Customer Ratings & Reviews

looking forward to it being installed in our new house

Very nice smart lock, works great! Would definitely recommend.

Love it when it works but touch to open only work about 3/4 of the time!

Love this lock. Want to get one for every other door in my house.

Works great, and does everything it’s supposed to.

Very glitchy and wish I would have purchased a Yale lock. Sometimes it works, mostly doesn’t. So incredibly frustrating and too late to return.

This is a very well thought out easy to use simplistic lock. For many years I have used a smart lock from another company that has a big keypad on it. I never liked having that big black box attached to my door. Not to mention if I came in the house with anyone, they could easily see what my code was. This lock fixes all those problems. It comes packaged very well and includes pretty much everything you will need to install it except for a screwdriver. It looks like your standard deadbolt lock. Anyone looking at it would have a hard time knowing that it’s a smart lock. This installation was a breeze. The instructions are very clear, and if you have ever installed a deadbolt before, you will have absolutely no problem installing this lock. It took me probably about 20 minutes to unbox and install it. Once you install the lock you simply pop the battery in and you are ready to go. You need to install the Level home app on your phone and it will guide you through the connection and setup process. Another part of the user experience that was well thought out and very easy to follow. Literally anyone can do it! Once connected you will easily be able to unlock the door with your iPhone or Apple watch. I have both and I tried it numerous times over the past week with both devices and I didn’t have a single problem with it. Its just a simplistic design that works! One thing I wondered was what if it doesn’t work for some reason…don’t worry, they do include a set of keys if there is ever a malfunction so you won’t be locked out of your house. I can’t praise this product enough. Simplistic design, easy to use and install, and it just works! If you are in the Apple ecosystem and you are looking for a smart lock…this is the one to get!

Looks no different than the original with its simple design which look just like a regular deadbolt. Like the original, the deadbolt barrel itself is where the battery is located so it is not solid steel like a normal deadbolt. You twist off the end cap and you can see the battery cavity. With this in mind, I question the sturdiness or strength of the deadbolt. The whole lock feels solid and well built otherwise. Installing the hardware was really simple, might be even simpler than installing a regular deadbolt. NOTE: This will NOT fit on some steel security doors because the barrel diameter is too thick. Also, the door thickness needs to be at least 1-3/4”. Too bad for me because that’s where I was intending to install it on. Many ways to access the lock. You can use the gold ole’ fashioned key (comes with two), a key card fob (two of them), with the Level app that lets you access the lock from anywhere with internet connection. You can give out access passes to guests and you can set limits as to how long they can access the lock. I use Apple devices so the HomeKey feature is the main reason why I chose this lock. Its simple design would be second. With Apple HomeKey, you can use your iPhone or Watch to unlock the lock by simply bringing your iPhone or Watch close to the lock. You can also tell Siri to lock or unlock the lock. You can set up automations and scenes with the Home app. Then, there’s the touch feature that lets you lock and unlock by simply touching the metal casing of the lock. Touch to unlock; after locking the lock, you have 10 seconds to use the touch to unlock feature. Hopefully that’s enough time for you to figure out if you left something inside. After the 10 seconds, this feature is disabled and you would have to use the other methods of unlocking the lock. The touch feature also has a timer for when it is available. For instance, when you close the door, you have a certain amount of time to lock it before it becomes unavailable and you can set this timer from 1 - 3 minutes in the settings and the same thing for unlock. For the unlock, the timer starts when you enter the geofence or home boundary. So, if it takes you more than 3 minutes for you to get to your lock, the touch feature to unlock the door will not work for you. You would have to use the other methods to unlock it. Fear not, there’s yet another way to access the lock and that is with the optional Level Keypad which I highly recommend you add. I really like this lock and I really would love to give this Level Lock Touch edition 5 stars because there’s so much innovation in it but I gave it 4 stars because I think the touch feature can still be improved. I had some issues with the first gen with it becoming unresponsive in the Home app but it seems like this new version of the lock and/or firmware has resolved that.

Stopped working after 20 days. I emailed the company directly and still no response.

The locking mechanism broke during install, returned to Best But.

Definitely not worth it. I ended up returning mine because you can either have it in a certain sanity and if you do then another setting doesn’t work you would have to be caring your phone with you at all times instead I went ahead and I purchased one with the fingerprint.

I’m not sure why I see this one in my review section because I had only purchased one which is the black one. As far as my experience with the other deadbolt, it was totally not worth it and ended up returning it.

