Today’s the day that Aqara has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the company’s next smart lock, the U200. Originally unveiled last summer at IFA Consumer Electronics expo in Germany, this new lock is a first for Aqara in that it’s designed first and foremost for use with European door locks, offering a retrofit solution very similar in concept to locks like the Yale Linus, and the Nuki Lock.
Whilst it’s designed to retrofit onto the inside of a door, it does come with a separate keypad for the outside of your home, that features a fingerprint sensor, NFC connectivity, and more. It can also work with standard North American deadbolt type locks with the help of some included adaptors. For European doors, you would need to ensure that your eurocylinder lock mechanism is of the type that supports what’s known as the ’emergency function’ option. This allows the door to be unlocked from the outside, even if a key is sat in the lock from the inside.
At CES 2024, the company touted the U200 as coming with Apple HomeKey, and although much of the coverage from online bloggers was gleefully reporting this, it’s currently a feature that has yet to be certified. That said, Aqara has tended to deliver on its promises, even if the timelines do get pushed back occasionally. If you’re not familiar with Apple HomeKey, it’s an Apple exclusive feature that allows users of iPhones (11 onwards) or Apple Watches (series 4 onwards) to unlock the door in pretty much the same way you would tap your bank card on an NFC reader to pay for your groceries. This feature will (we assume) work from the keypad, which also has a built in fingerprint sensor to match the company’s previous smart locks – A100, U100, and more.
Both the keypad and the retrofit lock motor use batteries, although interestingly, the keypad can be permanently powered by your existing doorbell wires if you have them (12-24V DC). The keypad is IXP5 outdoor rated, and the company claim it can withstand temperatures ranging from -18℃/0℉ to 66℃/151℉.
The U200 can use Bluetooth for a direct connection to your phone or Apple Home Hub (or their new Hub M3), although you can also connect it to existing Aqara hubs and expose it to your Matter platform of choice. The lock will come in up to three optional finishes; Black, White, or Silver – selling on Kickstarter for the preorder earlybird price of US$169.99, with the eventual retail price to be higher.
You can check out further details on the company’s specific Kickstarter page.
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