sixty1tv889]

I have the same lock and it's brilliant, works well in a busy household. 6 users, 6 pins, thumb print, and 2 NFC tags. Regarding your negatives, but not deal breakers. The key pad works very well during adverse weather, when wet, use the keypad, or NFC tag provided. The auto lock function is perfect, it's works very well. Make sure you have calibrated it correctly. In the UK we have pull the door handle up to lock, if this is not done, auto will activate, but not lock. It's very reliable. 100% check it's locked before you leave. Quiet motor works well, you get used to it, we have members leaving the house at 4/5am. Never once heard the lock after day 8. And we use normal mode. It's faster. We also installed the cylinder, come with keys and easy fitting. We paid £180 GBP. Plus the Cylinder. Good review.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Thank you for your kind words and additions!

[@donpowers6033]

I have four smart locks on access doors to my house and love them. The latest I've installed is actually the U200!. I think the important thing to remember about door locks in general is that if someone really wants to break in they will break in. Key locks in general can easily be picked by someone who knows how to do it. There might perhaps be a way to defeat a smart lock if someone has the technical skill but again this is no different than picking a physical key lock. Door locks are a deterrent not an absolute inhibitor. On the flip side there has been many times where being able to control my locks remotely have been a useful feature. I think they are a great addition to a smart home. As for the U200 now that I have it installed I think it is great. Chose to put this on the door between my laundry hall and the garage so I would not have to rekey the deadbolt. One thing that Aqara needs to improve is their instructions. They have an online video which covers the big things, but there are several nuances in the installation that are simply skipped over on the video. One example was getting the back plat off the keypad to insert the batteries. Discovered that you have to push on the lower part of the plate while pushing the tab on the other end to get it to pop off (discovered this on a short KZbin video that someone made who also had this problem). Even so, once I got it installed it works great. The only other small criticism is that I wish the tubular piece that is used to turn the deadbolt (I have a US style lock) was made of somethign more durable than plastic. Considering how well the rest of the lock is made this may or may not turn out to be a weak link over time. Anyway, both the U200 and my U300 are both in Home Assistant (where I do all my automations) and HomeKit (for my wife). Wish there was a good way to get my two Schlage Encode Plus locks into Home Assistant as Thread devices (you can get them in as Wifi devices but the battery drain is too much). Would be nice if they support Matter!

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Thank you for this great addition!

[@joshward9182]

I say this a lot. A lot of people that worry about smart locks have a cheap key barrel that can be bumped in seconds or a door with a lower panel that can be kicked in by 1-2 kicks (again, seconds). 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@mdavidf]

The Aqara app tells you if the lock doesn't fully engage. You can even set Automations to inform you when/if this happens. I have this lock setup on the inner door of my entry mud room. I love it. I have also programmed FOBs for family members. Yes, it is noisy, but honestly, I don't notice it.

[@przemoc297]

I'm using this lock as the "daily" lock - so when I'm going out for a walk with my dog or shopping, I'm closing house only on this lock. For longer absence, I have second master key for security bolts in the door. I've set Thread on SLZB-06M connected to HA as I do not have Apple or Google devices. When I'm out, I'm checking if lock is closed, the same when I'm going to sleep. It works really good right now ;)

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Thanks for your feedback. I'm starting to trust this more and more.

[@alaralumaa]

Hi! I have SLZB-06 töö, but I was not Blw to connect U200 with it. Had many tries without success. How did you manage to co nect U200 with SLZB-06?

[@przemoc297]

@@alaralumaa I've made everything as it's written in official SLZB-06M website about Matter. And then I was able to add a device. Of course, I've bought a new device because currently Zigbee Coordinator and Thread are not working correctly at the same time. So one is set for zigbee, second device for Thread. Look in google for "Connecting Matter-over-Thread Device to Home Assistant slzb-06"

[@MAMDAVEM]

Although I don't use smart locks I have made a Homeassistant sensor that indicates when the door is locked or not. To make this sensor I modified a Sonoff door sensor by extending the terminals that go to the reed switch and connected them to two springs mounted on a simple 3D printed base which sits inside the pocket that the dead bolt slides into when the door is locked. When the door is locked the dead bold makes connection across the two springs, makes the circuit and the door sensor indicated closed/locked.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Sounds like a great solution!

