Looking to make your house smarter and safer? Here are the best smart locks full of brains and brawn to protect your home.
Whether you're just tired of losing your keys, or you're already in the process of automating your home, a key part of this process is choosing a smart lock that fits your needs. Take a look at our list of the best smart locks to help you decide.
August 2nd Generation
The August smart lock's appearance is immediately striking and will give any door a futuristic look with your choice of dark gray or silver finish. You can use your smartphone to remotely unlock or lock your door, or you can set up a proximity lock: your door will unlock when you approach with your phone and lock when you move away.
Perhaps most importantly, the second generation of this lock resolves many of the early connection and stability issues found in the original. The August platform now supports doorbell cameras as well, making it possible to route all of your door security through a single app.
Consider the August if you're cool with the $200 price tag and you'd like a smart lock that is compatible with both Google Home and Amazon Alexa.
Schlage Connect Camelot
What could be more secure than Camelot? Alright, so that's not actually what that name stands for, but the Schlage Connect Camelot has been updated to stand alone as a deadbolt with all of the unlock methods. You can use a standard key, you can enter a code on the touchscreen number panel, or you can use a Z-Wave hub to lock and unlock the door through automation and proximity.
Z-Wave support means you can use Wink or SmartThings hubs to program IFTTT commands for the lock, like automatically locking every night at 10pm, but it also means this lock will work with Amazon Alexa when set up. It's not the more futuristic-looking lock in the world with the standard satin nickel finish, but you couldn't ask for more options than are available with this lock.
This lock will set you back $190, but it promises to meet ANSI Grade 1 security standards and a backlit panel for when you want to use the keypad unlock in the dark.
Kevo 2nd Generation
It almost looks like a normal deadbolt from the outside, but there's a lot happening inside the Kevo lock. The exterior surface of the lock is touch-sensitive, and when you tap that metal exterior, the lock will check for a digital key on your phone. If your phone is nearby, on the right side of the door, the lock will disengage and you'll be allowed into the house. It's a clever setup, especially when you see you can share digital keys with friends and choose to revoke them whenever you want.
Kevo requires the $100 add-on to the already $230 lock to add things like Wi-Fi connectivity and Amazon Alexa support, but the core lock offers some unique features in the app that are finally executed really well in this second generation version of the lock. If you want to maintain the same level of deadbolt security you have now with some added features, this lock is going to get you pretty far.
You can find Kevo in the standard satin nickel finish, as well as polished brass and Venetian bronze.
Kwikset 914
This lock from Kwikset looks fairly standard when it comes to deadbolts, and that's because it is. With one important exception, this is a standard Kwikset deadbolt with a battery-powered keypad for normal pin entry. It's a nice-looking lock for fairly standard use cases, unless you decide you want to experiment.
If you have a Wink or Smartthings hub in the home, you can use the Z-Wave feature in the Kwikset 914 to connect the lock to your home network. This means you can unlock the door via IFTTT and lock the door with Amazon Echo, and at $150, you'll be able to do so without spending a ton of cash.
Smart clearly isn't the first focus here, but it works well and looks nice in the standard satin nickel finish, as well as polished brass and Venetian bronze.
Your favorite smart lock?
Let us know is the comments section below what you use to keep your home safe!
Updated June 2017: Updated all four locks in the list with more modern and Android Central-focused recommendations. Alexa and Google Home support prioritized.