Maker of all things smart home, Aqara, has today announced the official launch of its brand new Smart Lock U200, which can retrofit any front door with smart home security, fingerprint recognition, Apple home keys, and more.
The U200 is now available on Amazon in North America (US, Canada) and Europe (France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, UK), as well as through select Aqara retailers worldwide.
It comes with a “hassle-free retrofit design”, so you can upgrade your existing locks, including Euro mortise locks and US deadbolt locks, without getting new keys or modifying your door. Once installed, your front door won’t look out of place in Fort Knox.
Aqara U200: the breakdown
The U200 supports fingerprint recognition and PIN codes. That means you can access your home with just your fingerprint or a personalized code, the latter being easy to share, of course.
More importantly for HomeKit adopters and Apple Home users, it supports both, so you can control your front door from your iPhone or using Siri. There’s also support for Apple home key, so you can access your home with just an iPhone or Apple Watch, again with the capacity for sharing among friends and family.
The U200 also supports Aqara’s NFC key fobs, and of course, a good old-fashioned key in emergencies. The U200 stores data locally and behind encryption, and has protections against hacking as well as a tamper alarm on the keypad. You’ll also get real-time notifications about the status of the lock and your home.
The U200 isn’t cheap at $269, but it’s a serious bit of kit and one of the most potent HomeKit door locks for the Home app we’ve seen to date. Out of your price range? Or are you looking for a different type of smart home gadget, check out the best Prime Day HomeKit deals instead.
