As first spotted by Adam Miarka on Mastodon, Yale has now announced (via the Connectivity Standards Alliance or CSA) their newest module designed to work with their range of Assure locks, which in the case of the newest module will effectively expose this line of locks to Matter over Thread.
Whilst this was announced at the same time the Yale Assure Lock 2 lineup was released earlier this year, nothing more was said when it came to a firm release schedule. Now with what appears to be a certified device on the CSA’s website, along with Yale themselves announcing the impending arrival of this add-on, we could see one of the first locks to officially support Matter.
The latest model, Assure Lock 2, comes in four configurations, with a keypad and lock or with just a keypad, along with either a touchscreen keypad or a physical keypad, each with up to three finishes (Black Suede, Silver Nickel, Oil Rubbed Bronze). Along with this, the base models already support HomeKit out of the box via Bluetooth, or via the Yale WiFi bridge, but you can also purchase separate modules that slot into the upper section of the inner half of the lock. These models offer WiFi (without the need for the aforementioned bridge), Z-Wave or Zigbee (both of which aren’t directly exposed to HomeKit).
The new Matter module will use Thread to connect to a Thread Border Router, and from there be exposed to HomeKit, with the built-in Bluetooth as a fallback in situations where Thread goes awry for any reason.
The company state that this new model will work with all Assure-branded locks with the exception of the Yale Assure Lever Lock, although it looks as though it will get it eventually, according to the announcement – “The Yale Matter Smart Module will not be compatible with Yale Assure Lever at launch.”
The one detail that may put some people off from buying this lock, however, is the lack of support for Apple HomeKey, which seems to be the one thing that people are demanding of locks more and more before parting with their hard-earned cash. The Yale Assure Lock 2 in a variety of configurations is available to buy on Amazon.com now.