Why You Need a Wi-Fi Smart Lock (And How to Get a Deal)
I knew what my first home upgrade would be before we even moved into the house: a smart lock. Every house I’ve lived in for the last four years has had one, and I consider it essential at this point. Carrying keys and making copies for anyone who needs one? No thanks. Replacing a key lock with an electronic keypad lock is also an effortless DIY project that you can accomplish in ten minutes with a screwdriver.
A basic electronic keypad lock costs around $40, and there are dozens of options in this price range that will let you say goodbye to your keys. But I wanted to go further: I’ve been excited to build an integrated smart home, and I wanted a lock that connects to Wi-Fi. A few locks do this, and I settled on the Yale Assure Wi-Fi Smart Lock.
Why would you want a Wi-Fi-enabled lock? Well, in addition to simply being able to use a code to open the door, it adds a bunch of features. I can lock or unlock my front door from anywhere in the house (or anywhere the world) using my phone, assign unique codes to people (e.g. a housekeeper), and review a log of who has operated the lock and when. I can tell Alexa (or Google or Siri) to lock or unlock the door. I can get notifications if the door is ajar. And my very favorite feature: my lock will use my phone to determine if I’m home or away, and when I return home, the door will unlock as I approach it.
All of these features come with a price: the Yale lock is almost $300 new. Having owned the lock and experienced the convenience, I would say it’s worth it, but I did wrestle with the cost. I got mine for half price ($151) by buying it in a Used – Acceptable condition from Amazon. It was marked Acceptable due to some “significant cosmetic imperfections” on the item, which turned out to be some scuff marks on the interior side of the lock. Although I was nervous about buying something in the lowly “Acceptable” condition, I was excited about the savings and knew I could return the product if I couldn’t live with it. Well… see the image below for what I got. I have never noticed these marks since the first day (and I’m guessing if you were to buy a brand new lock, it would not stay cosmetically perfect for long).
Yale makes this lock in a few different colors and models (touchscreen-only lock, touchscreen+key lock, and keypad+key lock). If you want to increase your chances of finding a deal, try clicking through the various configurations to check for Amazon Warehouse (Used) offers. And if you don’t see a deal now, check again tomorrow.
P.S. A few notes:
1. The Wi-Fi connectivity of the Yale Assure lock is provided by a company called August, who also makes the app. So if you see the phrase “Connected by August”, that’s what it means.
2. Yale makes an upgrade module that adds Wi-Fi connectivity to the non-connected version of the Yale Assure lock.
2. Yale is not the only company that makes Wi-Fi locks. I did some research and decided this was the best option for me, but my blog is about saving money, not reviewing locks. If you prefer a different brand, the money-saving tricks mentioned above will still apply!