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A quick search on Google for the best smart locks in the UK will reveal many bad suggestions that are not tailored to the UK market.
You have many night latch options available, including Yale keyless connection smart lock; These are very good, but usually not the main locks we use on our outer doors.
Most smart lock guides seem to use August Smart Lock Pro as their first choice. However, this is not designed for the British market. It may be an excellent lock, but it is designed for American doors with a single latch, while typical British uPVC exterior doors use a safer multi-point locking mechanism.
One of the main problems is that the main publications have US and UK versions, but their comments do not take into account regional differences. They only care if the product is listed on Amazon. For example, PCMag UK lists August Smart Lock Pro + Connect as one of their top picks, but if you check the review, the author is located in the United States and quotes prices in USD. The content has just merged with the UK. This is also not a criticism of PCMag; the logistics of having UK and US specific content is very difficult.
Assa Abloy owns Yale and August. The equivalent of August Smart Lock Pro in the UK is Yale Linus Smart Lock, but you rarely see recommended ones.
So, this list is my best selection of UK-specific locks, which are suitable for uPVC exterior doors with European-style cylindrical multi-point locks (most of them are also compatible with other cylinders).
This seems to be a very niche list, but it is actually the list used by most people in the UK (excluding apartments).
related: Yale Linus Smart Lock Review
As mentioned earlier, most other guides recommend August, and Yale Linus Smart Lock is your closest.
This is the lock I personally use on the front door; I have been using it there since the beginning of this year (2021) and have not encountered any major problems at all.
This lock and other locks on the list are more like a smart cylinder/key turner than a real lock. You can install it on an existing key/thumb turn, or replace the entire cylinder with a specially designed adjustable cylinder. This will open or close the lock.
The main advantage of this design is that you can continue to use the mechanical key on the other side of the door. Therefore, it acts as a hybrid smart lock, alleviating people’s concerns about a complete smart lock system.
My negative impact on this is:
- Bluetooth connection is a bit slow, so it may take a few seconds to unlock with a mobile phone or keyboard
- It’s a bit ugly. For most/all uPVC UK doors, the handle extends downward to cover the lock. Therefore, Linus needs to sit on it. It has screws to lock it firmly in place, but it’s not as beautiful as sitting flush on the door.
- When you consider the cost, it is more expensive than others £70 to connect to a Wi-Fi bridge
related: Ultion smart lock review
A generation Review the Ultion smart lock Last July, I used it on my back door because it is another lock that I can personally guarantee, and it works well for a long time.
Technically speaking, this is just Danalock V3 that has been fully integrated into the hardware. Therefore, the overall installation inside is more beautiful than the Yale Linus Smart Lock.
It works on the same principle; all electronic devices turn cylinders. However, in this case, Ultion also provided its own cylinder, which uses one of the exquisite high-security keys with a £2,000 security guarantee.
259 pounds, considering that you have a door handle and a high-security key, this price is reasonable compared to Yale University.
My negative influence on this is:
- Unless you replace the two locks, the French door will end up with mismatched hardware
- The Samsung SmartThings connection seems to be intermittent, which is certainly not as good as the Yale connection bridge. However, it is very rare for me to connect to my lock remotely.
Not really negative or positive, but you can choose Bluetooth model or Apple Homekit, but not both at the same time.
related: Nuki smart lock review
In terms of functionality, this is basically the same as Yale Linus Smart Lock. It sits on the existing hardware and turns the locking mechanism.
It is cheaper than Yale Linus, and they have more accessories, including a keyboard, rechargeable power pack, a remote key and even an ekey uno fingerprint scanner. However, the protection level of the fingerprint scanner is only IP54, so it is not suitable for use in outdoor exposure conditions (taking into account the weather in the UK).
So, for some people, it may be better than Yale, but some of my negative influence on it means that Yale is better for me, personally.
- This also needs to be installed on the top of your door handle (if this is your door design), but the back panel is not fixed in place like Yale
- Plastic manufacturing quality is not as good as Yale
related: Yale Conexis L1 Smart Lock
One of the earliest smart locks on the market, to some extent, is the smartest of all smart locks. This will replace everything and get rid of your key when it exists. Therefore, it is completely intelligent.
This gives you the option to unlock via your phone, or you can use an NFC tag. These come in the form of cards, key tags, or phone tags that you put on the back of your phone/phone case.
The NFC function makes the unlocking experience more seamless than the Bluetooth connection. It just feels smarter.
This will also be integrated with the Yale Smart Alert or Z-Wave system.
With Yale Conexis L1, you can get a lot of hardware, which is cheaper than all other options.
The negative factors include:
- Installation is much more complicated than the relatively simple Linus-although I still manage it myself, and my DIY is terrible
- If the battery is dead, the backup battery option is far less convenient than using an old-fashioned key
- Anxious about possible failure. Even if this is unlikely to happen, it is a common concern for many people.
- The hardware of the French door does not match
- I can use Conexis L1 to find a house a mile away. I think this may be more attractive to thieves whose families are more willing to invest in expensive electronic products (this may be a very inaccurate assumption of mine)
Netatmo smart door lock
Netatmo smart door lock is a fully integrated smart lock cylinder, it will not be placed on top of the key/thumb turn, but it will not replace your hardware.
Although it does use keys, these are just decorative. They are actually NFC key tags, so it best matches Yale Conexis L1.
this Netatmo smart door lock Announced at the beginning of 2020, the release date is the end of 2020, but there is still no sign. Its price is also much higher than competing options. The Covid pandemic may have delayed some things, but there has been no news for more than a year, and I am beginning to wonder if they will launch it.
Last updated on 2021-11-28 / Affiliate link / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API
