Hi!
This is the Aqara U200 Smart Lock, and it works with Home Assistant using Matter. I’ll show you in this video what this smart lock can do and how you can control it in Home Assistant. Is it worth buying? Let’s find out!

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As you probably know by now, my entire house is more or less automated. However, there was always one thing I didn’t want to start with, and that was a smart lock. I don’t know, it always felt a bit unsafe to me to lock your house with a device you can control via your phone or something other than a key. Maybe I’m just a scaredy-cat, but it simply didn’t feel secure. Then Aqara contacted me, asking if I would like to test their Smart Lock U200. So, I thought, let’s give it a try.

What’s in the Box?

Let’s open the box. As I’ve come to expect from Aqara, the packaging looks professional and sturdy. First, there’s the numeric keypad, which also includes a fingerprint sensor. This allows you to unlock the door with a personal code or your fingerprint. Additionally, this keypad features an NFC reader so you can also unlock the door with an NFC tag.

Of course, the lock opener itself is also included in the box. It feels very robust and looks quite neat. The box also contains several tools to help you attach the Smart Lock to your existing lock.

Installation

Installing the lock

The Aqara Smart Lock U200 is easy to install over your existing cylinder lock or the mechanism of a turn lock. Aqara includes various accessories for this in the box. In my case, I have a cylinder lock over which I can place the Smart Lock. Do note that your cylinder lock must have an emergency lock feature, so you can always open the door from the outside even if there’s a key inside on the other side. I was a bit worried I’d have to damage my existing door hardware to install this lock, but that turned out not to be the case at all. You can attach the Smart Lock using the included screws or double-sided tape. In my case, I opted for the double-sided tape.

For me, it was simply a matter of placing the double-sided tape on the base plate of the lock, then placing the plate over my existing cylinder and sticking it in place. Next, you insert the key into your cylinder. After that, place the Smart Lock over the base plate and secure it with three small screws.

Once the smart lock is securely attached, you insert the included rechargeable battery and put the cover plate back onto the lock. The lock is now installed. I think it took me no more than 10 minutes to install this part of the lock.

Installing the keypad

In addition to the lock, you also need to install the keypad. You can attach the keypad using screws or a double-sided sticker. The sticker is already on the keypad, allowing you to firmly fix it to the doorframe. If you want to be extra secure, you can also fasten it with the two included screws. The keypad is powered by four AAA batteries included in the package and connects automatically to the Smart Lock.

Configuring using the app

Now that the lock and keypad are installed, they need to be configured using the Aqara App. The app first guides you through the physical installation process and automatically detects the lock when you scan the QR code on it. For some unclear reason, I had to reset the lock initially, but eventually, it was successfully added to the app. I then had the option to connect the lock via Matter to another ecosystem, but I completed that step later. At first, it seemed like I needed Aqara’s Matter Hub for this, but that turned out not to be the case.

In the next step, I created a new user. The first user you create becomes the administrator of the lock. You set up a code that you can later enter on the keypad to unlock the door. Additionally, you can immediately register your fingerprint by placing your finger on the fingerprint sensor a few times. You can also add an NFC tag if you want. Personally, I never use those, but I happened to have one lying around to test.

Once the user is created, the lock needs to be calibrated. This allows the lock to determine when it is open or closed. Calibration can be done automatically or manually. The automatic calibration didn’t work well for me, but the manual calibration worked perfectly right away. I contacted Aqara about the automatic calibration and they told me that there are many types of locks, so sometimes the auto-calibration does not work. In that case, you can always use the manual calibration.

With that, the lock is installed and ready for use.

You can now unlock the door from outside using the code you set, your fingerprint, or an NFC tag.
From the inside, you can lock and unlock the door by turning the knob, but you can also set the lock to close automatically. All of this can be configured in the app.

The App

Speaking of the app, it offers various features, such as creating a one-time password to allow a visitor to enter your house once. This can be useful if you want a delivery person to leave a package inside your house, although it is, of course, a security risk. And with the upcoming holiday season, it can be a great feature to let visitors in. You can also create permanent and temporary users, assigning each a password, fingerprint, or NFC tag. The logs show when the lock was opened and closed and by whom.

In the settings, you can adjust the volume of the sounds and the instruction voice of the lock. You can also enable an auto-lock feature, which locks the door automatically a few seconds after it’s closed. The auto-lock feature works even if the lock was accidentally unlocked via an external service like Google, Alexa, Apple Home, or Home Assistant. This ensures you never forget to lock the door. But, the auto-lock option is still experimental, and in my case, there were two instances where the lock did not automatically engage. In Quiet Mode, you can adjust how quickly the lock closes. When the lock is set to the loudest mode, it opens super quickly. However, even in the quietest mode, the lock still makes some noise.

