These days, there seems to be all sorts of ways to make your home smarter. Controlling all aspects of your home with the help of technology has become a normal way of life. It can feel like using keys for your front door is so 20th century!
Having a smart lock is a key part of smart home integration. Smart locks act as a gateway to smart homes and Alexa can help centralize control of your locks and smart home.
Alexa is a staple in many homes now, but it’s they’re not compatible with every single smart device out there. I found and compared the best smart locks for Alexa, so you’ll be able to find the right one for your Alexa home.
For those in a hurry, here’s the shortlist of the top 3 smart locks that work with Alexa.
Smart door locks allow you to go in and out of your home using electronic keys, a touchpad, voice activation, or just by being close to the door. Smart locks can also gives you the ability to monitor door activity, like with August’s Door Sense that will give you lock status updates.
Let’s get into the details of Alexa and smart locks to find out how they integrate and which smart locks offer the most value and benefits.
What is Alexa?
I think we all know Alexa by now. If you don’t, Alexa is a virtual home assistant created by Amazon along with their Echo lineup of smart speakers. Alexa provides the convenient voice activation controls for you and your smart home.
Alexa is one of the major voice assistants out there with Google Assistant and their Google Home smart speakers, and Apple’s Siri and the HomePod speakers. An advantage to being one of the top dogs is that you’ll be able to find more compatible devices for Alexa.
In fact, Amazon created their own Door Lock API that was added to their Alexa Skills Kit. That gave support to August locks, Yale, Kwikset, and Schlage. They also gave support to smart hubs SmartThings and Wink.
- Related Article: Does Alexa Need Wi-Fi to Work?
Smart Lock Compatibility Requirements with Alexa
With the Door Lock API, it gives you good native controls with your Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo lineup of smart speakers. You can say “Alexa, lock the front door” (the lock name you gave it) and Alexa will lock the door for you.
In order to pair with Alexa, the smart lock only needs to be connected to a stable WiFi connection. Chances are, you’re going to want to find a smart lock that is fully compatible with your Alexa system.
I did the research and testing work to come up with a list of the 5 best smart locks that work with Alexa.
The 5 Best Smart Locks that Work with Alexa
1. Yale Assure Lock SL – Editor’s Choice
This deadbolt smart lock is a solid offering from Yale, one of the most trusted brands in home and office security products worldwide.
The Yale Assure Lock comes in three options: a keyless entry touchscreen, a keypad with keyhole, and touchscreen keypad with keyhole. The unit itself replaces your existing lock and deadbolt. It’s easy to install, only requiring a screwdriver and your hands.
You have the choice to still be able to have physical backup keys if you ever need them. There are also a variety of styles for you to choose from and you’re sure to find a style that fits your home’s design.
Yale has partnered with August to offer the use of the August app, which gives you smartphone controls of all the Yale Assure Lock’s functions. That includes auto locking and unlocking, door activity monitoring, and the management of user codes as electronic keys.
The geofencing auto unlock and auto lock features are the most convenient things for me. As you walk up to the front door, it will see that you’re nearby and will automatically unlock for you. Super useful when you’ve got your hands full with groceries.
Pairing your Yale Assure smart lock with Alexa allows you to have complete hands-free, voice activated operation. You’ll be able to use voice commands to lock, unlock, and check on the door’s status.
2. August Smart Lock Pro (3rd Gen) – Best Value
This August Smart Lock is an earlier, 3rd Gen model as compared to the 4th Gen model above. Like the newer model, this August lock will also use the existing deadbolt. It shares the same functions like auto-unlocking, activity monitoring and DoorSense – but the major differences are in design and connectivity to Wi-Fi.
The 3rd gen smart lock is slightly bigger than the 4th gen one, and because it doesn’t have WiFi connectivity hardware built into it, it requires a WiFi bridge adapter (called Connect) in order to link to your home’s Wi-Fi network.
The Connect device has to be plugged in and kept switched on in order for your smart lock to be connected uninterrupted. So keep that in mind and have a spare wall socket specially for the Connect. Otherwise you’ll lose access to your smart lock while it’s disconnected.
It is fully Alexa compatible through the August smartphone app, giving you a voice activated experience that’s convenient. You can do things like check if the front door is locked, or tell your smart lock to let someone who’s been waiting at the door in – all through voice commands when your hands are busy.
3. Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Smart Lock – Best Budget Friendly
There’s a little bit of an offbeat design to the ULTRALOQ U-Bolt Pro smart lock with the keypad numbers arranged in a circular design, much like an old telephone. But don’t be fooled, everything about this smart lock is new and modern.
