Aqara launches its first matter-over-thread good lock with the promise of Dwelling Key help

Aqara has launched its good lock U200 on Kickstarter, the place you’ll be able to presently buy the gadget for $209, down from the $249.99 it'll price you when it goes on sale later this 12 months. In line with the Kickstarter web page, it is going to be shipped to backers in April.

The corporate launched its new retrofit lock on the IFA 2023 tech present final summer season; Showcasing its Matter-over-Thread connectivity and separate Bluetooth keypad with fingerprint reader and NFC. It provides you the choice to unlock with a digital code, Aqara NFC card, voice management with the Aqara app in your cellphone, and appropriate voice assistants. , That is along with nonetheless with the ability to use your current key (a minimum of for US locks).

Particularly for retrofit locks (the place you don't want to switch your current door lock), the U200 can work with US-style deadbolts And European mortise locks. Most solely work with one or the opposite. The lock additionally comes with a chargeable battery that Aqara says can present a minimum of six months of battery life based mostly on eight entries per day. that's spectacular. The wi-fi keypad makes use of 4 AA batteries or might be related to the doorbell wiring.

Matter compatibility ought to imply it could actually work with any platform appropriate with the brand new good residence normal, together with Amazon Alexa, Apple Dwelling, and Google Dwelling. Nevertheless, Aqara says compatibility shall be applied in phases, and has not offered a timeline. At launch, the lock will work with the Aqara app and the upcoming Aqara Hub M3.

Different upgrades Aqara has promised embrace help for auto-unlocking, so your door unlocks as you method, and the Apple Dwelling key. It says it’s awaiting certification from Apple and plans to roll out the potential by way of OTA replace.

When Dwelling Key help arrives, the U200 shall be one of many first Matter-over-Thread-compliant locks to help it and the primary lock in Europe to make use of Apple's Simple Unlocking methodology that locks your iPhone and Apple Watch into one key. Will change.

There at the moment are many good locks that help Matter, however there are only a few that help Matter in comparison with Thread. This mesh wi-fi protocol helps longer battery life than Wi-Fi and provides Web connectivity for out-of-home management with out the necessity for a proprietary bridge or built-in Wi-Fi. (As a substitute, you want a Thread Border Router, just like the Aqara Hub M3).

At CES this 12 months, U-Tech introduced a brand new miter-over-thread lock, however with out Dwelling Key help. Yale has a thread module for his or her older Guarantee SL lock that works with the miter however not the house key. The Nuki has a miter-over-thread lock, however just for European locks and once more, no residence key.

Aqara's personal U100 good lock helps Matter and Dwelling keys however works over Zigbee by way of the Aqara Hub as a substitute of Thread. Then its stage with residence key lock and thread help is indicated, however no thread but.

Nevertheless, it's clear that Apple Dwelling Key’s increasing. A number of new residence key locks had been introduced at CES 2024, together with locks from U-Tech, TP-Hyperlink, and Lockly. And now that Dwelling Key works with Matter (Apple added HomeKey help to Matter with iOS 17), I count on to see much more. Particularly since producers aren’t required to be HomeKit licensed to make use of HomeKey; They only must have Bus Matter certification, MFi certification, and the appropriate {hardware}. Simple, proper?