I am writing my review of the new U400 lock after about 2 weeks of using it.
Installation:
Overall the installation was fairly straightforward, the only challenging part was that the strike plate was a little bit bigger than the strike plate that I already had installed, so I had to make that hole a little bigger. I did not use the plastic insert because again it was too big for the original hole and didn’t want to cut up too much more of my doorframe. But with the new strike plate installed the rest of the installation was a breeze.
Setup:
I decided to charge the battery before installing it because I know most batteries ship half charged, but it seemed to take several hours and the light on the battery never changed. I installed it anyways and it showed about 61%, after 2 weeks, it is showing 54%. My household is a mixed ecosystem of Apple and Samsung users. I do have an Apple TV 4K that can be used as a matter hub and that was how I initially set up the lock. The home app immediately saw the new lock after entering pairing mode and ran through the setup steps and installed the Apple Home Key as well to my phone in the same process. Everything went smooth and simple.
Afterwards I did set up the lock in the Aqara app since the Apple Home app has limited functions and settings you can control. That process was a little more confusing and I wasn’t even sure that I could do it. But as long as you are within bluetooth range and hit the Set button once just follow the “Add device” prompts in the app. The app has a ton on settings and features that really help to customize the lock and add new codes, users, and fingerprints easily.
I also have a Samsung Smartthings Matter hub that I wanted to add the lock to so that my Samsung users can control the lock remotely since they don’t have access to Apple Home app. That process was simple and easy to follow from the Smartthings app as well and paired smoothly. BUT, the matter driver for this lock is very basic and does not allow for really ANY settings adjustment within the Smartthings app, only can unlock and lock remotely, and see some basic logs relating to when there is activity with the lock. It’s fine for remotely locking and unlocking and setting up basic automations, but you cannot create temporary codes remotely with the Smartthings app, you must use the Apple Home app or Aqara app (within bluetooth range). I do not have an Aqara hub so I am not sure if that is the case with the Aqara app and changing settings remotely.
I would love to see a more robust Matter Driver for this lock be used for other 3rd party matter hubs.
I also have a Home Assistant server running within my house as well. I was unsuccessful with adding this lock to my home assistant through the Apple Home Pairing code. I haven’t totally ruled which device is causing issues (could very well be my home network setup or matter-server setup) but it still paired just fine with my Samsung Smartthings hub using the same method.
Usage:
Using this lock has been a great experience overall. It’s quiet and very quick to unlock. I am coming from an August smart lock that is quite loud and connecting from the app often takes a little longer. The UWB unlocking with my Apple devices is honestly really fun and so far been working every time I approach the door.
I would love to know when support for Samsung wallet will be available, so that other users in my house can utilize this feature.
Some small issues:
Once in awhile, the lock has jammed. Now this could be due to the cold we have been having (Chicago, sub-freezing temps all month) and it will warp our door frame just a little bit, so that if you don’t pull the door all the way completely shut the deadbolt might hit the strike plate and cause a jam. The mentioned firmware update might fix this, will keep an eye out on it. But it hasn’t been causing too many issues.
Another small one is getting the keypad to light up when coming home. Users in my house that don’t have UWB unlocking have mentioned that sometimes the keypad doesn’t always show up when they tap the front of the lock. Takes a couple tries.
Overall, I am very happy with this lock and may be purchasing another one for my back door. I love all the support and feedback that the Aqara team has been listening to, and can’t wait for Samsung wallet UWB unlocking to be released as well. I am not too familiar with how matter drivers and firmware get released but if there was a way to increase functionality within other 3rd party matter hubs (Smartthings) that would also just make this lock perfect!
