Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus Review: Smart Home Lock for iPhone Owners

The Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus successfully integrates Apple’s Home Key tech truthful you tin unlock your doorway by simply hovering your iPhone aliases Apple Watch complete it. Although it doesn’t do truthful cheaply, starting astatine conscionable complete $200, it is much affordable than immoderate different Home Key compatible locks connected nan market.

Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus

Using Apple Home Key, accessing your location is now easier and much unafraid than ever before. A elemental pat pinch your iPhone aliases Apple Watch is each it takes to unlock your door.

Brand Yale

Connectivity Bluetooth; Wi-Fi optional

Integrations Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Amazon Alexa

Battery 4 AA

Keypad Yes

Pros

• Minimal quality and compact number pad
• Home Key support
• Wide support for aggregate smart location platforms

Cons

• Wi-Fi for distant entree is an further cost
• Motor is louder than competitors

Yale Smart Lock Style and Design

The exterior portion of nan Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus is simply a small, compact numberpad making it convenient for doors without overmuch room available. On nan inside, nan portion pinch nan thumb move isn’t tiny, but it isn’t bulky and still allows room for its 4 AA batteries.

I didn’t person immoderate problem installing nan fastener connected an exterior inferior door. Its size was manageable and its in-app video instructions were each capable to get nan occupation done. This exemplary launched pinch Satin Nickel and Black Suede colors, but location should beryllium a bronze colour successful nan very adjacent future.

Although I wouldn’t instal nan nickel type prominently connected my beforehand doorway that has a bronze handle, astir of this lock’s viewable aboveground is its all-black light-up number pad. No matter what colour you choose, you'll beryllium seeing a batch of black.

Making Sense of Apple Home Key and Yale Locks

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

Yale announced this caller Plus fastener on pinch different one, and nan operation of each disposable Assure models intends there’s a batch to unpack. The 2 caller Plus and Touch options subordinate nan existing entry-level Yale Assure Lock 2, each of which person a Bluetooth relationship for section interactions aliases tin beryllium upgraded to Wi-Fi, for an further cost, to adhd distant support.

The Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch has nan aforesaid connectivity options but besides adds a fingerprint sensor into nan fastener for biometric authentication. The Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus is nan 1 that supports Apple’s Home Key, contempt each of them being capable to activity pinch Apple’s HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa, among different platforms.

Confused Yet? On definite models, you tin besides prime whether you want a keyed type aliases beingness buttons aliases not. Don’t hide nan aggregate colour choices!

Luckily, nan 1 being reviewed here, nan Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus, has nan slightest magnitude of options to determine on. The logic to chose it complete nan Touch is for Home Key access—to beryllium clear, nan Touch exemplary pinch a fingerprint sensor does not support Home Key.

Why Do You Even Want Home Key Support?

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

Home Key is nan integer cardinal that instantly communicates betwixt Apple’s devices and smart locks. This cardinal lives successful Apple Wallet and tin beryllium utilized by different group successful your family. The existent joyousness of this exertion is that it allows iPhones and Apple Watches to unlock doors by simply rubbing them—or getting really close.

Using this method for unlocking intends not worrying astir passcodes aliases utilizing an app to fiddle with. Home Key tin moreover activity pinch an iPhone if its artillery is dead. It keeps a mini spot of juice tucked distant for this type of emergency.

After installing nan Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus, I was capable to time off my location to spell connected a tally pinch only my Apple Watch. I walked retired of nan doorway and past tapped my Ultra 2 to nan Assure Lock 2 Plus and it instantly locked itself.

I streamed euphony and recorded a workout connected my wrist computer, and past erstwhile I returned home, I raised my limb and touched nan watch to nan fastener again, and it fto maine backmost in. I could person touched nan Yale logo to ray up nan numbers and punch successful my PIN code, but moreover that felt for illustration a batch of activity aft going connected a run.

Using a Home Key whitethorn besides beryllium a measurement to alleviate privateness concerns. If nan fastener is successful a visible area, there’s a consequence of personification looking complete your enarthrosis to snoop connected your code. Touching your telephone aliases watch to nan fastener does distant pinch nan threat of enarthrosis surfing.

Again, Home Key is abstracted from HomeKit support, which allows you to usage Apple’s Home app to fastener and unlock connected devices. Home Key is conscionable different method to power a smart fastener that requires very small effort. I’ve utilized different Home Key support locks for illustration nan Schlage Encode Plus and nan Level+ Connect and Assure Lock 2 Plus compares very similarly, successful performance, to those different options.

Assure Lock 2 Plus Battery Life and More

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

Since Encode Plus, Level+ Connect, and Assure Lock 2 Plus each execute a batch of nan aforesaid utility, 1 area of differentiation is astir artillery life and nan type of batteries each fastener uses.

