Another possibility is that the incorporation of four AA batteries, in contrast to Level’s single small battery, allows the Encode Plus to maintain a more responsive state, ready to authenticate Home Key swiftly. The impressively low failure rate of Schlage might be attributed to a more optimal placement of the NFC chip reader. In three months of testing, with hundreds of lock and unlock attempts, with a variety of devices, Home Key has failed a single time, which means that it was successful more than 99% of the time. ![]() I assumed that my failures were part of how Home Key works, but after testing the Schlage Encode Plus, I'm convinced otherwise. When I reviewed the Level Lock Plus, I wrote that Home Key fails about 10% of the time on the first attempt, but always works by the second attempt. ![]() Door sensing just provides a little extra assurance when you’re away from home. Your lock can be displayed as fully locked and secure in the app, when in reality, the door is fully open. One downside to both of these locks is that they don’t have a system to show if your door is open or shut like the August and Yale locks do. Both locks have a Thread radio and will eventually be compatible with the Matter standard in future software updates. Schalge's WiFi support means that it can be controlled away from home without a hub, while the Level Lock can be controlled inside the Apple Home app while away from home only if you have a HomeKit hub like an iPad, HomePod, or Apple TV. For Apple users, the necessity for frequent interaction with the Level or Schlage apps should be minimal after the initial setup, since their functions can be managed within the Apple Home app where you can create automations and scenes.īoth locks utilize Bluetooth, but the Schlage lock also has a WiFi radio. There are slight Home Key usability differences between the Level Lock Plus and the Schlage Encode Plus, but we’ll get into those in the next section.Īside from Home Key, both locks come with a traditional key and can be unlocked from their respective apps. I see it as a more efficient and secure fingerprint reader because Apple handles the security rather than a third party lock manufacturer. Overall, Home Key is an amazing feature that fully lives up to the hype. Apple Watch users still have it best because an Apple Watch is always unlocked and additional authentication is never needed.Įach Apple household member gets a pass automatically added to their Apple Wallet. ![]() For an additional layer of security, Face ID can be used with your iPhone, but I prefer to keep my lock in "express mode" which unlocks the door instantly after it reads your device. Home Key allows users to lock or unlock the door via NFC by simply holding an Apple Watch or iPhone close to the lock. Feature SimilaritiesĪpple Home Key is the obvious similarity and why you've landed on this comparison post. In this post, we’ll go over a few of the similarities first, then break down the four main differences between these two locks. On the other hand, the Level Lock Plus is the most sleek looking smart lock I’ve ever tested, but its Home Key feature isn’t as seamless as it should be and there are a couple of other minor red flags. It has all the features a lock should have with just one minor downside, which we'll discuss later. After three months of testing, I've determined that Schlage Encode Plus is my new favorite lock and the one anyone trying to get their hands on the Apple Home Key feature should buy.
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