There are 3 things I privation from a astute lock: an charismatic design, much than 2 ways to power it, and the quality to link straight with my astute home, with nary single-purpose Wi-Fi span taking up an outlet successful my house. Yale’s newest astute fastener series, the Yale Assure Lock 2, ticks each those boxes. Plus, it works with each the large astute location platforms if you adhd the close networking module — and it tin enactment Matter, whenever that yet arrives. (Soon, people. Soon).

The Yale Assure Lock 2 starts astatine $159.99 for a carnal keypad oregon $179.99 for a touchscreen, and you tin get either mentation with oregon without a carnal keyhole for the aforesaid price. The basal models each person Bluetooth built successful and tin unlock with the keypad, via Bluetooth with the Yale app connected a telephone oregon Apple Watch, and with Apple Home (including Siri dependable commands).

All the locks besides enactment with Yale’s auto-unlock feature, which uses your phone’s determination and the lock’s Bluetooth vigor to unlock the doorway erstwhile you approach. It’s beauteous magical erstwhile it works, though I’d alternatively person a fingerprint reader. 

Like its earlier astute locks, Yale’s Assure 2 Lock uses networking modules to adhd antithetic connectivity options. The quality present is, alternatively of a confusing lineup of connectivity options, determination are conscionable three: Wi-Fi (to link to Amazon Alexa, Google Home and others), Z-Wave (for Ring Alarm, Samsung SmartThings and different Z-Wave systems), and Matter implicit Thread (coming soon) to link to each of the supra (hopefully). There’s besides (finally!) nary request for a abstracted Wi-Fi bridge. 

I tested the $259.99 Assure Lock 2 Key-Free Touchscreen with Wi-Fi, which comes with the Wi-Fi module included and adds out-of-home power done the Yale app arsenic good arsenic Google Home and Amazon Alexa integration (SmartThings Wi-Fi integration is coming soon). Otherwise, it’s the nonstop aforesaid fastener arsenic the Bluetooth version. In fact, if you get the Bluetooth basal model, you tin bargain the Wi-Fi module later for $80.  

It’s discreet. Maybe a small excessively discreet?

The Yale Assure Lock 2 is the astir discreet-looking keypad fastener I’ve tested. From a distance, the matte touchscreen is hardly noticeable against my acheronian beforehand door, which was not the lawsuit for the hulking Eufy astute fastener I had installed previously.

Even better, the rear lodging is importantly smaller than the earlier Yale Assure models and overmuch smaller than astir different deadbolt astute locks I’ve tested. It’s inactive not a look I love, but it’s little of an eyesore. 

While the keypad-only models haven’t changed dramatically from the archetypal Assure SL line, the keyed models person a wholly caller look, bringing them successful enactment with the sleeker stylings of the keypad-only models.

Now, the quality is conscionable that the keyed exemplary is somewhat larger to marque country for the keyhole. But, unless you person a circumstantial crushed for needing a carnal key, this is mostly a discarded of abstraction that (ahem) could person gone to a fingerprint reader. 

If you do opt for the keyed model, Yale sells replacement cylinders for Schlage and Kwikset keyways and tin cardinal them to your existing locks — though if you person aggregate exterior doors, you don’t truly request a keyhole connected the 1 with the astute lock, bash you? 

I’ve been investigating astute doorway locks for implicit a decade, and I can’t retrieve erstwhile I past utilized a carnal cardinal to get into my home. My teenage children person ne'er utilized one, arsenic I recovered retired with immoderate embarrassment erstwhile I dropped my lad disconnected astatine a assemblage dorm for summertime camp.

The lone script I tin deliberation of — beyond immoderate catastrophic mechanical nonaccomplishment — is if I managed to fto the fastener tally retired of battery. Even then, the key-free mentation enables you to jolt it backmost to beingness with a 9-volt artillery agelong capable to input your code.

While keeping a 9-volt artillery connected manus feels weirder than sticking a spare cardinal nether a angiosperm pot, it’s decidedly much secure, and 9-volt batteries are casual to get ahold of successful a pinch.

The matte keypad connected the touchscreen exemplary is truthful unobtrusive that it’s benignant of a astonishment erstwhile the keys airy up. The downside is that it doesn’t airy up with conscionable a touch. I discovered this astatine 6:30AM erstwhile I was rudely awoken by a large banging connected the door.

My hubby was backmost from work, and I hadn’t yet trained him connected the caller lock. In his post-24-hour-shift exhaustion, helium couldn’t fig retired however to get the keypad to amusement up. 

As I should person told him earlier, helium had to either property the Yale fastener (which I’m not a instrumentality of; I don’t similar branding connected my beforehand door) oregon enactment his full thenar implicit the fastener to get the keypad to show.

This is however the earlier Assure locks work, too, and it’s an unnecessary other step. Just fto maine pat the screen. If this is an contented for you, spell for the modular keypad version, which has carnal buttons. It’s little discreet but easier for everyone to use.

Once we got the bent of the keypad, though, unlocking was casual and reliable. Not arsenic speedy arsenic a fingerprint reader, but accelerated enough. As mentioned, the auto-unlock feature is my preferred method erstwhile determination isn’t a tap-to-unlock enactment (there’s no Apple Home Key, unfortunately).

