In a connected home, we often start with lighting and motion sensors. These are often the easiest accessories to set up and which are really useful on a daily basis because we can take complete control over the atmosphere of our interior. But when we start to go further, we can definitely tackle the security of our home with alarm systems or even connected locks. This is why we offer you today the Aqara Smart Lock U200 test, a Matter connected lock that adapts to your device. your traditional equipment.
Aqara Smart Lock U200 , compatibility Matter
The Aqara Smart Lock U200 connected lock is compatible with the Matter via Thread technology, making it compatible with almost all modern home automation systems. It is also equipped with Bluetooth to work independently if you do not want to use it with a bridge or service such as Aqara Home (of course), Apple Home, Alexa, Google Home, IFTTT or Samsung SmartThings. It comes with a keypad, which is not always obvious with the competition (often optional), which allows you to lock or unlock the lock with personal codes, fingerprints or with NFC technology.
Installation of the Smart Lock U200
To install a connected lock, you still need to check its installation beforehand, even if Aqara promises very broad compatibility. We are in France, so we will focus on doors with European cylinders. Aqara supplies different accessories to adapt to a wide range of different cases (double-sided, double-sided shims of different thicknesses, screws, etc.). Personally, I did not want to stick the Smart Lock U200 on my door because I plan to change my front door in the coming months. So, I opted for fixing it on the cylinder using the three small screws pre-installed on the connected lock, which is the simplest installation method. On the other hand, the cylinder must be disengageable (the external key must be able to turn even if there is a key inside) and protrude a few millimeters from the door, which was not my case.
If I had to change my door cylinder, I chose to equip myself with the Aqara adjustable cylinder(available here). Once the cylinder is replaced, all you have to do is tighten the few screws, and here is the main body of the U200 installed on the door and very correctly held. It was rather child's play to do, except that in my configuration, the door handle was annoying for tightening (I could have easily removed it, I admit). The advantage of the Aqara cylinder is that you do not need to leave a key in the cylinder, a hexagonal bit simply fits into the connected lock. If you choose to keep your original cylinder, you will have to be careful about the thickness of your front door key as well as its length. The Aqara has a large travel but it may still not be sufficient from what we have seen in different user reviews.
In France, many entrance doors are equipped with a door handle lifting systemmandatory in order to turn the key in the lock. If this is your case, the Aqara Smart Lock U200 is not for you, you have to study carefully if it is inconvenient for you or not. In my case, you have to wind the handle, but only once, each time you close the door. This leaves the system free to do its job on demand afterwards, but it remains a constraint that I would like to be able to do without because it forces me to do without certain very practical features such as automatic locking.
Configuring the Aqara Smart Lock U200
Once the smart lock is installed on your door, you need to use the Aqara app to configure your smart lock and perform a calibration. Adding it to the manufacturer's app is relatively simple via Bluetooth but a haphazard translation of the app complicates things a bit. If you are comfortable with English, I recommend that you do not use the French app or you will end up pulling your hair out, especially during the automatic calibration step.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000Once the lock is added to the app, you will be able to connect it to a Matter hubof the brand. Be careful, not all hubs of the brand are compatible. I have a simple Aqara E1 at home and it doesn't work with it. But no problem, all my home automation works on Apple Home, then you just have to scan the Matter code on the lock to start the configuration! Disappointment, the problems begin. I had to repeat the procedure several times. An update then seems to have corrected the problem and it ended up working correctly. So I recommend doing the update immediately after adding the connected object to the Aqara application, even if it is not immediately offered.
As for the paving stone tactile, really no problem, everything is automatic and ultra efficient for adding fingerprints.
What does this Aqara Smart Lock U200 do on a daily basis?
For my part, I regularly have errors in locking the lock. Most of the time, these are problems related to the fact that you have to lift the handle relatively hard on my door to allow the cylinder to turn. But this is unfortunately not the only problem encountered. As luck would have it, this morning, the day I am writing this test, the connected lock had decided to stop turning for a reason that completely escapes me because it did not display any error message. I had to perform the calibration step several times and remove the battery in order to finally be able to see the cylinder turn! It is relatively problematic even if it is not blocking because you can always open manually from the inside by turning the mechanism and from the outside with a traditional key. If this happens again, I will not fail to update day the test.
If thanks to Apple Home and the Home Key you can unlock the lock with the iPhone or an Apple Watch in a very simple way by simply approaching the numeric keypad, it is not the method that we find the most effective. The best of the best is clearly the fingerprint! When your fingerprint is detected, the door opens extremely quickly. To close the door, simply press the button with the small padlock so that the locking is carried out. It is really very comfortable on a daily basis. No need to always walk around with a bunch of keys (provided you have 100% confidence in the system).
As for autonomy, it's hard to say after only a few weeks of testing, but the manufacturer announces that the USB-C rechargeable battery should last around 6 months. Moreover, you can recharge the battery while using the lock thanks to a small bag provided allowing you to hang an external battery on the door handle, good idea! The external numeric keypad is weatherproof and works with batteries.
Please note that the Aqara Smart Lock U200 makes noise when the motor starts operating, like most smart locks. It is not very noisy but it can still be disturbing at night, for example. But Aqara has thought of offering a silent mode that can be configured for a time slot. The motor then runs more slowly and makes significantly less noise.
Conclusion
The smart lock is not essential, but it must be admitted that it is a certain comfort in everyday life to be able to open or close with your phone, with your fingerprint or via a simple code (even temporary codes can be created for visitors). Once the relatively simple installation is done, it is a shame that the configuration is a little less easy because of a poorly translated application and some small problems with Matter. Nevertheless, we really like this Aqara Smart Lock U200that we will continue to test for a while to see if the problem of the lock that no longer opens shows itself again.
In any case, the Aqara Smart Lock U200 is currently available at 219.99€ instead of 269.99€ thanks to a discount coupon on Amazon. This may be the opportunity for you to enter the world of the connected lock as I just did.
Positive points: compatible with all the latest innovations in connected objects, works without a Hub (even if it is better with one), great compatibility, efficiency of the NFC and fingerprint numeric keypad, easy to install when you are a bit of a handyman
Negative points: the Aqara application poorly translated, difficult configuration (because of the application), the installation can be a bit complicated with a particular cylinder, some bugs during our test (which we hope can be corrected by updating)