Level Lock – Previous Model (Matte Black)

This was surprisingly easy to install and has worked well in the short time that I've own it. It took less than 20 minutes to install starting with unboxing, and probably half of that was taken up by a couple of rounds of firmware updates. Once installed, you can't see the Level Bolt, but the build quality is outstanding. Really great design and finish. Be aware that there are multiple models of the Level Bolt. This review is for the Bluetooth (only) model. If you want Matter over Thread, it's a different model and about twice the money. Bluetooth is fine for me -- I don't really need remote operation of the lock, but could do so if I had a compatible Apple TV or HomePod located within 25 feet or so of the lock. As stands, HomeKit running on my Apple TV can be used to operate and monitor the Level Bolt, but only if my iPhone is within 25 feet of the Level Bolt. I plan to buy a couple more of these for other swing doors in my house.

Short Review: The MAIN feature of this lock is the Touch to Unlock feature. It ONLY works 20% of the time. Customer support was no help either. At first they'll say this is a known issue and is being worked but no time frame is given on that update. Next, when you show them pictures of where the lock is installed, they will start to blame the location of the lock. I have mine installed in the door that connects to my garage. Simply put: Do NOT buy this lock. Detailed Version: The main reason you're looking at this lock is due to the convenience of just touching the lock to lock/unlock the door. On paper that does sound super convenient! But how about if the lock never unlocks for you? You are just standing in front of your door touching the lock over and over and over but nothing happens. Beyond frustrating and you start to question "Why did I buy this?". I reached out to Level support and at first they actually acknowledged the issue as a known problem. Great! When will the main feature of this lock be fixed? Nicole over at customer support has no idea so she let me know she would follow up later with the engineering team that's working on the firmware update. Ok that's fair! She initially blamed Apple's iOS and how it handles background operations request from apps so thus the randomness of the unlocking. Understandable. How Apple or even Google updates their Operating System is out of Level's control. Both Nicole and the engineering team follow up with me and this is where it all goes downhill. They suggest that the lock needs time for it to get ready for the Touch to Unlock feature to kick in. This MIGHT be true as sometimes I am standing at my door 15-20 seconds before it actually unlocks. 20 seconds might seem short just saying it but actually standing in front of your door for that long is ridiculous. Sometimes the feature just doesn't even work and you have to pull out your phone/key/card to unlock! Isn't everyone buying this lock expecting to just walk up to the lock and be able to unlock it without a waiting period? I sure thought so. And this whole thing about having to wait with a buffer is all nonsense because of the 20% of the time that it DOES work. I am simply walking up to it and touching/unlocking the lock and it works. Where was the buffer in those times? They then request pictures of where the lock is installed. They immediately say I have the lock installed in a wrong room and that the lock is only meant for entry way doors. I have mine installed in the doorway after getting in through the garage door. I believe they mean they only expect this lock to be installed on the outer perimeters of your home. Like the main entry door way for example. If that's the case, shouldn't this be way more clear in their marketing or product descriptions? Also, why did support pivot from the whole "this is a known issue and is being worked on" to "you installed it in the wrong room"? They sure do make it sound the lock would work PERFECTLY if I just fixed all the issues they mentioned. Not ONCE in the follow up did the engineering team even mention a firmware update. Basically all the blame is put on me and the room I chose to install the lock and what operating system is on my phone. Stay far away from any product that Level releases.

When I first saw these I was skeptical of the company, its features, and everything about it as I wasnt sure they would live up to the hype or their advertising but these exceeded my expectations by a mile (and then some). First off, these are some of the simplest, most elegant smart locks Ive ever seen. Ive used the August smart locks in the past, and recently even the newer Aqara ones but these are SO much better. You pay a small premium for these over the other ones I mentioned but its well worth it for how much better these are. Although the aforementioned ones meet different needs for different people, I think these ones are for those that want to maximize functionality while keeping aesthetics intact. The others are too bulky and take up way more room than they should and while the August ones are much quicker to install, and the Aqara has a keypad integrated, these just look so much better that its almost not even worth considering the other options. Home Keys with my phone or watch work SUPER quick and the lock has NEVER been disconnected or unreachable in the home app. Its super simple to share access with other people and the installation is very straightforward (as long as you dont have messed up door jambs like I did). The only issue Ive ever had with these is that it sometimes says its jammed if you haven't fully turned the paddle all the way over. Which to be honest isn't even the lock's fault but sometimes its so close to being fully turned its strange to see it consider it to be jammed. Only other gripe I have with it is that the battery is an odd size. This honestly couldn't have been solved in any other way on their part but an option to somehow hardwire these would be great. So far the battery life has been excellent, its been installed for about 6 months now but I am curious to see how these will fare compared to other locks Ive had in the past.

