Level Lock+ HomeKit smart lock can be picked open in seconds

maury markowitz said:
Once again, with feeling:

The idea of the Level is that you replace the cylinder with the one you already have in your door. That means you can keep using your keys, which you probably have all over the place. This is the entire design concept and it is why it is laid out like it is. There are hundreds of YouTube videos showing you how to do it.

So the Level is exactly as pickable as your current cylinder because it uses your current cylinder.It's like the same cylinder though, as it's a completely standard 5-pin model that you can even re-key to use your existing keys.

There are LOTS of reasons not to buy this lock, but pickability is not one of them because almost every lock out there is easily pickable. Better reasons include:

1) If you touch it with any body part, even just brushing it, it will lock/unlock. It's so annoying almost everyone turns it off

2) the auto-lock will re-lock the door even if its open, which means you you go to close it, BANG

3) the auto-lock will re-lock even if you deliberately unlocked it. there's no way to leave your door unlocked if you're expecting someone. If you don't have a storm door you can keep closed... well, tough.

Yes, the Level Lock adds convenience and maybe the bolt is stronger than cheap Big Box Home Center fare. So except for a butt-hurt wallet, a customer is no worse off.

But your three points are something I haven't seen before.

#1 assumes your phone is nearby, right? The video shows touching the phone to the lock but if your first point is accurate, then it's not required.Or I'm not clear as to this feature. Would you expand on that?

#2 could be very problematic. My door doesn't stand open ever. But if I'm carrying a bunch of stuff and slow getting in or out might the door auto-lock? Is there any adjustment of the auto-lock feature? Not being able to disable it seems like laziness on the part of the app developer.

#3 still seems like laziness on the part of the developer. Not at all a problem for me. Somebody running out in their robe to get the morning paper might be in for a rude surprise. The plot of a porn flick!

#1 and 2 would be enough to put me off this lock if I were in the market. But all three of those could be fixed with an app update. Then knock at least $40 off MSRP and lock for a sale. A smart lock deadbolt is in my future. Just maybe not this deadbolt.