Shelter · Gear Review
Best Smart Locks. A deadbolt first, a gadget second.
We held smart locks to the same bar as any deadbolt, then added the chores a smart lock brings. The Kwikset Halo Select Plus came closest to clearing every line. For Apple Home households, the Schlage Encode Plus is the better choice, and it held up better against a drill. If you only want a keypad, you may not need an app at all.
At a glance: Kwikset Halo Select Plus
Strengths
- Its AAA rating for security, durability, and finish appears in BHMA's certified products directory.
- A key backup for dead batteries, in a SmartKey cylinder you can rekey yourself.
- The Kwikset app offers two-step verification for the account.
- The key always works, and on Thread it keeps running when Wi-Fi goes out.
Limitations
- Consumer Reports found it highly susceptible to a cordless drill.
- Owners often report Wi-Fi drops and fast battery drain.
- On a sibling model, PCWorld found it runs on Wi-Fi or Thread, not both.
- The electronics carry a one-year warranty.
The verdict
Five checks, and none we checked passed them all cleanly.
Our locks and door reinforcement handbook asks a smart deadbolt for four things: a grade you can confirm in BHMA's directory, a key or emergency power when the batteries die, two-step verification on the account, and a way in when the internet is down. Its safety rule adds a fifth: a thumb turn inside so anyone can get out fast.
Best smart lock
Kwikset Halo Select Plus
The closest to clearing all five, with Wi-Fi, Matter, and Apple home keys. Weak against a drill in Consumer Reports' testing.
About $290 to $310
Best for Apple Home
Schlage Encode Plus
The same certified grades, and better against a drill in Consumer Reports' testing. Its own app has no two-step verification, so set it up in Apple Home.
About $300 to $330
If you only want a keypad
See our deadbolt picks
Our deadbolt comparison includes a keypad lock with no Wi-Fi, no app, and no account, for about half the price.
Best Deadbolt Locks
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Why the pick wins
Each box checked against the source.
Many smart locks print a grade on the box. We looked each one up in the directory of the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association, which certifies lock grades, and read each maker's help pages for the rest.
01
A grade you can look up
Model 9801 appears in BHMA's directory as AAA under the residential deadbolt standard and Grade 1 under the auxiliary lock standard.
02
A key for the bad day
A SmartKey cylinder you can rekey yourself in seconds. Dead batteries mean using the key, not calling a locksmith.
03
A locked account
Kwikset offers two-step authentication, a code sent to your email or phone at sign-in. Turn it on the day you install the lock.
04
Works offline
The key needs no network, and on Thread, Kwikset says the lock keeps operating when Wi-Fi goes out. Its support pages do not say whether codes work offline in Wi-Fi mode, so test it after setup.
Consumer Reports, which rams, drills, and picks smart locks in its lab, found the Halo Select Plus holds up well against kick-ins and lock picking but is highly susceptible to a cordless drill. (Consumer Reports) We weighed that against the evidence in our handbook that most forced entries come through a door, and that prying, the most common way a locked door is beaten, attacks the frame around the lock rather than the lock itself. The Schlage below did better on the drill, and if that matters most to you, it is the lock to choose.
Consumer Reports also rates Yale's Assure Lock 2 well against kicking and drilling, and Yale's app has two-step verification. We did not pick it because Yale's Grade 2 claim for the Assure Lock 2 deadbolts does not appear in BHMA's searchable directory. If Yale lists it, we will look again.
The picks
Two smart locks, and one honest alternative.
Both picks are single-cylinder deadbolts: a key outside and a thumb turn inside, so anyone in the house can get out quickly. Our handbook's safety section explains why that matters.
Best smart lock
Kwikset Halo Select Plus
A touchscreen deadbolt, model 9801, that connects over Wi-Fi with no hub, or over Matter on a Thread network, and opens with a tap of an iPhone or Apple Watch through Apple home keys. It holds up to 250 access codes, can lock itself on a timer, and fits doors 1¾ to 2 inches thick. Kwikset states a limited lifetime mechanical and finish warranty and a one-year electronics warranty. (Kwikset)
Choose the connection with care, because it decides the battery life. Reviewing the closely related Halo Select, PCWorld reported Kwikset's estimate of up to 6 months on four AA batteries over Wi-Fi and more than 12 months over Matter, and found the lock runs one or the other, not both at once. (PCWorld) PCWorld also found that on Matter the Halo Select gives up geofencing, door-sensor alerts, and some guest codes, and that switching modes later takes a factory reset that erases settings and codes. Choose before you program the codes. Whichever you choose, unplug your router once after setup and confirm a code still opens the door.
Set up two-step authentication in the Kwikset app before you hand out a single code. (Kwikset)
Specifications
Best for Apple Home
Schlage Encode Plus
Model BE499WB carries the same BHMA listings as the Kwikset: AAA under the residential deadbolt standard and Grade 1 under the auxiliary lock standard. Consumer Reports found it performs well against kick-ins and drilling, though it is somewhat susceptible to lock picking. It has built-in Wi-Fi on a 2.4 GHz network, Apple home keys, up to 100 access codes, a physical key, and a limited lifetime mechanical and finish warranty with three years on the electronics. (Schlage)
The catch is the account. Schlage's help center says the Schlage Home app does not currently offer multi-factor authentication. (Schlage) Setting the lock up in Apple Home instead requires an Apple account with two-factor authentication turned on and an Apple home hub such as a HomePod or Apple TV. (Schlage) That is why this is our pick for Apple Home households, and not for everyone.