This version of the Level Bolt can be changed to Matter over Thread via a support request at Level. They require that you fill out a questionnaire to ensure you know what you're doing, that you own a compatible home automation system, etc. It took over a month for my request to be reviewed, but if you have a Matter over Thread setup, I highly recommend the firmware. It also makes it possible to add the locks to multiple controllers, which is great if you have a split ecosystem. Setup was finicky (but this seems to be an issue with Matter over Thread in general). I had to delete the bolts from Level app, close all the apps, re-add them, and tried to pair many many times before successful. It took hours to add all 7 bolts. Once done, though, the locks are far more responsive, rarely disconnect, and communicate instantly. This contrasts with the bluetooth connection I had via HomeKit, which would frequently disconnect, especially one I had far from the HomePod installed in a metal door. The hardware is high quality and as long as you pair them with a lock model listed on Level's website, they are fairly easy to install. They are great for knowing the state of all doors, but some doors required a lot of adjusting to allow them to remotely lock and unlock freely... most bolts rubbed against the strikeplate or required pulling or pushing pressure to allow the bolt to move freely. This might be the hardest part of most installations if you intend to use apps or automation to lock and unlock doors. If you just want to know if the garage door or whatever is locked or not from your bedroom, or receive alerts, then the bolt works well in any installation. MAKE SURE YOUR HARDWARE IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE LEVEL BOLT. I cannot stress that enough. They publish a list. Check it! Overall, I'm very happy with my Matter over Thread installation of these, but be prepared to invest some serious time into the process. From waiting for approval for the Matter firmware, to installation and pairing to my HomeKit and Home Assistant ecosystems, it took many weeks of waiting and many hours of installing. But in the end, I'm pretty sure I have the best smart bolts that money can buy.

First let me start off by saying I am very pleasantly surprised by this lock. I am one of those people that was resistant to upgrade to a smart lock as I generally avoid unnecessary technology. I definitely am in the "don't fix it if it aint broke" camp. I had a digital keypad lock from Intech on my front door that was very frustrating as the battery died pretty quickly and you had to press the combo in just the right way for it to work. We limped along with this lock for years. Finally, for her birthday, my wife asked me to handle to door situation because she was fed up with it and wanted to convert to a smart lock. I was worried about level lock being unintuitive or clunky, but boy was I surprised by its ease of installation and use. My wife basically did the whole thing herself. I have t say the workmanship of the lock is fantastic. The finish is beautiful and you can tell it's built well. It has a really satisfying feel and feedback when locking/unlocking. There are several things included that really indicate the company thought this product through. For example there is a deadbolt extender that allows you to lengthen the bolt. They also include keycards so there are multiple ways to gain access. You can use the app, cards, or a physical key (included in the box). The app itself is great too. It's really beautiful to look at and functions equally well. The layout is logical and overall it's very stable. No battery drainage or anything. POSITIVES OF THE LEVEL LOCK: -Geo-fencing -Auto lock/unlock -Beautiful and functional app -Attractive and well-built hardware -Fit's existing door mount NEGATIVES OF THE LEVEL LOCK: -None! P.s. - You can tell from the photos that my door looks like crap but that has nothing to do with this lock. The old lock had a huge plate that was on it for years and the edge of the door split during initial install of the old hardware. Favorite feature: Auto-unlock - The door automatically unlocks when you step into BT range with your device. I just ordered the keypad that mounts anywhere in BT range which is a cool add-on product and I heard that they are releasing wifi capability to operate the locks remotely which will be amazing. Definitely buy one of these, you won't be disappointed, especially if you are like me and are looking for just the right amount of tech without added headaches.

