Nuki Smart Lock: A No-Brainer Addition To Your Home?

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Need-to-knows

• Retrofit smart lock that fits onto your existing deadbolt or cylinder
• Unlocks via smartphone, Apple Watch, fingerprint, 6-digit code, or Auto Unlock as you approach
• Compatible with Apple Home via Matter, plus Google Home, Alexa, and SmartThings
• Go and Pro models install in under 5 minutes; the Ultra in under 15

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If you’re the kind of person who’s thought about getting a smart lock, had a quick look, then put it straight in the “too complicated, too expensive, maybe one day” pile, I get it. I’ve done that myself with a few smart home products, in fact I’ve been trying to smart-ify my home for a while now but always get put off. The reality is that most of them involve drilling holes, hubs you didn’t budget for or just very limited usefulness.

The Nuki Smart Lock, which I discovered recently, is one of the true exceptions to that. It’s a retrofitting solution that clips onto the back of your existing door lock, leaving the exterior completely untouched, and transforms the whole thing into a proper smart entry system.

It sounds like a massive luxury, and it is a bit, but now that I’ve been using it for a while I can’t imagine going back to a physical key. Here are my full thoughts!

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What even is a smart lock?

A smart lock replaces the mechanism on the inside of your door that you’d normally turn with a key. In Nuki’s case, it fits over whatever you already have (deadbolt or euro cylinder) and uses a motor to handle the locking and unlocking. The exterior of your door looks exactly the same, which is really handy if you rent somewhere and can’t make physical changes to your property.

The upshot is that your phone, your Apple Watch, or a fingerprint becomes your key. And if your hands are full (think: shopping bags, pushchair, a dog lead in each hand), the very impressive Auto Unlock feature does the job for you. The door clicks open as you approach, before you’ve even had to think about it…more on that in a second.

The product range

Depending on where you live, the Nuki range differs slightly. In Europe there are three Smart Lock options; the Nuki Go, Pro and Ultra. For the USA there’s two: the Nuki Smart Lock for deadbolts and Smart Lock Ultra for anyone with euro profile locks. If you have any doubts about which one will work for you, there’s a compatibility checker on Nuki’s website.

The Nuki Go is the entry-level option, giving you all the core functionality at the most accessible price. The Nuki Pro sits in the middle ground with slightly more advanced connectivity built in. Then there’s the Nuki Ultra, which installs in under 15 minutes rather than the five-minute install time of the Go and Pro.

Beyond the lock itself, Nuki offers a couple of add-ons that round the system out nicely. The Nuki Keypad 2 lets you unlock via a 6-digit code or fingerprint, which is useful for guests, cleaners, or family members you don’t want to add as full app users. There’s also the Nuki Keypad 2 NFC, which adds Apple Home Key support via Aliro, so you can tap your iPhone or Apple Watch directly against the keypad to unlock, which I definitely recommend getting.

The Nuki Door Sensor is a small additional purchase that sits on the door frame and tells the app whether your door is open, closed, or ajar. This sounds quite minor, but if you’ve ever left the house and spent the next hour wondering whether you actually pulled the door shut properly, it’s worth every penny.

The installation

Five minutes. That’s genuinely all it takes for the Go and Pro. There are no screws, drills or permanent modifications to your door. Nuki’s app walks you through the whole process with a step-by-step guide, and a compatibility checker on nuki.io lets you confirm your door is suitable before you order.

These are the sorts of thing that usually put me off Smart Home gear. I just want to plonk it down and get it working and Nuki does just that because the mechanism clamps onto the existing turn piece on the inside of your door. It’s secure, well-engineered, and it comes off again cleanly if you ever move.

Living with Auto Unlock

This is the feature I keep coming back to when talking about Nuki. Not only is it very cool to have your door unlock itself without you thinking about it, but it’s also just very useful. The novelty doesn’t really wear off.

Auto Unlock uses your phone’s GPS alongside Bluetooth proximity detection. As you get close to home (within a radius you set), the app registers you’re approaching, prepares to unlock and then the door opens as you walk up. So if your hands are full or you’ve got kids pestering you to get inside then you don’t need to stand there searching for your keys.

It sounds like a small thing until you experience it daily — and then you’ll never want to go back.

Smart home integrations

Nuki uses Matter as its connectivity backbone, which means it integrates with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. For Apple users specifically, you can control the lock via Siri, add it to the Home app, and include it in automations. Lock the door when the last person leaves, for instance, or unlock when a particular shortcut runs.

The Keypad 2 NFC adds Apple Home Key support, which stores a digital key in your Apple Wallet alongside your travel cards and payment methods. You simply tap your iPhone or Apple Watch against the keypad and the door opens.

For anyone who’s tried to build out a HomeKit home and run into the usual compatibility headaches, Nuki’s Matter support means you’re not locked into any particular ecosystem so it just works with whatever you’ve already got.

Quality and security

The lock itself is made from aluminium and feels properly solid. It’s not some plastic gadget that rattles around on your door. Plus, it’s manufactured in Europe so you’re getting high-quality build standards.

Crucially, Nuki doesn’t replace your physical cylinder or your exterior lock. Your door is still as secure as it was before. You can also keep using a physical key at any time so if the app goes down or the battery dies, you aren’t locked out.

Digital key sharing

One of the more useful practical features is the ability to share digital keys with other people: family members, houseguests or a cleaner. You can also set time-limited access, so a key only works during specific hours or on specific days which I imagine would be very handy if you rent your home out to holidaymakers. There’s also the ability to instantly revoke access via the app and you can see a log of who has used the lock too.

And it really is that simple to use. I’ve had no issues with my testing when giving out digital keys and setting up time limits for them. Again, this is what has been so nice about using Nuki’s lock, everything feels as simple as it should for a product designed to make using your home easier.

Wrapping up

Smart home products often promise a lot and deliver a middling experience. The Nuki Smart Lock is one of the few that actually delivers on a very specific function: genuinely keyless entry, proper smart home integration, and an installation process that really does take minutes.

The fact that it retrofits onto your existing lock without touching the exterior is the detail that makes it work for nearly everyone. And Auto Unlock, once you’ve had it in your life for a week, becomes one of those things you’ll unexpectedly never want to stop using.

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about a smart lock, Nuki is where the fence-sitting ends.

What does your smart home setup look like? Get involved in the comments.