Pick one home for it. Schlage lists pairing with both the Schlage app and Apple Home, lithium batteries, and weak Wi-Fi among the causes of short battery life, and recommends name-brand alkaline batteries. (Schlage)
Specifications
What owners actually say
Easy to install, harder to live with.
These patterns come from retailer reviews. A theme appears here only when more than one owner raises it independently.
Kwikset Halo Select Plus
Owners find it easy to install, and some report smooth results over Matter and Thread with Apple Home.
The recurring complaints are Wi-Fi drops, unreliable responses from the app, and batteries that drain far faster than expected on Wi-Fi. Many owners also call it overpriced.
Schlage Encode Plus
Owners consistently find it easy to install and like how it looks and how it works with Apple Home.
The recurring complaints are Wi-Fi connection trouble and battery life, which owners split on: some report long battery life, others replace batteries often.
The one thing to know
The account is part of the lock.
A smart lock adds a second way in: whoever can sign in to the app. A strong bolt does not help if the account behind it uses a reused password with no second step. That is why two-step verification is on our list next to the grade, and why it shaped our picks.
Turn it on, use a password you use nowhere else, give each person their own code so you can remove one without changing the rest, and delete codes the day someone no longer needs one.
How they fail, what they cost
Batteries, Wi-Fi, and the electronics warranty.
The running cost is batteries, and the risk is the electronics outliving their warranty.
Four AA batteries, twice a year or so
Schlage estimates up to six months; Kwikset's estimate for its sibling Halo Select is up to six months on Wi-Fi and longer on Thread. Weak Wi-Fi and heavy use shorten it. Keep a set of alkaline AAs in the drawer.
When the batteries die
Both locks warn of low batteries in the app first. If you miss the warning, use the key. Keep it somewhere you can reach from outside, not on the kitchen counter.
When the electronics fail
The bolt and cylinder carry limited lifetime warranties; the electronics carry one year on the Kwikset and three on the Schlage. Register the lock and keep the receipt.
What we didn't pick
And who should skip these.
Grades we could not find
Yale, Ultraloq, eufy, and Lockly each state a grade for their smart deadbolts, but we could not find those models in BHMA's searchable certified products directory. A grade on the box is a claim; a directory listing is the check.
Retrofit locks, for now
Retrofit locks that fit over your existing deadbolt suit renters, since you keep your own bolt and keys. The August Wi-Fi Smart Lock and Yale Approach were both out of stock at their maker when we checked in October 2026.
If you only want a keypad
Codes for a dog walker or a teenager do not need Wi-Fi. The keypad lock in our deadbolt comparison has no app, no account, and no network to fail.
If the frame is weak
The bolt is only as strong as what it locks into. Anchor the strike plate into the framing first; our door reinforcement picks cover how.
If you rent
Replacing a deadbolt usually needs the landlord's agreement, and the landlord may need a key or code. Ask first, and keep the original lock to put back.
If nobody will manage it
A smart lock needs batteries changed, codes pruned, and updates installed. If that will not happen, a plain deadbolt is the safer lock.
Where it fits in your readiness
A convenience on top of a sound door.
A smart lock belongs in the Sustain tier: worth it once the door, frame, and deadbolt basics are done, and only for a household that will keep up with it.
Power outages
Both picks run on batteries, so a power outage does not stop them, and both keys always work. Test your codes with the router unplugged so you know what to expect.
Hurricane and wildfire evacuations
A code you can give a neighbor or a contractor from a distance, and remove later, is useful when you are away from home and someone needs to get in.
Locks and door reinforcement handbook
Grades, frames, strike plates, sliding doors, windows, and the safety box.
Best deadbolt locks
The everyday default, a rekey-it-yourself lock, and a keypad with no app.
Shelter preparedness checklist
The home security items to tick off, alongside fire safety and weatherproofing.
Maintenance
A short list, on the smoke alarm day.
- Check the battery level in the app, and replace all four batteries at once with name-brand alkalines.
- Review the access codes and remove any that are no longer needed.
- Confirm two-step verification is still on, and install firmware updates.
- Try the key in the lock so you know it turns.
- Have everyone in the house practice the thumb turn in the dark.
Questions people ask
Before you pick up the screwdriver.
What happens to a smart lock when the batteries die?
Both of our picks have a key cylinder, so a dead battery means using the key, not calling a locksmith. Both warn of low batteries in the app. Keep the key somewhere you can reach from outside, not on the kitchen counter.
Does a smart lock still work when the Wi-Fi or internet is down?
Mostly. Schlage says the Encode Plus keypad codes and Apple home keys keep working without internet, with activity history delayed until the connection returns. On the Kwikset, the key always works, and Kwikset says the lock keeps operating on Thread when Wi-Fi goes out; its support pages do not say whether codes work offline in Wi-Fi mode, so test it after setup. (Schlage)
Does the Schlage Home app have two-factor authentication?
Not as of Schlage's January 2025 help article, which says the Schlage Home app does not currently offer multi-factor authentication. Setting up the Encode Plus in Apple Home instead requires an Apple account with two-factor authentication turned on.
Are smart locks as strong as regular deadbolts?
The good ones are tested to the same BHMA standards as regular deadbolts, and both of our picks carry AAA ratings that appear in BHMA's certified products directory. Many smart locks only claim a grade on the box, so check the directory before you buy. (BHMA directory)