It’s secure and versatile, offering a 6-in-1 keyless entry for your home. That’s right, there are 6 ways to unlock your front door. Let’s count the ways: fingerprint, anti-peep keypad (randomizes location of numbers), smartphone, auto unlock, shake to open, and a mechanical key backup option – giving you more than enough options to keep your home secure.
The Micro-USB emergency power input gives you the ability to quickly charge up your smart lock, giving you access when the lock’s batteries are dead. Just remember to change the batteries right after! There’ll be low battery warnings before, but it’s good to know this option is there for procrastinators like me.
You can also share electronic access codes with your family, guests or service providers for temporary access. Up to a maximum of 120 fingerprints can be stored in the Ultraloq smart lock’s memory.
The auto lock / unlock feature ensures that the door locks behind you as you leave, and it unlocks as you arrive. However, note that you will need to keep the bridge WiFi Adaptor plugged into a wall socket and switched on 24/7. Without power to the adapter, you’ll lose access to your smart lock through the Ultraloq app at any time.
Voice control is easily enabled via Alexa and the Ultraloq app. Simply pair the two devices together by adding the Ultraloq skill to your Alexa. Your hands-free, smart home experience just got even better and more secure with a voice activated smart lock.
4. August Wi-Fi Smart Lock (4th Generation)
August is the same brand that does the app for the Yale smart lock (listed above) – and their very own smart lock range is absolutely brilliant as well. The design is circular and sleek, in a brushed metal color and fits inconspicuously on any kind of front door you might have.
Even with its small size (45% smaller than the 3rd Gen August lock on this list), the August engineers managed to pack so many features in it. It connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi right out of the box, no additional bridge or adapter needed.
The August lock attaches easily to the existing lock and deadbolt on your door, so you’re able to still use the traditional lock and key as a backup option.
For those times when you have family or friends visiting, but you’re running late, you can give send them secure electronic keys, temporary access codes through the August app. Those door codes are easily reset and canceled at any time, from anywhere as long as you have a connection to the Internet.
August locks also have a geofencing auto lock feature that will activate for superior security. No more running back to the house because you forgot to lock the door as you hurried out of the house.
Connecting your August Wi-Fi Smart Lock couldn’t be any easier. Simply get your Alexa to learn the skill to connect with the August smart lock through the Alexa app. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to use voice controls for your August smart lock.
5. Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt
The Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt has innovative features such as the built-in alarm technology that senses potential door attacks and sends you an alarm immediately to your smartphone. There’s a low battery indicator that gives you plenty of warning for a much-needed battery replacement on the Encode lock.
The Encode has a sleek and modern design with its two styles. The “Camelot” style features classic trimming for old-style doors and “Century” for the modern look.
The smudge proof keypad is responsive and features a one-touch locking function that makes it so convenient to lock your door as you leave.
It is easy to install, and the unique Snap ’n’ Stay technology keeps the deadbolt snapped on the door while you have both hands free to secure it with just a screwdriver.
Create and manage up to 100 reprogrammable access codes can be set to give access to your friends and family. and can be easily removed once they’re not needed anymore.
It works seamlessly with Alexa through the Schlage Home app, and once you pair the two devices together, you are able to use your voice to control your Schlage smart deadbolt lock.
Final Thoughts
These 5 smart locks all work with Amazon Alexa and offer slightly different features and styles. Find the ones that best fit your needs, as well as the design of your house so it blends right in with your decor.
To recap the short list of smarts and which one I thought was the best choice.
The 3 categories we picked as winners for this review of the best smart locks listed above are as follows:
Editor’s Choice
For best overall, we chose the Yale Assure Lock SL, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Deadbolt, with its many features and a trusted brand backing, they really got it right this time.
Best Value
The August Smart Lock Pro (3rd Gen) + Connect with Wi-Fi Bridge is similar to the 4th Generation August WiFi Smart Lock except that WiFi is not built in. That offers great value for the price.
Best Budget Friendly
Value seekers will love the 6-in-1 functions on the ULTRALOQ U-Bolt Pro Smart Lock + Bridge WiFi Adaptor ensuring you get the most out of what you pay for.
If you want more smart home integration with smart locks, look at Ring devices like the Ring Video Doorbells, security cameras, and the Ring Alarm home security system.
For the elderly, there’s also the list of the best smart locks for seniors to help with deciding on locks.