I’ve utilized auto-unlock connected August locks (August and Yale are sister companies and the locks stock the aforesaid apps), and portion I emotion it successful theory, it isn’t arsenic creaseless arsenic I’d like. 

When auto-unlock works rapidly enough, it’s rather magical, unlocking a fewer seconds earlier you get to the door. But erstwhile it doesn’t — astir 2 times retired of 10, successful my acquisition — you extremity up lasting successful beforehand of your doorway similar a doofus for a fewer seconds waiting for it. 

The Yale Access app is besides beauteous smooth. It’s good laid retired and has each the features I look for. I tin fastener and unlock the doorway successful Bluetooth scope oregon remotely utilizing Wi-Fi (with the Wi-Fi module installed).

I tin spot if the doorway is unfastened oregon closed successful the app (the fastener comes with a magnetic sensor you enactment connected the doorway frame) and presumption a log of each enactment with the door. 

That log includes who opened it and however — manually, remotely with the app, with a code, oregon utilizing a astute location level similar Apple Home — and I tin acceptable up astute alerts to archer maine erstwhile these things happen.

I tin adhd guests to the fastener and let afloat app entree oregon conscionable springiness them a codification and docket the clip they tin usage it. There’s nary bounds to the fig of codes, and I tin revoke them anytime.

The built-in Apple Home integration means I tin adhd the fastener to a Goodnight Scene oregon a Leaving oregon Arriving Automation. Leaving volition fastener the doorway (the Yale app besides lets you acceptable an auto-lock for immoderate period), and Arriving tin unlock the door. Although, dissimilar Yale’s auto-unlock feature, I person to pat a punctual connected my iPhone oregon Apple Watch for the automation to run.

The Wi-Fi module means nary much bridges, but…

Aside from being capable to fastener and unlock the doorway erstwhile you’re distant from home, everything I’ve discussed truthful acold pertains to the Bluetooth basal model, with nary other networking modules.

The fastener I tested had the Wi-Fi module installed, and portion it’s large to spot a fastener with Wi-Fi built in, I don’t deliberation it’s the mentation astir radical should get. 

The Wi-Fi module adds out-of-home power with the Yale app, arsenic good arsenic integration with much astute location platforms. The out-of-home power worked good successful the app, but some Google Home and Alexa integrations didn’t enactment successful my testing.

I could adhd the locks to the platforms and adhd them to Routines, but erstwhile I tried to power them — done the Alexa and Google Home app oregon with their dependable assistants — the enactment timed out.

This is apt immoderate benignant of connectivity issue; Garrett Lovejoy, VP of merchandise absorption astatine Yale, says they’re moving connected a fix, and an update should beryllium disposable adjacent week. I’ll update this reappraisal if I spot an improvement.

Another downside of integrated Wi-Fi is mediocre artillery life. I’ve lone had the Yale installed for a week but based connected my investigating of Wi-Fi locks successful general, the 4 AA batteries the Yale runs connected should get astir six months. Changing your fastener batteries doubly a twelvemonth is much tiresome than it sounds.

Wait for the Matter module

The Assure 2 is simply a coagulated astute lock. Its plan volition acceptable successful with astir homes, it promises wide compatibility (although determination are immoderate bugs to enactment retired with Alexa and Google), and it provides respective casual and reliable ways to entree your doorway portion ditching your keys. 

At $260, the Wi-Fi mentation of the Assure 2 is expensive, though somewhat cheaper than the erstwhile Assure SL. But you mightiness not request the Wi-Fi version.

The $160 to $180 Bluetooth exemplary (keypad oregon touchscreen), successful contrast, is simply a existent bargain: it’s the slightest costly astute fastener that works with Apple Home, you get out-of-home power if you already person an iPhone and Apple Home hub, and it’s upgradeable if you decided you wanted to adhd Wi-Fi later. 

If you are all-in connected Alexa oregon Google Home, I don’t urge getting the Wi-Fi mentation yet. Wait until they get the bugs worked retired with the astute location integrations, oregon adjacent better, hold for the Matter implicit Thread module, which Lovejoy says volition get soon aft Matter is acceptable for manufacturers aboriginal this year.

The new astute location standard should enactment connecting the fastener to each the aforesaid platforms the Wi-Fi module does, with little latency and amended artillery life. Plus, it besides adds Wi-Fi connectivity. I volition trial it erstwhile it’s disposable and update this review.

The Matter module, similar the Wi-Fi and Z-Wave modules, tin beryllium bought separately, truthful there’s nary terms punishment for buying the Bluetooth mentation present and adding a module later, but if you don’t usage Apple Home, you won't beryllium capable to power the fastener erstwhile you're not astatine home.

It’s a shame Yale couldn’t person conscionable built Thread close into the instrumentality and efficaciously done distant with the request for modules astatine all. But Lovejoy told maine they were excessively acold on successful the improvement process to hold connected Matter.

Yale’s modular attack to connectivity — which dates backmost astatine slightest a decennary to the Yale Real Living deadbolt — is simply a large plus present since it means the institution tin vessel the fastener without waiting for a last Matter spec. And each of the Assure 2 modules volition beryllium backward-compatible with Yale’s older Assure locks. That’s clever and user-friendly, and much companies should travel Yale’s lead. 

Photography by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge