Nuki adds Apple Home Key to its smart lock

This week, my top pick for a retrofit smart lock launched the first Aliro-compatible keypad. The Nuki Keypad 2 NFC ($179) brings tap-to-unlock via Apple’s Home Key and Samsung’s Digital Home Key to the Nuki smart lock, allowing you to tap your phone or smartwatch to unlock your door, just like you tap to pay.

Aliro is a new smart lock standard supported by all major platforms and handset manufacturers. It is designed to allow any smart lock to be securely unlocked by any smartphone, regardless of manufacturer, without requiring proprietary apps.

An open standard, Aliro stores a digital key in your phone’s wallet that you can tap to a compatible lock or keypad. Along with NFC, Aliro supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and Ultra Wideband (UWB) to unlock your door using your phone.

Nuki is a retrofit door lock, meaning you don’t need to remove your deadbolt to install it. Instead, you replace the interior thumb turn with the Nuki. This makes it simple to install and ideal for renters or people who can’t or don’t want to replace their entire lock. There is no visible smart lock on the outside of your door, so an exterior keypad is needed to enable tap-to-unlock.

Earlier this year, Aqara released the first full replacement door lock to support Aliro. The Aqara U400 also features UWB connectivity, enabling hands-free unlocking with Apple Home. The Nuki keypad only supports NFC, so it doesn’t work with hands-free unlocking.

The Keypad 2 NFC can be set to two modes: Smart Home Mode or Nuki App Mode. The former allows the lock to work with Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings and connect through Matter. The Nuki lock works with Thread, so you will need an Apple or Samsung SmartThings Matter/Thread hub to use the feature. Nuki App Mode lets you use tap-to-unlock without being tied to a platform or a specific handset manufacturer. You only need an NFC-capable smartphone and the Nuki app.

The Aliro standard is still in its early stages, and compatibility remains limited. Nuki’s Martina Stix says that currently, while you can use the keypad with both Apple Home Key and Samsung Digital Home Key simultaneously, this only works if Apple Home is paired first and Samsung SmartThings is added later. “We’re constantly working with the mobile wallet providers to improve the interoperability between their systems,” she says. “But can not give any timelines about future changes or improvements.”

Along with tap-to-unlock, the new keypad offers fingerprint and keypad unlocking, and, of course, you can still use your existing key. While the keypad does not support auto-unlock over UWB, the Nuki lock offers a similar feature in its app. The keypad is now available and compatible with existing Nuki smart locks.