Both nan Encode Plus and Assure Lock 2 Plus employment very modular AA batteries—four of them successful each case. The Level+ Connect uses a azygous CR2 Lithium battery, which nan institution advertises gives nan fastener a 6-month of power.

I recovered Level’s artillery claims generous and was getting person to 3 months of artillery life, which meant replacing a non-standard artillery 4 times a year. Neither Schlage nor Yale highly tout their artillery life estimates truthful it tin beryllium difficult to find. Yale told maine it expects astir 9 months of artillery life pinch nan Bluetooth-only action and astir 3 to six months utilizing Wi-Fi.

I recovered nan Encode Plus to get location betwixt 7 and 12 months successful my mean usage. It’s acold excessively early to mention my existent artillery life numbers from nan Assure Lock 2 Plus, but based connected what I've seen truthful acold pinch nan Wi-Fi option, nan company's estimates ringing true.

One different tidbit I noticed was that this lock’s centrifugal was nan loudest of nan 3 different brands I person successful cognition astatine nan moment. There’s nary centrifugal sound from nan fastener if you manually twist nan thumb turn, but operating it electronically makes a noticeable sound to get nan deadbolt moved into place—same for unlocking.

Of nan smart locks I’ve tried, nan Level+ Connect was nan quietest, and nan Encode Plus was conscionable a spot louder. None are silent, but nan Assure Lock 2 Plus makes nan astir noise. If utilized successful a tile-clad entryway, it would beryllium imaginable for it to disrupt a nap.

Yale Access App

If you’re not utilizing an iPhone, this Plus fastener astir apt isn’t worthy its higher cost. I would urge sticking pinch nan Touch aliases base-level Assure Lock 2. Each of those tin still plug into HomeKit for usage connected an iPad aliases Mac if you request that capability.

While iPhone users tin wholly interact pinch nan Assure Lock 2 Plus from Apple’s Home app, Yale has its ain mobile app arsenic well. Yale Access is disposable for iPhone aliases Android, which is nan aforesaid app utilized for August products, too.

There are plentifulness of features and settings successful nan app, including options to customize nan measurement level of nan lock’s chimes and nan device's parameter light. I did find Yale's impermanent entree to beryllium somewhat lacking. The app allowed maine to springiness group entree connected a impermanent basis, a recurring basis, aliases a imperishable basis. But I couldn’t find a measurement for it to do a recurring schedule that varied per day.

It seems for illustration a large omission that I couldn’t fto my son’s entree codification activity for 1 hr aft he sewage retired of school, which is simply a different clip connected definite days. Similarly, what if a housekeeper has a recurring schedule pinch different times connected different days?

The activity conception successful nan Yale app will show who locked aliases unlocked a doorway and what method they used, truthful location is astatine slightest a integer way if you determine to assistance a wider model of clip to dress up for nan constricted recurring schedule access.

Price and Availability

The Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus is disposable now, starting astatine $209.99 for Bluetooth. The Wi-Fi action retails for $289.99. Both of those connectivity options travel successful Satin Nickle and Black Suede colors—with a bronze action connected nan way. There are nary keyed options for nan Assure Lock 2 Plus.

I had a chance to effort nan Assure Lock 2 Touch pinch a fingerprint sensor, and it worked well. I person a difficult clip dreaming up scenarios wherever I would want this unlock method complete different one, but possibly for immoderate people, it would beryllium easier to springiness a teen successful nan location entree via their digit truthful they can't lose, forget, aliases accidentally divulge a PIN code.

Should You Buy nan Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus?

Tyler Hayes / How-To Geek

At nan moment, there’s nary amended measurement to participate aliases exit a location for iPhone owners than utilizing Home Key—especially those wearing an Apple Watch. You don’t person to trust connected flaky Bluetooth proximity to conjecture erstwhile you’re nearby. No passcodes are needed. From a pouch aliases wrist to nan fastener is 1 soft mobility to fastener aliases unlock a door.

I would highly urge iPhone owners see getting a smart fastener that supports Home Key. In position of picking nan Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus complete 1 from Schlage aliases Level, it’s a beardown contender that should perfectly beryllium successful contention for your money.

The Assure Lock 2 Plus is smaller and moreover much modern-looking than immoderate Encode Plus creation choice. It besides has a longer artillery life and built-in number pad compared to nan Level+ Connect. If immoderate of those things are important, this should astir apt beryllium your adjacent smart lock.

Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus

Using Apple Home Key, accessing your location is now easier and much unafraid than ever before. A elemental pat pinch your iPhone aliases Apple Watch is each it takes to unlock your door.