It automatically unlocks as I approach, looks great on my front door, and works locally with every smart home platform. But thanks to Matter, I have to pick between its two best features.
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It automatically unlocks as I approach, looks great on my front door, and works locally with every smart home platform. But thanks to Matter, I have to pick between its two best features.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission.See our ethics statement.
Legacy lock maker Kwikset has been producing innovativesmart lockssince 2013, when it released the first touch-to-open lock,the Kwikset Kevo.The company followed that up with the launch of one of thefirst key-free locksin 2016, one of the earliestApple HomeKit locks, and one of the firstfingerprint-only locks. Kwikset has not shied away from new tech.
Its latest model, theHalo Select($279.99), is one of the first full-replacement, Matter-over-Thread smart locks. I’ve tested almost every smart lock that Kwikset has made over the years, and this is its best yet. It’s super-responsive with solid features and broad smart home compatibility. It’s just too bad that using Matter means giving up its best feature.
Excellent auto-unlock functionChoice of Wi-Fi or Matter-over-ThreadGreat designDiscreet door sensorCan be rekeyed
Have to choose between Thread and Kwikset’s auto-unlockNo Home Key or biometric accessTouchscreen shows fingerprintsProminent Kwikset branding
The Halo Select is a sleek-looking lock that should fit in with both traditional and contemporary door sets, although it has a modern slant. As Kwikset is one of two major residential lock companies (the other being Schlage), you may already have Kwikset locks and handle sets on your outer doors, meaning the Select might fit in with what you already have — something few other smart locks do.
It offers four entry methods: a keyway (which isrekeyable), a touchscreen keypad, app / smart home control, and auto-unlock based on location. The latter worked so well that I didn’t mind the lack of a fingerprint reader or Apple Home Key — normally my two favorite access methods. (Kwikset hasteased a Halo Select Plus modelwith an NFC chip, but it hasn’t said whether that will work with Home Key or the forthcomingAliro standard.)
One of Halo Select’s standout features is the option to connect to your smart home via Matter-over-Thread. This brings broad smart home compatibility over a local protocol, working with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, and Samsung SmartThings, among others.
The Thread radio brings faster response times than Wi-Fi andsignificantly longer battery life— almost double based on my testing. There are only a handful of full-replacement, Matter-over-Thread locks available – includingthe Level Lock Plus, theEufy E30,U-tec’s Matter lock, and theYale Assure SL. But the Halo Select is your best option right now.
Kwikset’s auto-unlock feature worked flawlessly in testing
To set it up with Matter, you need aMatter controllerand a Thread border router. An Apple TV is both, or you can use a combination, such as an Echo speaker (Matter controller) and an Eero Wi-Fi router (Thread border router). Alternatively, you can connect the lock using its built-in Wi-Fi. This allows it to work with the Kwikset app, as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, via the cloud. You’ll lose the broader compatibility and battery life of Matter-over-Thread, but in exchange, you get one of the Halo Select’s best features: auto unlock.
Auto unlock is a relativelynew feature on Kwikset locks. It uses a combination of radios, includingGPS and Wi-Fi, to determine where your phone is in relation to your home so it can unlock the door as you approach.
This tech has been used in smart locks for a while — it wasfirst seen on the original August smart lockin 2013 — but each company implements it slightly differently. In most locks I’ve tested with the feature, it’s been unreliable, working only about half the time. However, on the Halo Select, the experience has been flawless, with the door unlocking just as I approach my porch, every time.
The Halo Select can also auto-lock based on location. Most smart locks, including the Select, can be set to lock after a set period of time. In practice, this sometimes means your door locks behind you when you pop out to grab something from the car. Kwikset’s location-based lock can be set to not lock until you’ve left the driveway.
The downside is that the Kwikset app has to be running in the background, so if my phone died while I was out, it wouldn’t work unless I remembered to open the Kwikset app after I powered it back on.
A new technology calledultra-wideband unlocking is coming (someday)to solve this problem. It will communicate directly between your phone and the lock, no app required, and could also work with devices like smart watches. In the meantime, Kwikset’s solution is the best I’ve tested.
The other main unlocking option is a touchscreen keypad. While touchscreen keypads can be finicky, the Select’s is super responsive, and I like the clicky feedback it gives. However, I’d like to see better fingerprint resistance, as you can see them at some angles, which could be a security concern.
The Kwikset app, which is simple and easy to use, lets you share up to 250 access codes and choose from temporary, scheduled, or permanent access. I like the new LED lock indicator, which lights up when the keypad does and shows green for unlocked and red for locked. (Yes, I have often found myself accidentally locking an already unlocked door.)
While I like the look of the new Halo Select, I don’t like the prominent Kwikset branding, and I wish the lock itself were smaller; the rear housing is still very big. But the mechanism is much quieter than previous Kwikset locks I’ve tested.
Installation and setup were straightforward, thanks to a detailed and easy-to-follow in-app guide. I was impressed with its super slim door sensor that tucks up above the strike plate. This sends an alert via the Kwikset app when the door has been left open and can show you in the app if the door is open or closed when you control it remotely. However, this only works with the Kwikset app. It’d be nice if it showed up as a sensor when the lock is connected in Matter.
The lock has to be set up in the Kwikset app and connected to Wi-Fi, but there is then the option to switch it over to Matter-over-Thread. The app does a good job of making it clear what will happen if you do this — you lose access to the lock in the Kwikset app and can no longer use the auto-unlock feature or access the door sensor to see if the door is open or closed. But it also tells you what you’ll gain. Matter-over-Thread does promise better battery life, plus the ability to add it to Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, and other platforms.
I set it up in Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings via Matter with no issues and could control it with routines, automations, and voice commands. As for battery life, it uses four AA batteries that Kwikset says will last six months on Wi-Fi and over a year via Thread.
I tested it for five weeks on Wi-Fi and was at 50 percent, meaning I would get just over three months on Wi-Fi. After three weeks on Thread, it had only dropped 10 percent, an early indication that it should get the promised double battery life.
It’s frustrating to forgo features to use Matter, but this is mostlyan issue with Matter, not Kwikset. Matter doesn’t support auto-unlock, door sensing, fingerprint access, or newer entry methods like facial recognition. And while some ecosystems have geofencing automations that can be set to unlock your door, in my testing, they don’t work as well and sometimes require extra steps.
All of this means that, today, choosing a smart lock requires making some compromises.Kwikset’s solutionallows you to use some of those more advanced features today while retaining the future-proofing potential of Matter for tomorrow.
Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them, since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.
To set up the Halo Select, you must download and install the Kwikset app (iOS and Android) and create an account. By doing so, you need to agree to the following (Assa Abloy is Kwikset’s parent company):
The Select can be set up in Matter platforms such as Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings, but it must be set up in the Kwikset app first.
Final tally: three mandatory agreements.
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