Everything we know about Ubiquiti’s upcoming UniFi Smart Lock

Over the past year or so, Ubiquiti has not only been bolstering it’s lineup of networking gear with new Wi-Fi 6 offerings and the like, but also stepping into the smart home world. The latest in these releases has manifested in an addition to the recent UniFi Access lineup, delivering the brand’s first smart lock. After getting some first look, it seems the release of Ubiquiti’s latest seems to be just around the corner. Head below for all of the details.

UniFi Smart Lock in the works

Ubiquiti is typically known for its prosumer networking gear, but as of late has been dipping its toes into the smart home market. Everything started with a simple smart plug for automatically rebooting your modem when no internet is detected, which evolved into a larger stable of products. Now it looks like the latest of these will bring the connected capabilities to your front door with an upcoming UniFi Smart Lock. 

What we know so far

Thanks to a bit of an early access look courtesy of Ubiquiti’s apps, we know that the rumored UniFi Smart Lock is actually planned for release and wasn’t just canceled sometime after its FCC filing last year.

In terms of actual design, the apple doesn’t seem to fall too far from the August tree, as both of them pack similar cylindrical form-factors. Though I have to give it to August here, Ubiquiti isn’t really improving upon the design and if anything looks to be releasing a less appealing offering just based on how thick the unit is. Otherwise, the upcoming smart lock should blend in aesthetically with the other offerings in the UniFi ecosystem.

On the software side of things, we also know that Ubiquiti will be requiring one of its recent Wi-Fi 6 access points in order to get things set up. Thanks to an onboarding screenshot, it looks like the UniFi Smart Lock 

As of now, pricing and availability has of course yet to be confirmed in any capacity. Given how the apps are already updated with graphics and UI flows to support getting the UniFi Smart Lock set up, it’s likely going to sooner than later. Regardless of when the actually lands, it’s pretty safe to say that we’ll see it pop up in the Ubiquiti Early Access store before officially launching at a later date. And if I had to bet on pricing, I’d say expect it to land somewhere in the $200~ price range.

Electronicsforward’ Take:

I think it’s safe to say for now that the UniFi Smart Lock will be positioned as more of a commercial device for businesses rather than home use. While there’ll like be nothing to stop you from adopting yet another Ubiquiti gadget into your residential smart home, the price will likely be a big deterrent compared to other models on the market. 

With the more recent rollout of UniFi Access, adding a smart lock into its stable of security products actually makes sense in this context. Ubiquiti already has something of a name for itself in the small business space for its networking gear and security camera offerings, and having control over a door’s lock would complete the package of its recent authentication package.

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