One of the Best Smart Locks for Apple HomeKit – Review Geek

The Level Lock+ is 2.8 inches from top to bottom, 2.8 inches wide, 4.5 inches from front to back, and weighs only 2.39 pounds. Available in Matte Black, Polished Brass, Satin Chrome, and Satin Nickel finishes, the box includes the Level Lock itself, a strike plate, two NFC card keys, two standard physical keys, all required assembly accessories, and a user manual. 

Level Lock claims that the Lock+ is the smallest smart lock on the market, and I can definitely back them up on the minuscule factor. In fact, the hardware was no different in size than the standard deadbolt assembly that I ripped out of my apartment door. And whenever I hear a manufacturer boasting about a product that’s smaller than the competition, one thought that always comes to mind is, “how tough is it?.” Fortunately, the Lock+ looks and feels strong and reinforced all around (or at least as strong as a traditional lock-and-bolt assembly), and the matte-black shell of my review unit looks sleek and modern. 

That being said, there is something that concerns me about the motor component that sits inside your door. The only thing that fastens this part of the lock to the deadbolt is a tiny screw that you’ll need a mini Philip’s-head screwdriver to tighten. And while everything seemed to hold up just fine once I had things tightened down, I do wish there were some extra safeguarding mechanisms in place for my personal peace of mind. 

The main idea behind pretty much any smart home component is that you’ll be able to install it yourself. And when it comes to unboxing and setting up the Level Lock+, the entire DIY process is relatively straightforward and will probably take most folks around 30 minutes or less to complete. This wasn’t the case for me, though, and I’ll explain why in a moment. 

To get things started, you’re first going to want to uninstall your existing lock-and-bolt assembly, which usually requires nothing more than a screwdriver (which is pretty much the only thing you’ll need for the installation, too).

Tip: Have a little sandwich baggie on standby for all your existing lock-and-bolt hardware and accessories, and make sure to store it in a safe place that you’ll actually remember.

As mentioned, in the box for your Level Lock+, you’ll find a printed guide for installing the lock and bolt, with clear instructions for each step. The first thing you’ll do is insert the new deadbolt, followed by the motor component, then the interior and exterior lock hardware, then the strike plate.

I’ll admit that it took me a bit to be able to get the deadbolt fastened to the motor, but I encountered a real struggle with getting the bolt to line up nicely with the new strike plate. Even after calibrating the lock with the Level Home app, I needed to uninstall and re-install the strike plate two or three times before the deadbolt could fully extend. 

I did think it was pretty cool that the power source (an included CR2 battery) is cleverly hidden inside the deadbolt assembly itself. Simply unscrew the threaded cap at the end of the bolt, pop the battery in, and put the cap back on. 

I wish app developers would take lessons from the Level team because the Level Home app is one of the best-looking and best-performing companion apps I’ve ever used. Once you’ve got your Lock+ activated and configured, it’ll appear front and center on the Home Screen, with the option to press and hold the Level button to lock/unlock the Lock+. 

At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see four icons (with the door icon or home screen highlighted). Tap the clock icon to open up the “Activity History” of your Lock+. An excellent security feature, this scrollable log adds an entry for every lock/unlock of your Lock+, which includes what time the action was performed, as well as the lock/unlock method (HomeKit, the Level Home app, or manually). 

By tapping the two people icon, you’ll be brought to the Level app’s sharing and guest-access page, where you’ll be able to add users to your Level Lock account. On this same screen, you’ll also be able to set up “Passes” by creating a custom unlocking link that can be shared with friends and family (this link will only work for the time and dates you choose). The “Cards” tab will let you activate Lock+ keycards (more on these later).

The last icon on the bottom ribbon takes you to the settings menu. Here, you personalize and adjust various Lock+ and Level Lock account features. And if you plan on adding your Lock+ to your Apple HomeKit ecosystem, you’ll want to select the “Works With” option and choose HomeKit from the list of options.

If you have more than one residence for multiple Level Lock products, you can also tap the downward-facing arrow at the top of the Level app to switch between locations.

Using the Level Home app, you’ll be able to lock and unlock the Level Lock+ right from the home screen. What I like about this capability is that lock/unlock is mapped to a big center button on the page (the Level icon), and in order to actually initiate a lock/unlock, you need to press and hold the button for around three seconds. I thought the time buffer was a thoughtful idea for situations where you may have the Level app opened to check the activity log or adjust a feature, and you accidentally tap the Level button instead. 

Now in order to perform a lock/unlock in this manner, the Lock+ uses Bluetooth, which means you’ll need to have Bluetooth enabled on your smartphone. The downfall here is that the Bluetooth range isn’t super-great. My home office is only about 25 feet away from my apartment’s front door, and in order for the app to detect the lock, I had to cut that distance in half. There is a Bluetooth Boost feature built into the Lock+ that you can enable (which cuts down on battery life), but I still experienced trouble when this feature was toggled on.

In the Level app’s Settings menu, you’ll also be able to play with a few automated lock/unlock settings, including Auto Lock/Unlock and Touch to Lock/Unlock. For both options, you’ll need to choose a one to three-minute time window for how long the Lock+ will wait to perform a lock/unlock action (in the case of Auto Lock/Unlock), and how long you’ll have to physically touch the lock (for Touch to Lock/Unlock). Both of these features worked as promised, but require you to have your phone’s background app refresh toggled on. 

As mentioned, your Lock+ should also come with two programmable keycards. Once you’ve activated one or both, you’ll be able to use them like you would a modern hotel room key. Just make sure that the Level logo is facing upward and hold the card against the exterior part of the Lock+ to either lock or unlock it. I actually really liked using the keycard method, although it can be argued that using a physical card is only a step away from just grabbing your keys.