[@mordyadler4605]

Its silly to worry about the security of your front door lock. No criminal is going to bother picking or hacking the lock. They just break a window. Statistically most break-ins happen through an unlocked front door so having a lock that can reduce the amount of time the door is unlocked is a win.

[@ramirofdez.6630]

thanks for fix the subtitles, great review of interesting product

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

No problem! Thanks for watching! Glad you liked the product review!

[@johnhubbard3879]

Thanks for the video Ed. I have the Aqara U100 on my front door and for the most part it has been pretty reliable. I do not use the auto-lock feature for various reasons, but I can tell you that moisture really does affect the fingerprint sensor. If I am sweaty after a brisk walk or run, the fingerprint sensor simply does not work. It has been very frustrating. I am shopping around for locks that work well with Home Assistant (I am in the US BTW), and I have not come to any conclusions yet, but probably will not get an Aqara.

[@mdavidf]

After conducting some research, I bought two different FOBs that work great. The FOBs just need to be 13.56mhz MIFARE.

[@OlegAbd]

Thanks for the great review. One question - do I need Aqara M3 hub to connect it to Home Assistant, or any thread router is ok to do this?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Any thread border router should work. I used the Apple Homepod mini.

[@guussprokkereef8967]

I totally agree with your doubt to trust the security of a smart lock. Is it cloud connected or not. Maybe more importantly, what does your insurance company think about it? We have an alarm system in our house, which is connected to home assistant. I have created a read-only user to check the status of the alarm and various sensors in HA. If the alarm is turned on, lights and radio are turned off etc.

[@danielshiloah1485]

From the security aspect, I have a a Nuki smart lock and they implement an encryption method that are used in banks. and are newly certified every year. so if someone is able to hack it he can hack the bank and skip breaking in to homes :) BUT this is only if you use the keypad and app using Bluetooth . You should check how AQARA is keeping the device safe, maybe it will ease your fear. If you exposed it to your network then it is as good as your network security, which with a strong password should be pretty secure. It would be easier to lockpick you door, clone your key, break a window etc. Enjoy your new smart lock experience! a world without keys and remote access when needed!

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Thanks! My fear is a lot less already.

[@grant_HH]

I like the idea of a smart lock. Multiple adults in the house all coming and going at different times, it would be useful to be able to check that the door is locked when out. but with a UPVC door that has multipoint locks if the door is unlocked the smart lock wouldn't be able to lift the handle to engage the locks before turning the key meaning it couldn't lock the door anyway.

[@CoLeTheGamR123]

They wrote on Aqara's site "Apple 2 in 1 Matter and Thread Border router needed for Watch and iPhone unlock", that means if I have a Skyconnect or Sonoff Thread USB border router connected to Home Assistant like most of you, that wont work with Apple stuffs? Only if I buy a 2in1 Apple router? Thank you! Its really important to get an answer to my question.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

I don't know. I didn't connect my watch.

[@zedtrek]

would this work in the UK? door are different compared to some other European countries....

[@gedgicat2063]

Great video, like the concept, but these locks never seem to work with the UK door locking system (which requires you to lift the door handle), they also seem bulky.

[@noloboy]

I wish they made a zigbee version of this specific model. I've had extremely bad experience with Matter devices in my HA for some reason.

[@cr0ft-2k]

Personally I would prefer Z-Wave. Way longer range, less interference than in the 2.4 GHz band.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Yeah, I still prefer Zigbee as well, although Matter works fine on my system.

[@noloboy]

@@cr0ft-2k actually very true. Im currently using my zwave deadbolt lock schlage be469 and it is starting to show its age. Been rock solid for years. Zwave I think is much better with zigbee since Im having random drop outs on some of zigbee devices and extremely rarely on my zwave devices.

[@cr0ft-2k]

@@noloboy There's so much in the open 2.4 GHz band... microwaves, Bluetooth, old Wifi, and a ton of other devices that use the freely usable band. Z-Wave unfortunately isn't universal, different wavelengths in different parts of the world, plus licensing.