Apple homes will absolutely love this lock. Level put a lot of time into designing this lock to make it as sleek and discreet as possible. You can’t tell the Level Lock+ is a smart lock from just looking at it. There are no buttons, leds, or anything but a standard keyhole. All the “smart” is hidden inside of the door. There’s not even branding, other than the Level logo on the end of bolt itself, which also serves as the battery cover. If you’ve installed a deadbolt before, this is no different. Inside the box is everything you need to get the job done other than a screwdriver. Simply remove your old deadbolt with your screwdriver and follow the guide to install the Lock+. It should fit on most modern doors but the website does have a compatibility guide that you might want to check first. It took me maybe 15 minutes including chiseling a bit out of the door to get the new strike plate on. Once everything is in place, simply extend the bolt so that you can insert the battery and then load the Level app to start the setup process. It should find the lock and then ask you to add the lock to HomeKit. If you haven’t used the Home app before I’d recommend setting that up prior to the lock. Once HomeKit is set up you’ll see a new “Home” key card in your wallet app which you can use to unlock the door. For convenience, you’ll want to turn on “Express Mode” which will allow you to unlock the door with just your phone or watch without authenticating with your face or pin. I found unlocking the door with my phone or watch to be quick and reliable. For iPhone, hold the phone in a horizontal position and simply place the top edge of it against the lock right above the keyhole. For Apple Watch, just plant the face of the watch directly against the lock. It’s a little awkward with the watch, but it does work. There are other ways to unlock the door besides your iPhone such as the Level app (via Bluetooth), the physical key, and NFC keys, two of which are included. The NFC keys are not paired with the lock from the factory so make sure you do this in the app before handing one to your dog walker. With HomeKit setup you can also ask Siri to lock or unlock the door. The Home key was automatically added to my family’s wallets without them having to do anything, which is convenient, and allows them to unlock the door the same as I can. With Express Mode turned on you can even unlock your door for a few hours if your iPhone battery has died because a bit of power is reserved. I haven’t had the lock long enough to see how well the battery performs but Level says it will last 6 months which is notably only half the time of their locks that do not support HomeKit. Best to buy some spare CR2 batteries when you get the lock. The lock does not support WIFI, only Bluetooth, meaning it must connect to something via Bluetooth in order to access the internet. Even if you are an Apple household, you need to have more than just iPhones to get the full experience. You will need either an Apple HomePod or Apple TV which can serve as a hub to grant you additional capabilities such as lock notifications, home automations, and most importantly controlling the lock away from home. One of the big benefits of having a smart lock is giving others temporary access to your home. Unfortunately, there’s no way to share the Home keys you find in Apple wallet with other users outside of your Home family. Sharing to others requires the Level app, the physical NFC keys, or a keypad (optional accessory) which means external users don’t get to take advantage of the nifty iPhone NFC functionality. To be fair, the inability to share a Home key is more of an Apple limitation than any fault of the lock. Likewise, many HomeKit enabled devices only support Bluetooth and rely on an Apple TV or HomePod as a hub. Level could have included WIFI so that the lock could be used with just the Level app outside of the home network but I’m sure that would have killed the battery which is why they don’t bother. The biggest downside to this lock is that it’s not for everybody. If you don’t have an iPhone or there’s one person in the house who does not have one, then the experience will be less than ideal. That person will need to use the auto-unlock and lock features via the Level app or you can buy the keypad accessory. However, I don’t think buying the keypad for the Level makes any sense, because you will be paying more than other locks on the market that do include a keypad AND support not only Home key but other platforms such as Google Assistant. Finally, I should note the lock states that it also supports Amazon Ring Sidewalk as an alternative to HomeKit. However, I have never used Sidewalk and therefore cannot comment but it may be a viable alternative for Android users to get the most benefits out of this lock. Pros: HomeKit integration with support for Home keys Touch to Lock or Unlock Express Mode Slick minimalist design Lock cylinder can be re-keyed Comes in Multiple Colors Includes both NFC and Physical Keys Cons: No built-in support for platforms like Google Assistant, Alexa No built-in wifi – Requires an Apple TV or HomePod to enable out of home access. No support yet to share NFC Home keys with other Apple users. Overall – This is the lock Apple would make if they made locks. Apple users will love the sleek design and seamless integration to the Apple Home ecosystem. Everyone’s iPhone in my home is now magically a door key. However, just like most Apple first party products, this lock is not meant for people who are not bought into the Apple ecosystem. The key selling point of the Level Lock+ is the Apple and HomeKit integration and without that the experience will be limited.

