🔐 One Smart Lock to Rule Them All
It’s no secret, I love smart home stuff, and I’m all-in on the Apple Home ecosystem. But the one device category I hadn’t incorporated yet is a Home Key door lock. For many years August, Yale, and Level Lock made HomeKit locks that work with Apple Home, but their design and feature set didn’t appeal to me.
Plus, at my previous home, we had a security system that included its own smart lock and doorbell camera outside of the HomeKit ecosystem. That all changed when we were able to build a new home, and I had full intention of making everything smart.
Another hindrance was Apple's elusive Home Key feature, which allowed users to simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to the lock and open it. Despite being announced with iOS 15 over two years ago, a grand total of three HomeKit locks support the feature: Level Lock+, Schlage Encode, and now, the Aqara U100.
I finally got my hands on and installed the Aqara U100, and I found it to be the best value Home Key and Apple Home lock available. You can watch my full review above or by clicking here. In short, the Aqara U100 has:
Home Key, Passcode, Fingerprint Entry
Only Home Key lock under $200
Doesn’t require an Aqara hub
Batteries should last 8 months
The other two options, Level Lock+ and Schlage encode, are routinely over $300. While they do have a sleeker look and more color options, the Level Lock+ does not come with a pin pad (that’s an additional $80 purchase), and neither has a fingerprint scanner which I find to be very convenient, especially with kids.
And if you’re looking for even more Apple smart home tips, check out this playlist with my favorite automations, HomeKit shades, 3-way light switches, and more!
📱iPhone 15 Event on Tuesday
Don’t forget, this is the worst weekend to buy an iPhone! Why? The new models are set to be announced on Tuesday, September 12, alongside new Apple Watch models, new AirPods, and possibly more surprises.
I won’t rehash all the rumors and leaks again, but if want to know what to expect, check out the video above or you can read last week’s newsletter here.
Or if you prefer a more humorous and wide-ranging preview of Tuesday’s Apple Event, listen to the latest episode of the AppleInsider podcast! My co-host and I also debated the typographical choices of the term FineWoven, dictionaries, and how I locked myself out of my child’s iPad.
📺 On a personal note
My YouTube channel recently hit 19,000 subscribers, many of whom I’m sure are reading this email, so THANK YOU! While I would love to dedicate more time to the channel to accelerate growth, it’s been amazing to see how far it has come just in the last year. Hoping to hit 20K during this TechTember season and reaching for 100K next year! Oh also, if you haven’t yet, subscribe here!
🙋🏻♂️ One more thing…
While I call myself The Bearded Teacher, I have yet to officially offer an online course. After some deliberation, I plan to create a Mastering Productivity on Your iPhone course, where I cover things like how to use Reminders, Notes, Mail, Calendars, and other apps to their full extent. But also, some strategies on how to use things like task lists and events effectively.
My question to you: Would a course like this interest you? I’m hoping it offers both novice iPhone users and power users some tools and tips they can use in their day-to-day lives.
It would likely be several hours of video content, broken up into 10-15 minute lessons, and access will be a one-time purchase.
I’d love to hear from you:
Is this something you would be interested in?
How much would you pay for a course like this?
What apps or topics would you like to see covered?
Any other suggestions?
You can simply reply to this email, or leave a comment below this blog post on my website, and I’ll see all those replies.
Thanks for taking the time to read all the way to the end of this email, and stay tuned next week as coverage of the new iPhone 15 and everything else from the Apple Event will be everywhere!