[@markusheitmann]

I have 2x yale linus and one yale Doorman.. it hasnt fail me once in 3 years

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Nice! Sounds like you've got the best team of locks on your side!

[@RetroCZ]

Thank you for video. Can you pleas answer few questions? How did you make dashboard card with lock and battery status? Did you use template card? Can you share with us?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Yes, use the Mushroom Template card.

[@Jeroen_a]

I also have trust issues with any automatic lock. Though it might take away my own distrust in knowing if i closed the lock or not.... though new door and lock (1 yr)... i don't think it's an emergency lock. I think it does not take a key from both sides at the same time.... This will make installing it about 70 euro's (guess) more expensive....

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Yes, I had the same issue...

[@tsuna9472]

Thanks to this review i bought the u200 with the affiliated link from this video. Installing went without a single problem. Installing firmware no problem. But when i tried to add it to Home Assistant it said no device detected so that was a real bummer. I can't seem to get it to work with home assistant 😢

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Do you have a thread border router in your house?

[@tsuna9472]

@SmartHomeJunkie i have a skyconnect. Flashed with thread only firmware setup in my HAOS

[@fredjaspers4364]

What happens when the smart lock is unable to turn the key into it’s lock position? Will it do a retry and send a failure condition if unsuccessful?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Good question, but I cannot think of a scenario where the lock is unable to turn the key into it's lock position. It just uses the existing key and turns it. I don;t see why it shouldn't be able to turn it in the lock position? Maybe I'm not getting your question right?

[@myactive7767]

@@SmartHomeJunkie Es könnte manipuliert worden sein (!?) Will hier nicht verraten, wie einfach ich mir das vorstelle, aber es kann ja sein 🤔Gibt es eine Fehlermeldung?

[@MrCardeso]

@@SmartHomeJunkie The door may not be fully in a closed position, thus not allowing the bolt to slide in. It happens to be every now and then, and I have to adjust the door to allow it to be locked.

[@DroctorBlade]

I think this question is best directed to Aqara. I agree with you that failures can occur, and it’s important to understand how the lock notifies or responds in such situations. It’s a great question!

[@fredjaspers4364]

@ well there are doors where you have to lift the handle up first before you can turn the key. So if you forget this you can not fully turn the key to it’s end position.

[@syukrishahabuddin4618]

I dont have other aqara devices. Do i need an aqara hub to setup and then only add into home assistant with matter. Or it can be added into home assistant without aqara hub?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

You need a least a thread border router in your home.

[@JottyOL]

I can easily lose my key or let a window or the terrace door open. Burglars are searching for opportunities to enter a house easily and quickly. I don’t think a smart lock is the weakest part. But I prefer a combination of geofencing and bluetooth connectivity, because my tado lock is only reacting on my and my families devices.

[@dannyvanoijen6175]

Hi, i would be interested in setting up Matter with Home Assistant (with slzb-06) would it be possible to create a video about that?

[@gurkanyesilgun]

Hello Junkie, Thanks for the great video. I currently use a Yale Linus smart lock. With the Yale Home integration, there is a sensor in the Home Assistant that shows which user has opened or closed the lock. So, for example, when I'm cooking in the kitchen and a family member comes home, I can send a tts message to be notified 😀 Is there such a sensor in the Home Assistant for the Aqara U200?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

No, not (yet).

[@julianborislavov9416]

HI @SmartHomeJunkie for sharing this information. , I bought Aqara U200 a week ago and I am still having trouble connecting to Home Assistant or with Alexa Echodot 5th Gene. Both devices are supported by Aqara. Do toy have anything specific on your Home Assistant device such as Bluetooth in other to get connected.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

You need a thread border router in your house. And I think it's not possible to connect it both to Apple Homekit and Home Assistant, but In not sure.

[@julianborislavov9416]

@@SmartHomeJunkie What thread router do you use?

[@ExoPhotography1]

I presume one can use their old key from the outside in the event of the batteries dies or something?

[@darknessblades]

I would be more interested in using the keypad of that smartlock as a password/security panel controller

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

That would be awesome, but I don't think you can use it for that unfortunately.

