I have tested dozens of smart locks over the years for HomeKit Weekly, from the August lock to the latest Level Lock Pro. They all solved the problem of having to fish your keys out, but they never quite solved the problem of “my hands are full.” Even with Home Key, you’d still have to either get your Apple Watch to your lock or pull out your iPhone. Yes, plenty of locks offer various flavors of auto-unlock, but none are perfect and work 100% of the time. That is the problem Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology aims to solve. This week, I am taking a deep look at the Aqara UWB Smart Lock U400.
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HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
What is UWB, and why does it matter?
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As I said, plenty of locks offer auto-unlock. It’s built into the Level Lock Pro. Plenty of smart locks have it. It’s never 100% perfect, and frankly, it’s frustrating when it fails. Ultra-Wideband is the same tech Apple uses for Precision Finding in AirTags. The Aqara U400 uses this to understand your precise location and direction. It’ll likely become the standard that all future smart locks use.
Matter over Thread with Aqara U400
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The Aqara U400 is built on Matter over Thread. Thread is faster than Bluetooth and doesn’t put much strain on your Wi-Fi network. The Aqara U400 responds instantly in the Home app. It also means that if you live in a “mixed” household with Android folks, they can use Google Home or Amazon Alexa to control the lock while you stay happily in HomeKit.
Home Key: If you don’t want to use auto-unlock, you can still tap your iPhone or Watch.
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