UPDATED 12/21/22 Pros: -Touch to LOCK works reliably. (Touch to UNLOCK does not. See cons below.) Makes it easy to quickly lock the door without your phone or the key when exiting the home. -Works with homekit. So you can ask Siri to unlock the door and, after maybe a 5 second delay, she will. Probably the quickest way to unlock the door is with "touch to unlock", but that hasn't worked reliably for me. Second quickest way is probably the physical key. Third quickest way is NFC keycard (slight delay after holding up the card). Fourth quickest would be taking out your phone, swiping down for control center, and then tapping your homekit shortcut for the lock to unlock it through homekit. -Remote lock and unlock via the Level App or homekit seem to work reliably. -It is handy to be able to create "guest passes" using the level app, that allow you to send a code to a relative that will give them the ability to unlock the door. Used it with my sister when they were planning to visit and arrive at a time when I couldn't be home. -Level has good customer support and stands by their products and takes action to ensure customer satisfaction. -small and unobtrusive design make it a “stealth” smart lock Cons: 1) TOUCH TO UNLOCK IS UNRELIABLE. DO NOT EXPECT IT TO WORK AS ADVERTISED. The touch to unlock feature worked ~75% of the time between purchase in Feb 2022 and Sep 2022, and then the feature stopped working entirely in September 2022 and hasn't worked reliably since (for both my wife and myself). The problem seemed correlated with an iOS update installed at the time on my iPhone, but after multiple iOS and Level software/firmware updates since September 2022, the behavior is the same: Touch to Unlock only works if I pull out my phone and open the Level app, and watch as the text indicator in the app goes from "touch to unlock not ready" to "touch to unlock ready". After that I can touch the lock and it will indeed unlock, but of course having to pull out your phone completely eliminates the value of touch to unlock. It's not the touch sensor that is the problem (the touch to LOCK feature works reliably every time), it is the fact that the Level app needs to track your location relative to a geofence and needs to run in the background on your phone in order to indicate to the lock that it is safe to enable "touch to unlock". Somehow that is not happening in the background anymore, reportedly due to Apple iOS and Android updates that are out of Level’s control, and so you need to open the Level App for it to update your location and enable touch to unlock. Level Support gave me trouble-shooting tips to try (enable background app refresh, enable precise geolocation in iOS settings, "boost range" in Level app", etc.). But Support ended up telling me the following (copy-pasted verbatim from support email): "My Engineer was able to confirm that based on the telemetry of your lock you are currently being impacted by operational delays. Apple has introduced changes in recent OS updates that affect how apps like ours are able to operate in the background. The result of these changes is a delay in the response of the Touch-to-Unlock feature. Our engineering teams are already aware of this and are working on updates to address it and improve functionality. At this time there is not currently an ETA for when these updates will be released, but rest assured it is a top priority." I called Level Support again recently to initiate a warranty refund request, and as a last ditch effort to get it working they gave me instructions for a factory reset of the lock, which involves removing the lock from the app, removing it from homekit, physically disassembling it to access a reset button on the motor. then I'll have to re-add the lock to Level, and re-add it to homekit, re-add my wife's as a user, re-add my kids' NFC key cards, then spend another 24-hour cycle where I leave the geofence and return to test whether the touch to unlock starts working again. After doing this I noticed a slight improvement. Now, touch to unlock would usually work (say more than 50% of the time), but only after waiting patiently and touching the lock repeatedly for at least 10+ seconds while standing at the door. This was better since I no longer had to take out my phone, but still not the 75%+ (without delay) functionality I was experiencing before September. And my wife would rarely have the patience to stand there and tap for ten seconds, and ended up pulling out her phone anyway. After some discussion and seeing that I’d applied the troubleshooting in good faith, Level agreed to take my level touch back since it was not functioning as originally advertised, and shipped me a Level Lock+ as replacement, which more than satisfied me. This is why I still recommend them, because they went out of their way to try and help me get the lock working as advertised, and when it still didn’t work 100% they put their money where their mouth was and offered me an upgraded replacement. They also were proactive about following up with me to check whether my troubleshooting attempts worked. In summary: -If the touch to unlock functionality is important to you, keep in mind that it may not work reliably and even if it does at first it may stop working due to iOS or Android updates that are out of Level’s control. 2) NFC key cards randomly stop working. I gave my kids the two NFC keycards included with the lock after setting them up on the lock and testing them. The key cards worked reliably for about two months, and then suddenly stopped working. (Luckily I'd given my kids backup physical keys so they could still use the lock if it didn't work.) I went into the Level app and "removed" the two NFC keycards, and then re-added them. Now they both work again. But the lesson is clear: don't count on the NFC keycards to work reliably. Always have a physical key in your pocket as backup.

