Reviewing the Aqara U200 Smart Lock

Aqara has delivered U200 locks to backers of their Kickstarter campaign, and now they are available for general purchase through the Aqara website, Amazon, and other retailers.

The new Aqara U200 Smart Lock is a full-featured smart lock that is designed to be easily installed on most existing deadbolt locks. Aqara launched the U200 on Kickstarter, and almost 1500 people backed the product. 

Key features of the Aqara U200 Smart Lock include:

1. Multiple access methods including fingerprint recognition, passcode entry (standard passcodes, one-time passcodes, and passcodes that are only valid during a scheduled time period), NFC devices, voice assistant commands, remote access using the Aqara app and an Aqara hub, local access through Bluetooth and the Aqara app, and the lock’s original key.
2. Advanced security features including auto-locking when the door is closed, notifications if a door is left open, and tamper alerts.
3. Quiet unlock mode reduces the noise produced by the motor when the U200 is unlocked / locked so the noise won’t disturb people that are sleeping.
4. A rechargeable lithium-Ion battery.  The separate keypad can be powered either by AAA batteries or through a hard-wired power supply (not included).
5. Support for Matter over Thread, allowing the U200 Smart Lock to be integrated with a wide range of smart home platforms including Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and SmartThings.  The U200 also integrates with IFTTT and, of course, Aqara’s native Aqara Home platform.
6. Apple Home Key support
7. An IPX5 rating for water resistance

Hands on with the Aqara U200 Smart Lock

The first thing you will find in the box for the U200 Smart Lock is that it contains everything needed to install the U200 on both U.S. deadbolt locks and European locks. So, don’t be surprised if you have quite a few parts leftover after installation is complete.

Installation of the U200 is quite easy. I’m used to finding a very brief quick start guide included with products. Instead, the U200 includes an 1/8” thick user manual that, at first glance, looks a bit intimidating. However, the thickness of the manual is just due to the number of languages the brief instructions are written in. 

To get started you just need to

1. Download the Aqara app
2. Create an account
3. Press the “+” button in the app to add a new device
4. Select “Add Accessory” from the popup menu that is displayed
5. Choose “Smart Lock U200” from the list of Aqara products

At this point the app provides step-by-step instructions and short video clips to walk you through the process of installing the lock, binding the keypad to the lock, creating an admin passcode, scanning your first fingerprint for use with the keypad and optionally binding the lock to an Aqara hub.

It is important to understand that an Aqara Hub is required for remote control of the U200 through the Aqara app (local control using the Aqara app simply uses Bluetooth). However, because the U200 includes native support for the Matter protocol, it can be paired with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and other Matter ecosystems.  With this done the lock can be remotely controlled using the Alexa app, Apple Home app, etc.

The Aqara app provides easy access to all the primary features of the lock including the creation of one-time passcodes and user management features (adding/deleting users, and adding/deleting fingerprints, passcodes, and NFC devices for users).

More advanced features of the U200 are available from the lock’s settings menu in the app.  Some of the more notable advanced features are:

• The ability to have the door automatically lock after it is closed
• Failed Attempt Lockout – Exceeding 10 incorrect passcode entry attempts within a preset time period will disable the ability to unlock the door using a passcode, fingerprint, or NFC device for a selectable period of time.  During this time period the door can only be unlocked using the original key or the Aqara app.
• Night Latch Mode – When enabled, the door can only be unlocked using the lock’s original key, the admin user passcode, the fingerprint associated with the admin user, or the Aqara app locally connected to the lock using Bluetooth
• Do Not Disturb Mode – This mode lowers the volume of voice announcements and other sounds

The U200 Smart Lock is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery pack. You can expect about six months of usage before the battery will need to be recharged.  While the battery pack could easily be removed from the lock for recharging, this would leave the lock inoperable without the lock’s original key. To solve this problem, Aqara includes a short USB-C charging cable and a small drawstring bag with the U200 lock. The idea is to:

1. Leave the battery installed in the lock.
2. Plug the charging cable into the battery and a standard USB-C charger (not included). 
3. Plug the USB-C charger into an outlet using an extension cord (not included). 
4. Place the USB-C charger into the bag and hang the bag from the doorknob using the bag’s drawstrings.

I believe this is a fairly creative solution that allows the lock to continue operating while the battery is being recharged.

I want to highlight another innovative feature of the Aqara U200. Most smart door locks require a small magnet to be installed on the door frame, next to the lock mechanism. This allows the smart lock to determine if the door is closed or ajar. These small magnets work well but can be problematic. I have experienced situations where I am carrying something and have bumped into the magnet, knocking it off the door frame. At this point, the hole for the screw that was used to secure the magnet is probably stripped, making it challenging to reattach the magnet to the doorframe.

The Aqara U200 solves this problem by using an internal gyroscope to determine whether the door is closed or ajar.

My only disappointment with the U200 was the quiet lock/unlock mode. I really didn’t notice a significant difference in the noise produced by the U200 when the lock was operated using quiet mode.

Matter Protocol Support

The Aqara U200 Smart Lock supports integration with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and a wide range of smart home platforms through Matter. 

I connected the U200 lock to my Apple Home environment through Matter.  Integration with Apple Home worked well.  While you still need to use the Aqara app for configuring the advanced features of the U200, the Matter protocol support worked well for basic control of the lock.

I then tried to integrate the U200 with my Hubitat Elevation hub using Matter. Unfortunately, I found that while the Hubitat supports Matter, it doesn’t yet support Matter-compatible locks. 

I am in the process of learning Home Assistant. I didn’t have any issues connecting the U200 to my Home Assistant hub using Matter.

Conclusions

The Aqara U200 Smart Lock is a well-designed product. It is easy to install and offers a wide range of features. It natively supports the Matter protocol. This enables integration with a wide range of popular smart home ecosystems without the need to purchase an Aqara hub.