Aqara, a provider of smart home products, has launched its Smart Door Lock A100 Zigbee. Pricing and US availability hasn’t been announced.
It’s a mortise-style smart lock that allows multiple access authentications including fingerprint, password, Aqara Home app, Apple HomeKit/Siri, Google Assistant, NFC, and mechanical key. Integrated with both Bluetooth 5.0 protocol – for the direct connection with mobile devices and home hubs from Apple – and Zigbee 3.0 protocol, the lock supports remote unlock via Aqara Home app and other third-party platforms, and connects with other smart home devices to create automated home experiences.
According to the folks at Aqara, the A100 Zigbee lock is designed with integration with Apple HomeKit, and supports Apple’s home key feature in Apple Wallet, which was introduced in iOS 15. Users simply tap their iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock the A100 Zigbee. The lock also supports voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant, so that users could check with their favorite assistant whether the door is locked, or ask the assistant to unlock the door.
The A100 Zigbee features a 3D fingerprint scanner with “liveness detection.” The scanner is ergonomically placed on the handle so that the user’s thumb naturally touches it when pressing the handle to open the door. Permanent, one-time and periodic passwords (6-10 digits) are supported. One-time and periodic passwords can be created and managed remotely.
Using eight AA batteries, the A100 Zigbee lock purportedly has a battery life of 18 months. A low battery warning will be pushed when the batteries drop below 20%. If the batteries run out, a user can open the lock by using the mechanical key, or by charging the lock with a power bank via the Type-C port.
