I could see this being particularly handy when you’re loaded down with groceries or mail.įYI: My husband has found that the auto-unlock feature to be hit or miss. At that point, the door is meant to open with either a touch of the hand or without you having to do a single thing (your choice). There’s also an auto-lock/unlock feature, which uses your location to determine when you’re within a certain radius of your house. For tech-friendly visitors, you can share forever, temporary, or recurring access. Within the app, you can unlock-pun very much intended-a few extra methods. This way, should your phone die (or should a guest love the analog life) you’ve got hands-on options at your disposal. We use the Level Home app’s press-to-unlock feature the most-our phones are always with us!-but I was relieved that the Lock+ gives you a couple alternatives. If you spring for Level’s separate keypad, add a fourth to the list. You have three different ways to engage your Level Lock+: your phone, a hotel-like key card, and a regular ol’ key. To lock or unlock the door, you simply hold down the Level logo when you’re in front of the door until you hear the sweet sound of it turning. We’re talking an under-five-minute process, after which your phone becomes a key in and of itself. You’ll be asked for some personal information, then a few prompts follow. The Level Home Appĭownload the Level Home app on your phone and connect it to your lock right away (apparently, you only have 30 minutes to do so for security reasons or you’ll have to reset it). In total, installation took us 45 minutes, but 30 of those were dealing with the aforementioned bolt debacle. According to Level, the Lock+ battery should last about six months. A chirping sound indicates a job well done. Once you screw the strike plate into the door frame, you’ll turn your attention to the bolt one last time to pop in the battery. (Full disclosure: I pulled out our drill at this point to make it even easier.) The “paddle,” aka the dial you turn to lock the door from the inside, snaps into place with a push. After that, you attach the outer plates to either side of the motor with, yes, more screws. Do it slowly, though, and you’ll be fine. The step that requires the most finesse is sliding the motor into the hole and onto the bolt in an upright position “Level” should be facing up. Don’t do this unless you want to get into an argument with your significant other and end up pulling out the bolt with pliers. From there, you simply screw the new Level bolt into the door per the instructions.įYI: If curiosity compels you to manually push in the bolt mechanism at this point and you close the door, you will actually lock it…with no easy way to retract the bolt. Next, we said a not-so-fond farewell to our existing keypad, the corresponding bolt, and the bolt strike plate (on the door frame) with the help of the screwdriver. My order? The Level Lock+ in matte black. We weren’t opposed to smart locks as a genre-it was nice to never have to dig around for actual keys-but ours wasn’t cutting it in the looks or function department. So by the time a coworker asked if I’d heard of the smart security startup Level a few months after we moved in, I was desperate for an upgrade. Did I mention it was glaringly ugly?ĭealing with it quickly fell to the bottom of our to-do list, as other projects (hello, leaking water heater) started piling up. Mind you, our sweet little house has a lot going for it-crocuses in the front yard, the original 1930s dentil molding, a recently renovated kitchen-but the security situation was rather dismal: a finicky old Schlage keypad that frequently left us spinning the dial this way and that until the door miraculously swung open. My husband and I, however, got something else entirely: a text with a code. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs.Įvery first-time homeowner looks forward to that final, cinematic moment when your real-estate agent hands you the keys to your new place.
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