Aqara’s Home Key-ready smart lock is cheaper during the Big Spring Sale
There are so many great smart locks out there. But one of the best models that iPhone owners should consider buying now is Aqara U400which offers hands-free unlocking when you get close enough. It incorporates Apple’s U1 ultra-wideband chip to authenticate and unlock the door hands-free, so all you have to do is open the door when you get home. This smart lock is first offered during the Big Spring Sale, priced at $229.49 (originally $269.99) on Amazon.
As our reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy said in her hands-on impressions with the U400, hands-free unlocking isn’t new, but it’s the most reliable implementation she’s ever tried. Apple’s Home Key relies on a mix of Bluetooth and UWB to connect and authenticate, and you don’t need an additional app.
In addition to using Home Key, you can unlock the U400 with a code on its touchscreen keypad, via an enrolled fingerprint, or with a regular old key. It’s a Matter-over-Thread lock that works with your choice of smart home ecosystems. You’ll just need a Thread border router (recent Apple TV models, the second-generation HomePod, and the HomePod Mini are just a few examples of border routers at varying prices) to allow your devices to communicate over Thread rather than just Wi-Fi, saving doorbell battery along the way.
