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Want to make your home safer and more secure? It may be time to invest in an intelligent lock, AKA smart lock. A smart lock gives you the ability to unlock the door without a physical key.
It also enables you to track the comings and goings of family members or visitors. Read on to see our picks for the best intelligent locks that are smart for your home.
What is an Intelligent Lock?
An intelligent lock is a lock that can be controlled by a smartphone app. It enables you to lock or unlock your door remotely, whether you’re inside the house, down the street, or in another country.
A smart lock alleviates any worries about leaving the door unlocked. Intelligent locks allow you to let visitors, such as family members or your house cleaner, in from anywhere.
Smart locks typically interface with voice assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa so you can control them with your voice.
Some smart locks even have built-in security cameras and/or alarm systems.
| Best Intelligent Locks | Product Information | Check Price |
|---|---|---|
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Top | Kwikset Halo Touch Traditional Arched Wi-Fi Fingerprint Smart Lock No Hub Required | Check Price |
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Top | Level Bolt, The Invisible Smart Lock. Bluetooth Deadbolt, Keyless Entry, Smartphone Access, Sharing | Check Price |
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Top | Level Touch, Keyless Entry Using Touch, a Key Card, or Smartphone. Bluetooth Enabled, HomeKit Compatible | Check Price |
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Top | August Wi-Fi, (4th Generation) Smart Lock – Fits Your Existing Deadbolt in Minutes | Check Price |
The Best Intelligent Locks That Are Smart for Your Home
Kwikset Halo Touch Traditional Arched Wi-Fi Fingerprint Smart Lock
- Wi-Fi Enabled: HALO Touch is a Wi-Fi connected fingerprint door lock that connects directly to your home Wi-Fi network and smartphone
- SmartKey Security: Protects against advanced break-in techniques and allows you to re-key your lock yourself in seconds
- Kwikset products compatible with the Kwikset App only work in the United States and Canada
The Kwikset Halo Touch Traditional Arched Wi-Fi Fingerprint Smart Lock makes biometrics accessible for the average homeowner.
This $249 intelligent lock has built-in wi-fi and a fingerprint scanner to access your home with a single touch.
With a brushed nickel exterior, this sleek-looking rectangular lock has no keypad, only the fingerprint scanner. It’s easy to install and set up, requiring only three fingerprint scans to add a new user.
Users can be restricted to certain times of day or days of the week, a great feature for letting in your house cleaner or other service people.
The lock supports up to 50 users. Using the app you can manually lock or unlock your door, and it also keeps a historical record of users’ comings and goings.
The app also interfaces with Alexa or Google Assistant, so by speaking a PIN out loud you can open the lock.
Overall, the Kwikset Halo Touch is a high-quality option if you want to access your home via finger scan over the usual keypad.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Fingerprint recognition | Expensive |
| Alexa and Google Assistant support | No IFTTT or Apple HomeKit support |
| Easy to install | App lags when changing settings |
| Best Intelligent Locks Reviews |
Level Bolt, The Invisible Smart Lock
- Make Your Lock Smart: Designed to replace your current deadbolt, Level Bolt is the only way to invisibly transform your lock.
- Designed for Everyone: Give friends and family the convenience of using their phone, voice, or a key to enter your home.
- Stay Connected: Works with iOS and Android. HomeKit compatible.
If you want an intelligent lock that doesn’t look like one, look no further than Level Bolt the Invisible Smart Lock.
Unlike the other best intelligent locks that have visible keypads or fingerprint scanners, the Level Bolt just looks like a regular lock.
How do they do it? They manage to fit all the technology inside the hole cut for your existing door hardware. And with no wires to connect, the Level Bolt couldn’t be easier to install.
The Level mobile app is very easy to use and is set up via Bluetooth (or Apple HomeKit).
The app shows you at a glance the status of your door: white is open, black is locked. It also keeps an activity log of the last 30 comings and goings.
