YALE’S NEW SMART LOCKS

Yale has expanded its Assure 2 lineup with two new smart locks: one with support for Apple’s HomeKey and one with a fingerprint reader. Both are firsts for the company, but unfortunately, you have to pick one or the other as there’s no model with a fingerprint reader and HomeKey.

The locks can work with all the major smart home platforms. It comes in keyed or key-free versions but is touchscreen only. This adds remote unlocking through the Yale Access app and compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Adding both a fingerprint reader and NFC antenna for HomeKey makes the lock more expensive. The Plus does not have a fingerprint reader or the option of a physical keyway. So Apple Home users will have to choose which entry method they prefer.

Personally, fingerprint is easiest; it never runs out of battery although your HomeKey is available for a few hours after your phone’s battery dies. They said because HomeKey is very Apple-focused, Yale felt it was important to keep the fingerprint reader separate.