The sensible locks which have preceded the Level Lock are ugly. All of them. Even those that attempt very laborious not to be ugly. I imply, the August sensible lock was developed in collaboration with Yves Behar’s upscale design firm, and it appears like one thing that fell off a Cylon cruiser. And that’s just about one of the best the business has been capable of do. (Editor’s be aware: We haven’t had a chance to evaluate the new August Wi-Fi smart lock, however its outward design doesn’t seem appreciably totally different.)
Well-aware of this actuality, Level Lock surrendered. If sensible locks will at all times be hideous, why not simply do away with the half you possibly can see? And, properly, they managed to do it. By actually changing into utterly invisible, Level Lock is about to vary the sensible lock business as we all know it.
This evaluate is a part of TechHive’s protection of the best smart locks, the place you’ll discover critiques of competing merchandise, plus a purchaser’s information to the options you need to contemplate when buying.
How does Level Lock do that trick? By wedging the {hardware} utterly inside the opening that’s reduce out in your present {hardware}. The Level replaces the inside deadbolt meeting, however you retain the outside and inside escutcheons you have already got, guaranteeing your door appears the identical while you end as while you began: no monstrous keypads, no big chrome handles.
The Level Lock has zero impression in your front-door aesthetic, as a result of the {hardware} installs solely inside the door.
Level was based by largely ex-Apple staff, and the Level Lock {hardware} definitely looks like one thing Steve Jobs would have made—though I can’t think about he would have set his sights on something as jejune as a doorknob. Unboxing reveals simply two principal components, a deadbolt meeting and a round motor unit. These are separate just because there can be no different solution to set up them in any other case. After dismantling your previous deadbolt, these two items slide simply into the door. A single screw binds them collectively earlier than you reattach your previous deadbolt escutcheon {hardware} on both facet.
Much like most different retrofit lock {hardware}, you select from three included adapters, relying on the form of your tailpiece, so the motor will flip. As you screw every thing again collectively, your deadbolt’s unique bolts cross by way of two channels within the motor meeting, conserving every thing good and tight. With somewhat trial and error, it’s a fast and painless process, and while you’re completed, every thing appears identical to it did earlier than you began. The solely trace that something has modified will be discovered on the tip of the bolt, the place the Level brand is seen.
Level’s cell app is kind of simple, utilizing Bluetooth and, if obtainable, HomeEquipment to finish setup. I used HomeEquipment and the lock was shortly registered within the app and the iOS Home app. The app’s design is minimalist. Just faucet and maintain on the motion panel to open or shut the lock. Color coding right here tells you the lock’s standing: if the background is white, the lock is open. If black, it’s closed. An exercise log tells you who got here and went, and the way they opened or closed the lock, but it surely’s restricted to a mere 10 occasions. (Level is upping this to 30 occasions in an upcoming software program revision, but it surely nonetheless appears awfully brief.)
The two items of the Level Lock reside utterly contained in the door.
I had minimal bother throughout setup, though the lock initially confirmed as “Jammed” often. Once I found the calibration system within the app settings, this shortly resolved itself. I hope future variations of the app will robotically immediate customers to run the calibration earlier than they get too far alongside. The solely different hiccup I had was in iOS. While I’d named my lock within the Level app, this didn’t copy over to the Home app, and I needed to manually change the lock’s title from “Default Room lock_mechanism” to one thing extra descriptive. After I did that, I might use Siri to open and shut the lock through voice. Finally, geofencing is meant to work through iOS Home, however after days of testing I nonetheless couldn’t get the lock to open robotically upon my arrival; this, nevertheless, is actually a problem with iOS relatively than with Level.
Otherwise, the Level app is kind of streamlined, and other than an auto-locking choice (you possibly can select to robotically relock after 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 3 minutes), there’s not a lot else to it. New customers will be invited to open the lock on both a 24/7 or time-limited foundation, however since there’s no solution to open the door with a PIN code, they’ll want to put in the app as a way to settle for your invitation.
The Level Lock’s battery suits neatly contained in the bolt, the place most sensible locks have battery packs that slide into their obtrusive inside estucheon.
Perhaps essentially the most ingenious a part of the Level Lock is its battery. If the mechanism is totally inside, how does one substitute it? The extremely intelligent design secrets and techniques the battery contained in the bolt. You simply unscrew the tip of the deadbolt to interchange it: a single 3-volt CR2 cell that the corporate says ought to final a few 12 months.
There solely actual concern with the lock, other than the minor quibbles above, is that it should be bought particularly to match the size of your backset. A regular deadbolt will be simply adjusted based mostly in your door’s backset size (both 2-3/8 inches or 2-3/4 inches), however Level Lock can’t be. You want to purchase up-front the model of the product (they’re the identical worth) that matches your backset size. Level’s CEO defined that an adjustable model is within the works, although I can think about this may take greater than somewhat engineering.
At $229, Level Lock sits alone on the high finish of the value band for retrofit locks. The top-tier choices from August, Kwikset Kevo, and Friday all are available round $200. Believe me, the additional outlay is value it. Frankly, it’s the primary sensible lock I’d contemplate putting in on a full-time foundation in my own residence.