Review: Abode Smart Lock

We all have things that we worry about. I worry that I've left my hair curler on and will set my house on fire. I refuse to leave any blinds open when I leave the house. (We're on the ground floor! People will see I'm not home and break in!) My husband, on the other hand, always thinks he hasn't locked the door, which leads to us constantly turning the car around or getting out of bed at 11 pm to double-check that the front door is indeed locked. It (almost) always is, but the fear is built-in now.

The solution is simple, though, thanks to smart home technology: a smart lock. Smart locks have been around for years, but Abode’s is one of the newest on the market. It’s designed to work with existing locks; I slapped it onto the back of my triple-paint-layered crappy renter door and waited to see whether it reduced the paranoia that ruled my husband’s life.

I’m relieved to report it did. It was easy for both of us to use and was handy in so many situations. I could lock the door from the car after battling my toddler into his car seat or check whether the door was locked from the gym or bed. But it did take a monthly subscription to get the most out of the lock.

Swap It Out

Photograph: Nena Farrell

As renters, there are several smart locks that we can’t use in our door, because we aren’t allowed to completely remove or change out the lock. Luckily, Abode’s Smart Lock is a deadbolt replacement, meaning it swaps out only the back of the lock, letting my key (and the landlord's) work normally when we aren't using the smart features. It's also called a retrofit lock, since it can be added onto the existing lock. It's a good option for both renters and anyone who lives somewhere with housing rules, like a condo HOA, or anyone who wants to keep their smart lock a secret to outside observers.

I'm not a particularly handy person—replacing light bulbs in my pendant light is as technical a job as I can usually do—but installing the Abode was super easy. You'll need a screwdriver, but Abode includes everything else, including a strip of tape to secure the exterior part of the lock to the door while you switch out the back. There's the lock itself, the mounting plate, and the tailpiece adapter that connects the turning mechanism of the original lock to the Abode lock. Abode includes four different tailpiece adapters to match just about any lock you might have. It took me maybe 15 minutes, including time to lug my toolbox out of the closet and to watch this video from Abode to make sure I installed it correctly.

My only complaint for setup is that there's one set of very tiny screws that you'll want an equally tiny screwdriver to reach. I think a small, standard screwdriver is supposed to be able to reach it, but mine couldn't. I happened to have a set of precision screwdrivers similar to this set ($5) in my toolbox, which worked much better.

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The lock also comes with a keypad that you can attach to the exterior of your home, using the included mounting plate. The little keypad includes a number pad and thumbprint reader. Within the app you create a max of 10 user profiles that you can attach up to five fingerprints to and a single access pin. You can also set each user to have either a permanent access code, one-time use, or make a schedule. However, you can store fingerprints only for users with permanent access (so you can't add your mom's fingerprint but only allow her access on Sunday afternoons, sorry). You can also hold down on any number for five seconds to make it lock itself while you leave, though I wish there was more of a quick one-touch option.

I liked using the lock a lot. It was nice to look at as well as easy to use, both in the app and in physical form. It was noisy, though; when it locks itself, the mechanism inside makes a clear loud whirring noise that sounds alarmingly similar to a power drill. It's no louder than running a robot vacuum, but it can be jarring at first or for anyone who isn't used to it. It also didn't feel any different to use my key with the Abode installed than with my original lock pieces, making it feel super seamless in my day-to-day life.

Pick a Plan

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The Abode Lock works great all by itself. It doesn't need a separate hub or external Wi-Fi connector of any kind, but I was able to connect to it remotely to make sure the door was locked. My favorite was getting texts from my husband asking, “Did you do that?” when I would lock the front door from down the street. (Working and punking my husband, all in one!)

You do, however, need to pay a monthly subscription fee to get accurate notifications and to be able to see the timeline of when the door is locked and unlocked, and by who. Otherwise, you'll just get a notification that the lock was used without specifying what exactly it did. The app will show you if the lock is currently locked or unlocked, but vague notifications and lack of a history aren't exactly helpful. I also had a connection drop at a random hour of the night. Seeing a vague notification that something happened at 12:30-something in the morning completely scared me that my home had been robbed overnight. It hadn't, but I didn't know that until I signed up for a subscription to see my history.

Photograph: Nena Farrell

After that incident, I chose the Standard Plan ($7 a month) that's designed for self-monitoring my home. There's also the Pro Plan ($25 a month) that includes a professional monitoring service, but that's designed for Abode's larger smart-home systems rather than just the lock.

Speaking of, while you don't need to use the Abode Lock with Abode's other security setups and hubs, it can add onto those as an accessory. Abode has three security hubs and starter kits to choose from: the basic Abode Kit ($140), the Smart Security Kit ($280), and the Iota All-in-One Security Kit ($330). Each of these has a different type of hub—the main differences are that the cheapest hub doesn't work with Apple HomeKit, and the iota has a built-in camera. All three work with the same accessories, though, so you could upgrade down the line and reuse any accessories you received. Adding a hub lets you create automations within the Abode app, so I could set up the Abode Lock to unlock when I arrived home.

You can also use the Abode Lock with smart home systems without needing a hub, but you'll still need one of the subscription plans. Amazon’s and Google’s ecosystems work with all three hubs, as do Sonos and Bose products, but you'll need one of the more expensive hubs if you want it to work with Apple HomeKit.

Door Stoppers

Photograph: Nena Farrell

The Abode Lock, for all it can do, can't tell you whether your door is closed–just if the lock is in the locked position. Some smart locks come with door sensors so you can see whether your door is both locked and closed in one place.

Abode's lock can't do this, but all of its hubs come with a Mini Sensor ($25) that can be used on doors and windows, so any hub package could help solve this issue to a certain degree. It certainly isn't as seamless as being a single device that can do both, though, if it's something you're worried about. My door, crappy rental that it is, has a loose knob that sometimes doesn't believe in closing until we re-screw it together, so this missing feature is a bigger issue for me than most folks with better (or just normal) doors.

Since Abode's main business is its full security system, it makes sense to have some features you can access only by going all-in on Abode. Still, you can enjoy several features right out of the box with just the Abode Lock alone, and no one outside your home will be the wiser.