[@darknessblades]

@@SmartHomeJunkie Its truly a shame. have seen a few TUYA/zigbee based ones on aliexpress, but sadly many of the keypads use BT to communicate with the other half/hub

[@LeSneuque]

I use a Ring keypad with z-wave as a keypad for alarmo

[@Saihan.]

Can it be used with the key that needs to be pushed in to turn?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

I don't know. I don't have such a lock.

[@joostburcksen1875]

I have two locks on my front door. Can the keypad unlock two locks in one action?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

You should be able to do this using an automation. If lock A is open, then open lock B as well. But I don't think you can pair one keypad to multiple U200 locks by default.

[@cr0ft-2k]

The style of lock I have on my front doors is not a deadbolt so I would probably have to swap the whole lock (or door... but probably just the lock) before getting a lock. I have to say though that I'm slowly beginning to lean towards wanting one. Having to dig out a key every time I get home is starting to get a little annoying. As long as the lock is entirely on the inside of the door it doesn't seem quite so insecure. Until Home Assistant crashes or there's a power failure and it somehow becomes unlocked... In your case? There seems to be a giant window in the door. If anyone wants in, that's a kick and 10 seconds so how secure are you really? 😀

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Haha, you’re right! With a giant window and a flimsy lock, it’s basically an open invitation! Maybe I should just hang a “Welcome” sign instead!

[@RB-iy3lh]

I use this locks without cloud. Only local.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

You can use it local using Matter, but I think you need the cloud to alter the settings.

[@jovancha-p3l]

When I tried to add U200 to HA, after Scan the Matter QR code, I get the message "Device requires a border router"!

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Yes, if you want to use Matter in your house, you need a thread border router.

[@jovancha-p3l]

@@SmartHomeJunkie Can i use e.g. sonof dongle coordinator or do i have to use m3 hub?

[@tobahnsnm]

How often does it require to replace battarirs?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

It depends on what settings you use. But I will let you know as soon as I have to recharge the battery.

[@tsuna9472]

Smart locks have always intrigued me, but I often wonder if they would work with my door. Perhaps someone can help me answer this question? On the inside, my door has a regular handle, but on the outside, there’s only a knob. To open the door from the outside, the lock needs to turn an additional quarter-turn to unlock. Would a smart lock be able to account for this?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

I believe this should be possible using the manual calibration, but I'd have to test this.

[@LeSneuque]

There is a setting in the app which opens the door for 2 seconds by turning the lock a quarter turn further.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Ah! I did not find that option myself.

[@tsuna9472]

Yes you can add the extra turn very easily and set the time for it. It does warn you it wil use extra battery

[@jo-johomburg481]

I cannot get it to work with Android home assistant compagnon app. It does not add the device after choosing new device in matter without the hub

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Do you have a thread border router in your house?

[@jo-johomburg481]

@SmartHomeJunkie i did create a thread router on my Google display and now it starts to add stuff indeed. I have three displays. One was out of reach. But i could connect one of the thread routers now to the display and able to connect matter stuff now. Thanks! Awesome contributions. I am very happy now.

[@craigsamuels7895]

@SmartHomeJunkie, What NFC card did you use on your U200 ?

[@HesselAnnema]

It is possible that you have already a NFC device in your wallet. Just trying different cards. Bankcard driver's license..if it is accepted you can use it.

[@craigsamuels7895]

@HesselAnnema that's a great idea. Why didn't I think about that 🤦🏾‍♂️. Thanks for that. I will give it a try 👊🏾

[@mdavidf]

I bought two different FOBs that work great. The FOBs need to be 13.56 MIFARE.

[@tomdaxe2121]

my nuki broke a part inside the locking mechanism above the zylinder used to open the door. no key service wanted to help because insurance companies dont pay when the smartlock is the fault. i had to break a glass to enter my own house. never again.

[@joncentel4932]

👍

[@Dane-ish]

I was hoping you would answer “is this safe?” in the video.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

It's actually a question from me that I do sort of answer in the conclusion of the video.

