I have the U100 and Auto Lock says Beta for the longest time now. It hasn't gotten updates in a LONG time and I wish Aqara releases some improvements via software updates soon.
Great video. As far as I understand you cannot use Homekey function if you bind it to an Aqara hub and utilize zigbee, but will you be able to use all the functions in the Aqara app (such as passcodes that are only valid on certain days)?
You can still connect it to an Aqara hub for the purposes of using it in automations, and retain HomeKey, but if the hub is added to HomeKit using Matter and the lock is exposed to HomeKit via that hub, then you lose HomeKey functionality.
@@homekitnews Thanks! I notice you are based in Taipei, was there any issue with servers? As far as I can tell the U50 is only available on the US market, but I assume your aqara hub runs on Chinese or TW servers? I want this for my house in Thailand and the other Aqara stuff I have are running on Chinese servers.
@@homekitnews Since the U50 is Bluetooth the lock I put on my garage door can't be operated by our phones, ipods & ipad unless we're within range. I was not aware of this at time of purchase. Is there anything I can do to work around this problem? Also, need to retain Home Key function since this was main purpose accessing the garage door.Thanks.
@@Mtgavin55 if you’re able to get (one of) your Home Hub(s) closer to the lock, that should help, as long as there aren’t lots of thick walls stopping the Bluetooth signal. This issue shouldn’t affect HomeKey, however. Alternatively, if you have an Aqara hub with Matter Bridge support, you might be able to add it to that hub via Zigbee, and expose the lock to HomeKit via the hub. That would then only require an Aqara hub to be closer to the lock instead of a Home Hub.
Another great review. I have two of the U100s at my house. One thing I see from this is that the kids use the fingerprint sensor most. Therefore, for our house, this would be a hard pass. That said, everything else looks good.
Thank you so much for the review! I'm actually starting to look for a replacement for my August Smart Lock Pro in case it dies (fingers crossed it's still working properly, just in case), and thank you so much for your detailed review especially on the deadbolt part! It really answers my question, as I'm hoping I won't need to do any drilling for the lock replacement. Thanks again!
2 Qs 1. Does it have an auto lock feature and what is the minimum amount of time? 2. What does it take for you to be an official Asia Aqara distributor? Thanks!
Hi, the U50 can auto lock immediately, or as late as 10 minutes. I’m not a great business man, so it would probably take a lot of effort to get me to be a distributor!
@@homekitnews oh well. I hope you get monetary income from YT and ads. Can it be set auto lock in, 1min intervals from instant to 10min? Or is it instant, 5min, and 10min?
Thanks for the review! Sorry if I asked this before in your U100 review but, is there an auto-unlock function like August when you are close to the door (after being away a certain set distance) ? Knowing homekit you have to do some workaround to auto unlock "when i arrive home" so I was wondering if Aqara has such a native function?
There doesn’t seem to be an Auto Unlock feature that you typically find with some other locks, unfortunately. I have an August lock here, and that works every time.
@@homekitnews Oh sorry I was referring to the "Yale Approach" keypad? that is compatible with August..lol.. though its not quite homekit haha. I would understand if you decide not to cover that lol.
@kplau79 ah ok, no. I won’t be covering that, as like you say, it’s not a HomeKit device as such. If it’s compatible with August’s HomeKit enabled locks I might consider it though.
I am using the U100. Love it.👌🏻
Yes, I saw your short video. Looks great. Are you still using the U200 also?
I have the U100 and Auto Lock says Beta for the longest time now. It hasn't gotten updates in a LONG time and I wish Aqara releases some improvements via software updates soon.
Absolutely love my U50. HomeKey is such a great feature. Awesome review.
Thanks, hope it was of help.
Thanks for the video , just ordered mine getting it tomorrow and can't wait to install it I have Apple HomeKit
Hopefully you can make use of Apple HomeKey too!
Great video. As far as I understand you cannot use Homekey function if you bind it to an Aqara hub and utilize zigbee, but will you be able to use all the functions in the Aqara app (such as passcodes that are only valid on certain days)?
You can still connect it to an Aqara hub for the purposes of using it in automations, and retain HomeKey, but if the hub is added to HomeKit using Matter and the lock is exposed to HomeKit via that hub, then you lose HomeKey functionality.
@@homekitnews Thanks! I notice you are based in Taipei, was there any issue with servers? As far as I can tell the U50 is only available on the US market, but I assume your aqara hub runs on Chinese or TW servers? I want this for my house in Thailand and the other Aqara stuff I have are running on Chinese servers.
@@homekitnews Since the U50 is Bluetooth the lock I put on my garage door can't be operated by our phones, ipods & ipad unless we're within range. I was not aware of this at time of purchase. Is there anything I can do to work around this problem? Also, need to retain Home Key function since this was main purpose accessing the garage door.Thanks.
@@Mtgavin55 if you’re able to get (one of) your Home Hub(s) closer to the lock, that should help, as long as there aren’t lots of thick walls stopping the Bluetooth signal. This issue shouldn’t affect HomeKey, however. Alternatively, if you have an Aqara hub with Matter Bridge support, you might be able to add it to that hub via Zigbee, and expose the lock to HomeKit via the hub. That would then only require an Aqara hub to be closer to the lock instead of a Home Hub.
@@homekitnews Thanks so much for your advise. Should have just went with Schlage even though more expensive. You get what you pay for.....
Another great review. I have two of the U100s at my house. One thing I see from this is that the kids use the fingerprint sensor most. Therefore, for our house, this would be a hard pass. That said, everything else looks good.
I agree, the fingerprint sensor is hard to give up once you have it… like a microwave!
Thank you so much for the review! I'm actually starting to look for a replacement for my August Smart Lock Pro in case it dies (fingers crossed it's still working properly, just in case), and thank you so much for your detailed review especially on the deadbolt part! It really answers my question, as I'm hoping I won't need to do any drilling for the lock replacement. Thanks again!
Glad it’s of some help. If you have any questions regarding this lock or other Aqara products, feel free to ask.
@@homekitnews Thank you! Your Aqara G4 video also helped a lot!
2 Qs
1. Does it have an auto lock feature and what is the minimum amount of time?
2. What does it take for you to be an official Asia Aqara distributor?
Thanks!
Hi, the U50 can auto lock immediately, or as late as 10 minutes. I’m not a great business man, so it would probably take a lot of effort to get me to be a distributor!
@@homekitnews oh well. I hope you get monetary income from YT and ads.
Can it be set auto lock in, 1min intervals from instant to 10min? Or is it instant, 5min, and 10min?
@@iChaseCorals it goes from immediately, to 3, 5, 10, and 30 seconds. Then after that, it’s 1, 3, and 10 minutes.
Thanks for the review! Sorry if I asked this before in your U100 review but, is there an auto-unlock function like August when you are close to the door (after being away a certain set distance) ? Knowing homekit you have to do some workaround to auto unlock "when i arrive home" so I was wondering if Aqara has such a native function?
There doesn’t seem to be an Auto Unlock feature that you typically find with some other locks, unfortunately. I have an August lock here, and that works every time.
@@homekitnews Will you be reviewing their new keypad anytime soon? :)
@@kplau79 which keypad is that? The one for their alarm system or the U200 smart lock?
@@homekitnews Oh sorry I was referring to the "Yale Approach" keypad? that is compatible with August..lol.. though its not quite homekit haha. I would understand if you decide not to cover that lol.
@kplau79 ah ok, no. I won’t be covering that, as like you say, it’s not a HomeKit device as such. If it’s compatible with August’s HomeKit enabled locks I might consider it though.