GoKawiilis a senior reviewer with over twenty years of experience. She covers smart home, IoT, and connected tech, and has written previously for Wirecutter, Wired, Dwell, BBC, and US News.
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This week, my top pick for a retrofit smart lock launched the first Aliro-compatible keypad. The Nuki Keypad 2 NFC ($179) brings tap-to-unlock via Apple’s Home Key and Samsung’s Digital Home Key to the Nuki smart lock, allowing you to tap your phone or smartwatch to unlock your door, just like you tap to pay.
Aliro is a new smart lock standard supported by all major platforms and handset manufacturers. It is designed to allow any smart lock to be securely unlocked by any smartphone, regardless of manufacturer, without requiring proprietary apps.
An open standard, Aliro stores a digital key in your phone’s wallet that you can tap to a compatible lock or keypad. Along with NFC, Aliro supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra Wideband (UWB) to unlock your door using your phone.
The Nuki is a retrofit smart lock that replaces your thumb turn. Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Nuki is a retrofit door lock, meaning you don’t need to remove your deadbolt to install it. Instead, you replace the interior thumb turn with the Nuki. This makes it simple to install and ideal for renters or people who can’t or don’t want to replace their entire lock. There is no visible smart lock on the outside of your door, so an exterior keypad is needed to enable tap-to-unlock.
The new Keypad 2 NFC sits on the outside of your door and connects to the lock via Bluetooth. Image: Nuki
Earlier this year, Aqara released the first full replacement door lock to support Aliro. The Aqara U400 also features UWB connectivity, enabling hands-free unlocking with Apple Home. The Nuki keypad only supports NFC, so it doesn’t work with hands-free unlocking.
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