If someone enters the wrong code 10 times, the keypad will be temporarily disabled for a set number of minutes, and the lock can only be opened via the app or with your key. You can configure the lockout duration in the “Failed Attempt Lockout” menu option. If you enable Night Latch Mode, the lock can only be opened from the inside. Only the administrator can unlock it in this mode. With Auto-Turn Lock, the lock can automatically lock or unlock with just a small turn of the knob, without needing to turn it fully.

In the “Lock Configuration” menu, you can set the type of lock you have so that it opens and closes correctly.
The “Door Lock Working Mode” allows you to configure whether the lock supports all functions or only works via Bluetooth through the app. You can also set an additional password that must be entered if someone wants to unlock the door remotely.

If you enable Do Not Disturb Mode, the lock will no longer make prompt sounds, and the announcement voice will be quieter.

If you enable Passage Mode, the door will not lock automatically for a pre-set period. This is useful if you need to go in and out multiple times, for example when you are moving furniture into your house, but want to keep the door closed in the meantime to prevent your dog or cat from escaping. This mode stops automatically if the door remains closed for a while.

If the lock is not functioning correctly or needs recalibration, you can do this via the “Calibration” menu option. There are also options for configuring Matter with the Aqara Matter Controller. I don’t have this controller, but I’ll show you how to set it up with Home Assistant later. Of course, you can also update the lock’s firmware via the app.

Additionally, the app includes a large blue button to lock and unlock the door directly from the app.

This lock is compatible with Google Home, Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Home Assistant. So, you can unlock the U200 using Homekey with an iPhone and Apple Watch.

How to use the Aqara Smart Lock U200 in Home Assistant

Since the Aqara Smart Lock U200 supports Matter, we can add the lock to Home Assistant.

• Open the Home Assistant Companion App.
• Go To Settings > Devices & Services.
• Click Add Integration.
• Select Add Matter device.
• Select No, it’s new.
• Scan the Matter QR code on your lock.
• Click Add to Home Assistant and wait until the device is added.
• Click Continue.

The lock is now added to Home Assistant, and you can lock and unlock it through Home Assistant. Additionally, you can view the lock’s battery percentage and place it on your dashboard, as shown here on my dashboard.

I created this automation to automatically lock the U200 when it’s unlocked for 5 minutes. This way, I made a fallback scenario for the experimental auto-lock function on the lock itself.

Downsides

Now, the downsides of this lock. I still find it a bit nerve-wracking to have a Smart Lock. I have no idea how easy it might be to hack such a lock. I’m curious about your thoughts on this. Let me know in the comments what you think.

This lock doesn’t have geofencing, meaning it won’t unlock automatically when you approach the door. But that downside might actually be a benefit, as it would also unlock when you’re moving around inside your house. You could potentially create this functionality yourself with an automation in Home Assistant. Check out this video where I explain how Geofencing and Proximity work in Home Assistant.

Then, the auto-lock feature. It works 99% of the time and is a great feature, but in my case, it failed to work twice, making the auto-lock function not entirely reliable at this point. Aqara indicates that this option is still experimental, so be sure to double-check if the lock actually engages automatically. I resolved this by creating a fallback automation in Home Assistant, ensuring it always locks automatically.

The only other downside I’ve noticed so far is that the lock is quite noisy. Even in Quiet Mode, it still makes a fair bit of noise. So sneaking in quietly after having a few too many drinks isn’t really possible with this lock. Then again, it’s hard to be stealthy when you’ve had too much to drink anyway!

Price

The Aqara Smart Lock U200 is officially priced at $269.99 or €269.99. You can order it via the link in the description of this video. If you purchase it through the link, I receive a small affiliate fee, which helps keep this YouTube channel alive.

Conclusion

And now, my conclusion! I was surprised at how easy it was to install the Aqara Smart Lock U200. I think I spent about 30 minutes in total, including pairing it with Home Assistant. I often receive products to test, but they usually take much longer to get working. Aqara has done an excellent job of making this lock so simple that anyone can install it. The app is also straightforward and user-friendly. And my kids love that they can now unlock our house with their fingerprints.

I’m pleasantly surprised by this lock and curious to see if it helps me overcome my apprehension about using a Smart Lock. After all, it still uses the existing key, so nothing about the locking mechanism has fundamentally changed. Time will tell! Let me know in the comments what you think about Smart Locks and whether you would use one. If you already have one, please share your experiences in the comments. It might help me build trust in this kind of lock.

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