What you need to know
- Netatmo has announced a new Smart Door Lock.
- It comes with Smart Keys that work with any configured Smart Door Lock.
- The whole shebang is HomeKit-compatible.
Smart home accessory maker Netatmo has announced a new Smart Door Lock that comes with Smart Keys. The Smart Keys work like a conventional key in many respects, but they are also lock-agnostic, too.
That means that anyone whose home is kitted out with multiple Smart Door Locks won't need to carry around keys for each one and instead can simply have one Smart Key coded to work with each lock. Users can also lock and unlock doors using a smartphone app, too.
Importantly, Netatmo says that its lock isn't connected to the internet and instead uses Bluetooth and NFC to function. That could be a weight off the minds of those who worry about leaving the keys to their castle open to the internet.
The Door Lock works via Bluetooth so is not connected to the internet. It uses Near Field Communication (NFC) to interact with the Smart Keys, which are tamper-proof and impossible to duplicate. If the Keys are lost or stolen, access to the house is still secure: the users deactivate them in real time with one click on their smartphone, without having to change the whole Door Lock.
Each Smart Door Lock and Keys promises a two-year battery life and there are no subscriptions required – users buy the kit, install it, and they're done.
Netatmo's inclusion of HomeKit support literally opens doors to advanced automation as well as simply making them appear in Apple's Home app, too.
The Smart Door Lock is compatible with Apple HomeKit. Users can create customized scenes to connect their Smart Door Lock to other smart devices in their home. For example, when they open the front door, they might decide that all the lights in the house should be switched on.
Netatmo hasn't yet confirmed how much this kit will cost when it goes on sale in the second half of the year. We're told it will be available across Europe and the United States when that happens.
