Aqara Smart Lock U200 is a Matter-over-Thread retrofit smart lock that works with Apple Home Key
Aqara’s ever growing line-up of smart locks just got a little bigger with the official launch of the Aqara Smart Lock U200.
Joining the ranks alongside the U100 that went on sale last year, and the U50 that was launched in May, the U200 was actually first revealed back in September 2023 at IFA but initially hit Kickstarter for a crowdfunding launch.
It’s now officially available to buy through the regular Aqara channels and is, I believe, the first retrofit smart lock to work with Apple’s Home Key feature.
That means you can use your Apple Wallet to store your digital key and unlock your door with either a tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch and, with Apple’s Power Reserve feature, you can even open your door up to five hours after your phone or watch has run out of battery.
The U200 is also a native Matter smart home device, using Matter-over-Thread, to connect to any Matter controller, such as an Amazon Echo smart speaker, Apple TV or a Homey Pro; you don’t actually need to use a Matter Aqara hub, such as the Hub M3, or the Aqara smart home system… but you can do, of course – and then you’ll get the full range of features.
That full set of features includes a high-precision fingerprint reader (with local local and encrypted storage), shareable pin codes, night latch mode, passage mode and NFC key cards.
This being a retrofit lock, there’s no need to drill out your existing locks or throw away your current keys, as the U200 will simply pop over the top.
It works with both Euro mortise locks and US deadbolt locks.
The U200 is powered by rechargeable Li-Ion batteries and boasts a battery life of up to 6 months between each charge. You can also use regular AAA batteries or wire it up to your doorbell wiring too.
The Aqara Smart Lock U200 is available now through Amazon in multiple countries. In the US it’s $269.99 and in the UK it’s £269.99. There’s 20% off for launch though, use code 20LFY6XT in the US, U200EU20 in the UK.
