Traditional locks, while familiar, can be limiting. Constantly searching for lost keys or granting access to trusted individuals can feel inconvenient and cumbersome. Investing in a smart home lock offers many benefits for families and can add to the security of people living alone.
These ingenious smart locks can be used to secure your home against intruders and let the right people in. But, it also informs you (even remotely) of who is accessing your home while you’re away.
READ MORE: Best Budget-Friendly Smart Home Security System
If you’ve already got smart home tools in place, you can easily integrate smart locks from Aqara into your home security system. These locks offer many ways to secure your home and are easy to install.
Is A Smart Lock Worth The Money?
Smart locks offer undeniable convenience, but is the upgrade worth the cost? Yes! Definitely.
Quality smart locks offer many benefits if you prioritize home security and safety. You can:
- Give a numerical passcode to your housekeeper
- Open your home with your voice when your hands are full
- Find out when your kids enter the house after school
- Store fingerprints for your whole family
- Easily open your door with a locally stored passcode
The best budget smart lock can be installed easily on almost any door and will provide you with security and the information you need to know who is in your home.
What To Look For When Choosing The Best Budget Smart Lock
You need a smart lock that offers several methods of access. You also need the best affordable smart lock that’s easy to program. Handing out keys was the only way to give others access to your home.
Now, you can create unique codes or a collection of fingerprints to make sure your home is only accessed by those you mean to invite in.
Security
The Aqara U100 offers many ways to open your smart lock. Smartphones and smartwatches can be connected to open them. Fingerprints and number codes can also be used to open your door. Anytime your smart lock is accessed or access to your home is attempted, you’ll get a notification.
Installation Difficulty
Smart locks are not hard to install, but they are installed differently than traditional locks. The first step is to ensure your door is well-balanced and centered in the frame. If you have to maneuver the door to get it to fully close so the deadbolt lines up, a smart lock may have a tough time closing effectively.
Secondly, take a look at the shape and trim of the door. Smart locks have a large thumb plate; it’s the platform that houses all the electronics. If your door is heavily trimmed or carved, a smart lock may not be possible to install without the help of a chisel or a carpenter. But don’t fret! It’s still possible to install it DIY, but you would need appropriate tools for installation.
Smart Home Compatibility
Many smart home locks must have Wi-Fi access to function. You can set up your Aqara U100 with a locally held passcode. Even if your home loses power and/or Wi-Fi, this Aqara smart door lock has a mechanical key and USB-C charging port so you can get back into your home safely.
Additional Features
Your Aqara U100 can let you in with fingerprint sensor recognition and with its voice assistant integration. Having a fingerprint feature and voice assistant can make entries easier for you and harder for unwanted guests.
If your hands are full, the voice assistant recognition could make it much easier to get into your home. If you’re concerned that someone may be following you, the voice recognition feature could give you immediate access from a distance so you could get behind that locked door.
Price
Nobody should have to skip home security to protect their budget. You can get a terrific budget smart lock from the Aqara store and our accredited distributors near you.
The Best Budget Smart Locks
If you look for cheap smart locks, you’re likely going to come up with a wide array of products. Some may require wi-fi while others limit methods of access. To make sure that your family and home are safe, consider the Aqara U100. This smart lock offers many features that will increase your safety.
You can add passwords that are held locally. If severe storms or other hazards threaten your area and your internet goes down, you can still get in your home quickly. If you’re concerned that someone might gain access to your passcode, you can create a jumble of numbers that holds your passcode inside the fake numbers.
Once your Aqara hub is set up and connected, you can use your phone or your Apple watch to quickly enter your home. Whether you’re concerned about hazards behind you or just have your arms full of groceries, you can get inside your home with a proximity release feature.
Homeowners can also program their Aqara smart lock for a specific entry. You can set up a one-time password for guests or contractors. Your housekeeper can have her code. Your children can also have their code and you can set up a notification to give you a heads-up when they’re home. If your children are on their own for a time after school, you can be confident that they’re safely settled into your home.
These real-time reports can take a lot of pressure off of working parents. You’ll be able to monitor your child’s entrance to the space and get information about any other attempted access to the home.
Finally, your Aqara U100 will work with other smart home platforms. You can lock or unlock your door with voice commands. If you have a door camera, you’ll get a notification when someone accesses, or attempts to access, your smart home lock.
Where To Buy The Best Budget Smart Locks
You can find the best affordable smart locks from Aqara both online and in-store. If you purchase your smart lock from our store, it’s also a good idea to check out other useful cost-effective security devices to keep your family and home as safe as possible.