We’ve used a couple different brands of smart locks at our home so this isn’t our first experience with them. The Level Lock Plus has some nice features that make it an attractive option. Installation is very straight forward, yet it’s best to visit the Level Compatibility Center to ensure that your existing deadbolt and door are compatible with using this lock. If you have a door that does not lock without having to be physically pushed or pulled for your deadbolt to lock, then this is likely not going to work for you. One’s door should align well and the deadbolt should lock and unlock easily without any friction. After removing the old lock installation was just a matter of inserting and fastening the bolt, sliding on the motor, fastening the strike plate and assembling the remaining outer housing and components. The battery installation is very easy as one simply unscrews the cap at the end of the bolt and inserts the one CR2 battery. Once the cap is screwed back on the lock should sound with a welcome chime. Our old strike plate used four screws and the Level strike plates provided use two so we had to make some changes to accommodate the smaller strike plate. If you don’t already have the Level Home app, simply download it and proceed with the onscreen instructions once you’ve created an account. We already had the app so it was easy to just add this lock within the app and complete activation. We also enabled Apple Homekit and proceeded to setup Apple home keys. It was also very easy to enable the Apple home keys feature on other family members Iphones. Use of the Apple home keys allows one to easily lock and unlock the Level Lock Plus by putting the top of your Iphone or Apple watch near the lock’s keyhole. Siri can also be used to give voice commands to lock and unlock the door. Other options to unlock the door are physical keys and fobs (provided with kit), and physical cards. Settings for the Level lock allow one to control whether auto-lock and auto-unlock are enabled and the time set for this feature to auto lock or unlock. One can also enable touch to lock and unlock, and adjust the sound volume settings of the lock. It’s nice that the app will let you give guests temporary access to one’s home, but they will need to install the Level app to use this feature. If you want a smart lock the Level Lock Plus is a good option for ease of installation and the design is nice since it doesn’t look like a smart lock; its appearance is very much the look of a typical deadbolt. The app is easy to use and the response time of the lock has been pretty quick. One thing we noticed is the lack of a sensor on the doorframe so the lock knows whether the door is shut or ajar. If you go outside to do something and leave the door ajar, the Level lock will slide the bolt into the locked position even though the door is not shut. In this case, the app will show the door as being locked, even though the door is not closed. At this price point, we would have preferred the design to have incorporated a sensor to know the door is fully closed when the lock bolt is in the locked position.

I wanted to look into getting a smart door lock because I wanted to have a method for my daughter to enter the home without giving her a key. The first thing I noticed about this Level smart lock was that it did not look like a smart lock. There’s no branding on the exterior or interior locking mechanisms. The finish looks nice and very high end. The set comes with the lock, all the screws needed, two keys and a bolt extender in case you have a deep installation location. Speaking of installation, it was super easy. Install the battery into the lock bolt, uninstall your old lock and install the new one. You will need to download the Level home app. Syncing the lock to the app only took a couple minutes. Once you calibrated the lock, you can hold down a button on the app to lock and unlock your doors. I went about 25 feet from the lock to test the range and it worked like it should. I also synched it up with my apple home and get notification when the door is locked/unlocked on my cell phone. It’s a super simple product to modernize your home. If you’re looking for a reliable smart lock, I’d highly recommend check out this product from Level.

Review for Level Lock+ with Apple Home Keys - Satin Nickel I really like my original Level lock and was impressed with the improvements that Level has already made in the lock’s short lifetime - like ease-of-use features to the keypad. I was excited to find out about the new Level Lock+ with Apple Homekeys, since I’m a big Apple fan, too. The lock arrived and was SO simple to install. The materials are top notch and the instructions are easy and straightforward. I ran into a slight problem trying to use the Homekeys feature. After some frustration, I found a user suggestion online to remove the lock from the App and reinstall it, then try Homekeys. Everything worked fine after that. I was surprised to find that the “touch” feature from the Level Touch product was built in to my new lock. Score! It’s so easy to just touch the lock casing to lock or unlock the door. Also, you can use the optional keypad, the physical keys, key cards (like used in a hotel) and the key fobs (included). The app also allows for auto locking and unlocking when you leave the house or return. My (slight) disappointment came about when I tried to add my wife’s Homekey. Turns out, you have to create an Apple Hub in HomeKit to allow more than than one user to use Homekeys. Although I found this in the fine print on the box, it still made me sad. To create a Hub, I’d have to have an Apple HomePod, HomePod mini, or Apple TV. Since the Level Lock+ allows for so many ways to use it, I guess this is not a dealbreaker.