You can invite new users to open the lock forever or on a limited-time basis. However, they will need to install the app in order to access the door.
Overall, if you hate the look of most smart locks and/or have a smart home that uses Apple HomeKit, Level Bolt is a great smart lock for you.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Doesn't look like a smart lock | Only works with standard-size doors |
| Apple HomeKit integration | Fairly expensive |
| Easy to install | |
| Best Intelligent Locks Reviews |
Level Touch, Keyless Entry Using Touch, a Key Card, or Smartphone
- Impossibly Small Design: By hiding technology on the inside of the door, Level Touch is the smallest smart lock ever made.
- Powerful & Secure: Meets the highest industry standards for security, durability, and finish and certified BHMA AAA.
- Stay Connected: Works with iOS and Android. HomeKit compatible.
Think of the Level Touch as the slightly more sophisticated older sibling to the Level Bolt. This one entirely replaces your existing deadbolt, including faceplates.
From the outside, it simply looks like a standard deadbolt.
The Level Touch smart lock offers sharing access on a forever or limited-time basis, and auto lock and unlock when you leave or arrive home.
The smartphone app works with Apple HomeKit and you can also use voice commands via Siri.
The Touch builds on the Bolt by adding a touch to lock or unlock feature. It also has NFC technology enabling you to use programmable NFC cards so you can give guests revokable keycards to access your home.
The Level Touch also comes in four different finishes to match your home: satin nickel, satin chrome, polished brass and matte black.
Overall, the Level Touch is a fantastically sophisticated smart lock that doesn’t look like a smart lock, but it is pricey at $329.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to install | Expensive |
| Three options for unlocking | Limited smart home integrations |
| Comes in 4 finishes | |
| Best Intelligent Locks Reviews |
August Wi-Fi Smart Lock
- A key that works everywhere. Lock the front door. And unlock it. From anywhere.
- Never fumble for your keys against Auto-unlock detects when you arrive and unlocks the door. Enable auto-lock to lock when the door closes.
- The 4th generation smart lock from August, now 45% smaller.
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock replaces your existing interior thumb turn lock mechanism but utilizes the rest of your current lock hardware, even the keys (not that you’ll be using them!).
With built in wifi, it’s easy to set up and get connected.
Lock and unlock your door using the August smart phone app or via Apple HomeKit. You can also utilize voice commands via Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.
You can also create IFTTT applets to integrate it with numerous smart home devices. It also integrates with home security and automation systems by Logitech, Samsung and SimpliSafe.
Auto-lock and unlock features mean you’ll never have to fumble for your keys again. However, it uses CR123 batteries and the battery life is only about 3 months, so keep extra batteries on hand.
The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock has a sleek design that comes in black or silver to match most modern homes.
Overall, it’s one of the best smart home locks on the market due to its third-party integrations and ease of installation.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to install | Expensive |
| Auto-lock and unlock feature | Limited battery life |
| Compatible with Alexa, Google, IFTTT, Apple HomeKit | |
| Best Intelligent Locks Reviews |
Features to Look for in the Best Intelligent Locks
Voice Assistant Support
If you’re a fan of Siri, Google Assistant, or Alexa, look for an intelligent lock that supports it. This way, you’ll be able to lock or unlock your door just by speaking to it.
(You’ll typically have to provide a PIN code for unlocking, for safety reasons.)
Keypad Entry
If you know you’ll have visitors who don’t have smartphones, look for a smart lock with a keypad. This way, you can share a PIN code with people so they can access your home.
Fingerprint Scanning
If you want to feel like James Bond when entering your home, look for a smart lock with a fingerprint scanner.
It’s hard to beat the security of only being able to access your front door with the proper fingerprint.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve seen our picks for the best intelligent locks, are you ready to outfit your home with one? A smart lock can make your home safer and more secure, as well as make everyday life easier.
The convenience of being able to remotely grant access to visitors can’t be beat, and auto-lock/unlock features mean never digging for your keys again.
