In its place, we found a model by an innovative company in the Oaks Electronic Front Door, which has one of the most intuitive smartphone apps in the category.Ī few of the models by Schlage and others did see upgrades, with the Schlage Encode Deadbolt finally integrating Wi-Fi connectivity into its build, where the previous model required an external piece of hardware to connect with your network. On one hand, that can be dangerous, because those smaller companies can fold or hit walls in the quality of their production, as was the case with the Prisma M107, which had enough problems with its fingerprint recognition that we had to send it away. While much of this ranking, like our previous list, is dominated by brands with long histories in deadbolt production (Schlage, Kwikset, etc.), we wanted to make sure we weren't leaving out any upstarts or other brands that deserved recognition. If you insist on a physical knob, the Yale Assure Lever is almost certainly the right choice, and if all you need to control is a deadbolt, the Wyze Gateway is a fine and moderately priced option. The Schlage Encode is just about as reliable, and should appease anyone who isn't satisfied with the UltraLoq's slightly limited smart home compatibility. With that in mind - and because getting something reliable is infinitely important for homeowners - we recommend that most people go with the UltraLoq U-Bolt Pro. We've dug deep to make certain we exclude any with those types of fatal flaws. After all, we are talking about basic home safety here, and furthermore, a surprising number of models exhibited dealbreaker behaviors some were shockingly easy for amateurs to pick, and others were remarkably inconsistent in the setup and unlocking processes. Additionally, it's worth mentioning that while there's a glut of smart locks on the market right now, it's important to stick with a tried-and-true model from a reputable brand. For that reason, we've redone a good portion of the Wiki this time around. Real-world implementation and actual, tangible refinements make all the difference with things like door locks, because a malfunctioning lock can strand you outside your home or let criminals in.