Smart locks are becoming more and more prevalent in homes and Level has been at the top of the mountain predominantly due to their minimal aesthetics compared to other smart locks and the Level Lock + is no different. Along with the minimal footprint the Home Key feature sets this model apart from other smart locks. Right out of the box though installation was a breeze as it took less than 10 minutes to get everything installed and up and running. I do want to touch on the aesthetics though as after using a variety of other smart locks I was extremely impressed with how small this smart lock was as it is not bulky in the slightest compared to other smart locks and with the battery being built into the cylinder the lock looks just like any normal deadbolt. On to the actual usability though. Upon adding the lock to the Home app I was definitely eager to try the Home Key feature that sets this lock apart. Right away the key showed up both on my phone and on my wife`s phone without her "having to download another smart home app." After getting Home Key setup though it worked flawlessly as it works just as you would use Apple Pay. After using the lock for a week I have yet to run into any issues with this method either. Another cool feature of this is that even when my phone had died it still worked. The only downside to this currently is that you can`t share the key with other users yet as they still are required to download the app. However the lock does come with two cards that can also be used to access the lock in case you may rather hand these out to guests instead of forcing them to download the app. Overall, this smart lock predominantly sets itself apart in its minimal aesthetic as it forgoes that massive black box as nearly every other smart lock requires. The other major feature is Home Key as this feature can`t be beat if you are an iPhone/Apple Watch user! If you were able to share keys with others this would be an absolute no brainer for all Home Kit users. However, this smart lock still remains one of the better smart locks you can buy as the appearance and usability are top notch!

The Level Lock+ is a beautiful and well-built smart lock. It looks like any regular lock from the outside but packs smart capability on the inside. I love that this lock looks just like any regular door lock while having the capabilities of a smart lock. I previously had a different brand smart lock that stuck out and was not visually appealing, so in the area of aesthetics and design, this lock really excels. I also love how easy it is to change the battery on this. You just lock the bolt and then unscrew the cover and you have one battery to change - quick and easy. Overall, this lock has a great design. The Apple HomeKey capability on this lock is a really nice feature. I was able to set up the Apple HomeKey on my devices and enable Express Mode so I can just tap my phone or Apple Watch on the lock and it will unlock. From my usage, it was easiest to just hold up my Apple Watch to the lock and it would quickly respond and unlock. This is a great feature that worked reliably and consistently for me when using with my Apple Watch. I also love the touch capability on this lock - it is nice to be able to touch the lock after you have shut your door and it will lock. No need to get out keys or even tap your watch on the lock, you just touch it with your finger and it locks. Unfortunately, there is one shortcoming with this lock that has been a big disappointment for me. The most important feature to me with a smart lock is auto-unlock capability. This lock has performed unreliably with the auto-unlock feature in the Level app. I have had a Level Lock Touch for quite a while and have had the same auto-unlock issues with this lock as I have had with the Level Lock Touch. We use an iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 Pro with these locks regularly and the auto-unlock capability is just not reliable. Most of the time when we walk up to the door, the lock will not be unlocked. Sometimes it will then unlock after waiting 5-15 seconds, other times I have to turn on my phone screen and then it will unlock, and other times it just doesn’t unlock and I have to manually do so. There are also times when we have manually unlocked the door and then shut and locked it once inside, only for the Level lock to automatically unlock at some point after that. I had a smart lock from another brand before my Level locks and never encountered these issues, it automatically unlocked reliably the vast majority of the time. So I definitely think this is an issue with Level’s app, not our phones. It is really disappointing that auto-unlock on our Level locks is not reliable. To me, the primary feature of having a smart lock is not having to fumble for your keys when you get home and just being able to open the door without having to think about unlocking it. The Apple HomeKey functionality does help since I can quickly and easily hold up my Apple Watch to the lock and it will unlock, but I would still prefer for the lock to automatically unlock and do so reliably. I did reach out to Level regarding these issues and they have indicated that they are aware of reliability issues with auto-unlock and are working to address those. They did not yet have a timeline for when they expect these issues to be addressed. I am hopeful that at some point in the future they will fix these issues, but until that happens, I have to reduce my rating from 5 to 3 stars given how important I think this functionality is. If the auto-unlock capability is not that important to you, then I think this is an otherwise excellent smart lock. I would give this lock 5 stars if it weren’t for the auto-unlock issues that we have experienced. If the auto-unlock functionality is important to you, then I would hold off on purchasing this lock for now to see if Level is able to resolve the auto-unlock issues with an app update and/or firmware update for the lock.

