Ever since Apple announced Home Key last year, I’ve been anxiously waiting to try a smart lock that supports it. Home Key uses the same NFC technology as ApplePay on iOS devices. With Home Key, an iPhone or Apple Watch acts as a digital key for your smart home. For the past week, I’ve been testing the Schlage Encode Plus Smart Wi-Fi deadbolt with Apple Home Key support. It’s a little pricey at $299.99, but well worth it if your smart home runs on the Apple HomeKit platform.To get more news about door lock with wifi, you can visit securamsys.com official website.

I say that because my wife and daughter, who usually don’t get excited by new smart home gear, already love this lock. Like me, they always wear an Apple Watch and carry an iPhone with them. The ability to use those devices as a key is very appealing. Of course, like the older Schlage Encode Smart Wi-Fi deadbolt, this newer model offers a numeric keypad. So although Home Key may be the star of the show in my eyes, this smart lock doesn’t require HomeKit. The Encode Plus integrates with Amazon’s and Google’s smart home platforms as well.  In fact, the new Schlage Encode Plus model looks just like Schlage’s “non-Plus” lock. Clearly there’s the addition of an NFC chip inside. Other than that though? I don’t see a difference. What’s the installation and setup process like? Up until last week, I had a Nest x Yale smart lock installed on my front door. It uses Wi-Fi as well, but that radio isn’t integrated into the lock itself. Instead, there’s a Bluetooth radio that communicates to a small Next Lock bridge. That bridge moves lock data and information from Bluetooth to Wi-Fi. The Schlage model has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios inside the lock housing, so there’s no additional bridge or gateway needed.

In under 10 minutes, I removed my old lock and installed the new Schlage hardware. To say the installation is easy would be an understatement. Then again, I think most smart locks are simple installs. I did encounter a hiccup when setting up the Schlage lock, although I think the issue was mine. Usually, you can set up a HomeKit device without a manufacturer app. But my iPhone couldn’t find the lock.

So I installed the Schlage app which told me a Schlage account was required so I spent a few minutes failing to get my phone to see the new lock. Once I set up an account in the Schlage mobile app, I proceeded to use the Apple HomeKit setup process to find the lock. You typically scan a device’s HomeKit code with your phone’s camera to do this. Thanks to the NFC chip inside the lock, however, I was able to tap my phone to the lock for a faster setup. I ran through the typical options of naming the lock and choosing a room for it in my smart home. Connecting the Wi-Fi network worked perfectly the first time even though the Schlage Encode Plus uses a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi radio. I then set up a numeric pin for us to unlock the door and was then asked if I wanted to use the Home Key functionality. Yes, please!

There are two options to use Home Key. I chose the Express option which doesn’t require me to authenticate with Apple’s FaceID on my iPhone to use it as a key. You can opt to require FaceID or a Passcode if you want that extra security. Once I turned on Home Key Express Mode, a digital key pass appeared in the Apple Wallet of my iPhone and my Apple Watch. Even better, my wife and daughter automatically got the key on their devices. Since they’re in my Apple Home family, I didn’t have to manually send them a key.