I was very hopeful for this lock after so many terrible reviews of earlier versions—this one was better reviewed when I bought it. Unfortunately, it is completely unreliable and I would suggest carrying a key at all times because it will lock you out of your house. It’s only good between 10% of the times you need it to work. I have had my contractor come back twice after installing to insure it is absolutely perfectly installed and I still get errors that make the lock inoperable until you use a key or the thumb latch. First, beware that if there is anything even slightly touching the bolt as it closes (not blocking), it will fail to lock. Even if it turns easily manually, the slightest brush will not allow it to lock/unlock with your phone. It is VERY sensitive to dust even. The Apple HomeKit connection was another selling point, but the lock is constantly show as “Updating” in the app when I open it. If I wait a bit, leave the app, then come back in, it will show as available. (Annoying when you are trying to get into your house). I was trying to eliminate the need for so many different apps by using HomeKit, but I’m almost always forced to got to the Level App instead. The Level App will give me a “Timeout Error” when it doesn’t lock/unlock within 3.5 seconds of me asking it to do so—even though it is completing the task in, say, 3.6 seconds. Once you get that error, you can’t get the lock to do anything from your phone. The only way I can figure out how to reset it is to then open and close the lock manually—only then can I use the app again. No reason for the timeout error—we are on fiber internet and there is a signal booster in the foyer, unobstructed and 7’ from the lock. Level support doesn’t offer any support for this error or have solutions listed in their support materials. I was also excited about the Apple Keys feature. I was hoping this was going to be like my BMW when I get within a certain distance of the driver’s door, it unlocks. No such luck. You still have to pull your phone out and hold it perpendicular to the lock after selecting the key in your apple wallet. It takes a while for the lock to “wake up”—you have to wait and then kind of move your phone around a bit to get it to recognize you’re there. Once it knows you’re there, it will finally open it only about 10% of the time without an error. It’s so frustrating, I’d rather just use a key at that point. I had hoped this would be a beautiful lock to have on my front door that was functional. It is beautiful and fits with my decor and doesn’t ruin the front door look like others with keypads, but it is just not reliable. I was hoping to put these on all my doors, however instead I’ve purchased a different, Schlage smart lock with a keypad for the side door and leaving the rest alone for now. The Schlage may not be as pretty, but it has integrated into HomeKit seamlessly, allows me to use my apple keys without any delay or issue, always locks and unlocks when I ask it to remotely, was easily installed without my contractor having to mess with it, and has never, ever locked me out with an error message that can only be reset from inside or with a key.

I recently purchased the Level Lock +, and I must say, it has exceeded my expectations in every way. From the moment I opened the box to its seamless integration into my home, this smart lock has been a true game-changer. Here's why I'm so thrilled with it: Installation (5/5): The installation of the Level Lock + was an absolute breeze. I'm not particularly tech-savvy, but it took me just 10 minutes to install it. The package came with clear and easy-to-follow instructions, and all the necessary tools were included. I was pleasantly surprised by how straightforward the process was, and I didn't even break a sweat. This is a major plus for anyone looking for a hassle-free installation experience. Setup (5/5): Setting up the Level Lock + was equally impressive. The companion app was user-friendly and intuitive. It guided me through the setup process step by step, making sure I understood each part. Pairing it with my smartphone was a breeze, and I appreciated the flexibility it offered in terms of customization. I could easily configure access for family members and guests, and the level of control I had was outstanding. It made me feel much more secure about who could enter my home. Performance (5/5): The Level Lock + has been performing flawlessly since day one. It's incredibly responsive, and I love the auto-lock and auto-unlock features, which make my daily routine so much more convenient. The lock responds to my commands quickly, whether I'm using the app, my voice assistant, or the physical key as a backup. Its compatibility with various smart home platforms is a huge plus, as it seamlessly integrates into my existing smart home ecosystem. I haven't experienced any connectivity issues or malfunctions, and it's been a reliable addition to my home security. Customer Service (5/5): Lastly, I have to give a shout-out to Level's customer service team. I had a few questions during the setup process, and their support was exceptional. They were prompt, knowledgeable, and patient in addressing my inquiries. It's refreshing to know that I can rely on their support should I ever encounter any issues in the future. In conclusion, the Level Lock + has truly impressed me with its quick and painless installation, user-friendly setup, and outstanding performance. It has added an extra layer of security and convenience to my daily life, and I couldn't be happier with my purchase. If you're in the market for a smart lock, I wholeheartedly recommend giving the Level Lock + a try. It's an investment that's worth every penny!