Level Lock – Previous Model (Matte Black)

I bought two of these to use in my home. Fast forward a couple of years, and I have been locked out of my house not once, but twice. First time was because of connectivity issues -- I only had an Apple Watch on (no Level app access) and Homekit could not get the lock to open. To be fair, it might just be that my WiFi was patchy. But the second time, the battery ran critically low and the lock never gave a warning, whether through the app or Homekit, and when I returned home the lock was dead. Honestly these locks have been a huge hassle and I would not recommend.

I taught myself to pick simple locks in college. I hadn’t tried picking a lock in many years. I picked this lock in 10-15 seconds on my first attempt. Wow. I tried picking my old Weiser smart key deadbolt that I replaced and it was difficult and after 20 minutes I gave up. This lock is meant to let people in, not lock them out… I would not recommend this for your house. Maybe a shed.

Was easy to install…. One huge problem… you have to be right beside the door to unlock it manually from the app as the Auto Unlock does not work consistently. Completely defeats the purpose of hands free…. So very disappointed

Id like to lead with: I bought this to see if I could use it like the level bolt. The good news is, you actually can. The keyset is very similar to a schlage, which bonus - thats what kind of lock I had. I have previously purchased just the Level Bolt kit and had extra adapters, which I didn't need thankfully. It seems I got a return that was carefully repackaged, but there were signs it was an opened and attempted to be installed item, but the pieces were all fine. I removed the lock cylinder, with a little patience it came right now.. and I plugged my existing deadbolt cylinder in - I did have to change the end screw that holds the tail that does the actual deadbolt turning, and I used the one from the package, worked fine. I did end up dropping all the pins and springs on the "new" cylinder, but its cool because I wasn't going to use it anyway. All of that was honestly unnecessary to use it like a level bolt, but I am who I am, haha. It started right up, paired with my app and synched with homekit perfectly. Because I have a Home Pod Mini, I didn't need to get any additional bridges or devices. As much as Id love it to work with Google home, I don't actually want to pay more for that. So my locks are homekit and my lights are google, whatever. This version was cheaper than the level bolt, by a LOT. I did end up using the trim kit that came with it because I liked it better than the one I had on my back door (that this wasn't bought for) but being that its interchangeable, I was able to just install it with my older level bolt and then use the new 'guts' to power my front door. I really REALLY like the backside of the lock where you turn it and how the knob comes off to reveal the screws, you just need a small pin like a simcard puller to pop it off. Once I figured that out, I was golden. I didn't love the front of the lock but I'm picky. Very well made, would buy again.

I've been using the Level Lock Smart Lock for keyless entry, and it's certainly a promising addition to my smart home setup. While it offers some fantastic features, there are a few areas where it could use some improvements. One of the standout features of this smart lock is its automatic locking function. However, I've encountered a minor inconvenience with it. I've set the lock to automatically engage after 1 minute of inactivity, which is great for security. However, it becomes a hassle when I step outside briefly to pick up the mail and return to find the door locked, with my phone inside the house. This forces me to leave the door open until I can retrieve my phone to unlock it manually. It would be incredibly helpful if Level Lock could incorporate a sensor to detect if the door is still ajar before locking automatically. Another area of improvement lies in the unlocking process using the mobile app. Currently, you need to keep the "unlock door" button pressed for a period of time before it unlocks the door. It would be much more user-friendly and efficient if a single press of the button could initiate the unlocking process, eliminating the need to keep the button held down. Despite these minor inconveniences, the Level Lock Smart Lock has proven to be a reliable and secure addition to my home. It's sleek, unobtrusive, and blends seamlessly with my existing door hardware. The app interface is intuitive and user-friendly, allowing for easy management of access codes and monitoring of the lock's status. In conclusion, the Level Lock Smart Lock shows great promise and has the potential to become an even more outstanding smart home device with a few enhancements. If Level Lock can address these issues in future updates, it would undoubtedly make for an even more convenient and user-friendly smart lock solution.