I want to fall in love with this product but there are too many compromises to the technology that the lock fails to achieve one of the most basic functions of a lock: it takes too long to unlock the door. The physical appearance of this deadbolt lock is excellent if you are into Satin Nickel and installation into existing or new doors is just as easy as a dumb-deadbolt, or maybe a not-smart door lock, never mind lets just say a traditional deadbolt so getting this thing up and running is easy. I have to admire the ingenuity of using the deadbolt as the battery compartment but I wonder how much of the problems of this device stem from the limited power available to the device. I’ll come back to that in a moment, let’s continue with the positive side of this thing. The Lock+ is simple to pair with Apple HomeKit and adding support for Apple HomeKey gives this lock major geek creds. I use both an iPhone and an Apple Watch and I’m a frequent Apple Wallet user so so I was excited to add a lock to the home automation technology stack. Apple’s HomeKit technology use NFC. For comparison, I drive a Tesla where my iPhone is my car key, though Tesla doesn’t use NFC it uses Bluetooth. After I pull into the garage and close the garage door the first thing I do with my iPhone is remove it from the Tesla charging pad in the car then leave it in my hand as I walk into the house. I had hoped this pattern would make it super easy to pause with the phone in my hand and unlock the door to the house Another behavior I was expecting is that when I get close to my Tesla the doors automatically unlock requiring zero physical interaction with the phone. It can remain in my pocket. I had hoped the lock would be just as simple. Boy was I disappointed. In my use case the Level Lock+ is installed on the door leading from my garage to the house. Apple HomeKey requires you to unlock your phone, open the Apple Wallet App, scroll through your virtual wallet and then select Home Key, then authenticate with FaceID (I’m using an iPhone 14 Pro Plus), and only then can you aim the tip of your phone to the lock. Then you wait. After a 5-10 second delay the door unlocks. It’s ridiculous. The first time you stand in front of your door with bags of groceries in your hand and instead of fumbling with a set of keys that take 2-3 seconds you fight with your cell phone to try and unlock the door while your wife is yelling at you to hurry up cause her hands are full of groceries as well…. Well lets just say it’s not pretty. The experience on the Apple Watch is only slightly better because you get to skip the authentication factor but now you’ve got to awkwardly hold your wrist up to your phone and if you have a doorframe close to the deadbolt again it’s just not very practical. I have another Level Lock in the house (not the plus) and I was hopeful that the + would improve on several other problems that all boil down to an issue of speed. Be it Bluetooth in the app (triggered by holding down the button in the app for several seconds), asking Siri to unlock the door, or trying to use HomeKey the bottom line is that it just takes far too long for the commands to make it to the lock before the lock responds and I’ve found myself digging out the physical key to the lock more often than trying to use any of the technology components that I was expecting to use. There are some compelling digital features like Auto Lock/Unlock and having the lock linked to HomeKit for additional notifications is helpful, there’s even a signal booster and adjustable sound levels for the app, and yes I no longer have to physically get out of bed to lock the door before bedtime, but getting in and out of the door with any type of efficiency is just not possible and the main reason why this Smartlock is still pretty dumb.

First, I loved the look of this lock, I've used a smart lock in the past and the idea of the convenience was great but it was an eyesore and the profile of this lock really is just like a "normal" lock. The next thing that hooked me in was the (potential) battery life. The previous lock that I used drained the batteries ridiculously quick and always seemed to be low on battery power and therefore not working. I can only attest that I have been using this lock for a little over a week and a half so while I can't promise that the battery life is as long as is promised but I can say that I feel really comfortable that we won't be in the same situations as we were before. Previously my MIL was watching my kids one weekend so my husband and I could take a vacation and the kids ended up completely locked out of the house and it was awful. I have provided my MIL with one of the electronic keys that she was able to easily slip onto her key ring and get in and out of the house just fine, so I'm VERY excited about that! Also, we, as a household really depend on our Apple products and the ease that this lock hooked up to all or our phones was amazing! I do have to say that when I first opened the box, the packaging was beautiful and also daunting and I wondered what had I bitten off... that being said, I was completely wrong, it was SO easy to install and I could not be happier!