[@moonpunk]

My biggest worry about using these smart locks would be whether my Home Insurance provider would honour any claim in the event of my home being broken into. I worry that they would cite the Smart Lock as an insecurity and would therefore refuse any claim

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

The thing is that the lock does not alter anything on the kicking mechanism itself. And, as long as there is damage shown that someone broke in your house, you will be fine.

[@MartinDolan]

Burglar: "Hmmm 🤔 Should I invest hours researching how to hack each smart lock on the market? Or, Should I just spend 10 minutes on KZbin learning how to pick most locks on the market?" Burglar's buddy: "Oi! Stop standing around day dreaming! I kicked in the door 2 minutes ago, are you going to help me carry this stuff out or what?"

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Dude, just grab the loot and figure out the locks later! Time's a-wasting! :)

[@sunkan85]

probably the thief takes a window, or 2 crowbars. before lockpicking or hacking the lock. easier faster. locks are for keeping honest people out

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

I guess you're right!

[@N-sx4pi]

I don't trust security-relevant devices that rely solely on cloud-based apps for control or configuration, especially those from China. As long as it's unclear whether this device can be configured without the Aqara app or cloud access, I won't consider it and will continue using my door manually.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

I asked Aqara if the lock works local only, but I didn;t get an answer... But anyway, if you use Matter it will be local.

[@N-sx4pi]

Maybe we have to wait till someone figures out how to configure it only using Matter and no app from an App Store ;-)

[@Kwaka_jack]

So pull the smart lock off the door as its only held on with a sticky pad and someone has a key to your house?

[@jeroenalblas]

I was thinking the same thing, but I guess the part with the key is on the INSIDE of the house right? 🤔

[@IainMace]

Edit: oops the key is on the inside | exactly what i thought. a definite no from me.

[@Kwaka_jack]

@@jeroenalblas oh it looked like that part was on the outside. Forget what I said 😂

[@elduinthegreat]

The sticky pad part is on the inside of your house...

[@Jeggo65]

The base plate is also locked with three tiny set screws to the lock cylinder. The sticky pad is just to support the rest/lower part of the base plate. The supplied allen key from Aqara is really crap. It is very weak and gets round after the first usage. Get a professional 1.5mm allen key from Wera or an other known tool company.

[@zedtrek]

Is this 600 pounds?

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

In weight you mean? 😜 No, it's 189 pounds. Check the description for the link.

[@Badg0r]

Just don't add the keypad outside your door. No one will know, and even not be able to open the door with a separate key.

[@marcs.8384]

I also worry about leaving a "physically destroyable" keypad outside my door. So, how would my Summer guests get in? Would they have to install the Aqara App on their own smartphone (using a non-admin username)?

[@sunkan85]

​@@marcs.8384You can always put the keypad on the side of the stairs behind the mailbox or some other well-hidden place

[@dangoras9152]

I wouldn't trust it ....

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Can you elaborate why?

[@themorethemerrier281]

Hard pass for me.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Can you tell why?

[@themorethemerrier281]

@SmartHomeJunkie Sorry, sure. First, I assume it's battery powered. And the thought of coming home tired at night and not being able to open the door because the batteries are dead makes me feel uneasy. Second, the standard setup with the aqara app is cloud-dependent. I don't think that Chinese cloud is more unsafe than US cloud. But cloud is still cloud. I have an aqara motion sensor locally paired to home assistant via the hub. That's 100% local. Therefore, I hope you can make the lock local as well. Third, I do not yet trust the reliability enough to give this thing access to the door. And I have my boiler connected to HA via MQTT. But I personally do not have the use case where these risks are being outweighed by the pros.

[@veryshortclips2723]

Do not trust all these locks, to unsafe

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Can you elaborate on why these are unsafe?

[@veryshortclips2723]

@ my neighbor has had 2 of them. every time the door opened spontaneously when she was not at home. the door regularly stuck open without her even noticing it. not a nice idea. !!

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

Does he own the U200?

[@veryshortclips2723]

@@SmartHomeJunkie no. Nuki. Get me holding back to instal them.

[@waynemenzi4288]

Looks pretty lame.

[@SmartHomeJunkie]

I appreciate your honesty! Everyone has different tastes, and I'd love to hear what you would have liked to see instead.