LevelBolt Smart Deadbolt - Make Your Lock Smart & Keep Your Existing Hardware and Keys - Keyless Entry via Level App (iOS & Android) - Works with Apple Home

I first ordered the Level Bolt in late 2023, and as a home automation enthusiast, was disappointed that I could not integrate it with Home Assistant. I did successfully pair it with HomeKit, which worked well enough, but was annoying that I had to use a standalone app just to lock and unlock the front door. Other than that quirk, the lock worked as advertised, and allowed me to keep my existing hardware on the door.Recently, I discovered that Level began rolling out a firmware upgrade to enable Matter on the Bolt, and I was skeptical that it would finally integrate with Home Assistant. I emailed the company with my Bolt serial number, and within one day, I had a firmware upgrade available. I followed the instructions in the email, pairing it with HomeKit with the included code, and within minutes I was able to integrate the Bolt with Home Assistant. After the firmware upgrade, the lock is faster to respond and I am thrilled with the Matter integration. I fully expected that I would need to change the lock to one that is Matter supported, and I'm still incredibly surprised that a simple firmware update enabled this feature. Big kudos to Level and their developers, you've made this enthusiast very happy!

I have been using this lock on the front door for 3 years and it has performed perfectly. I have it connected via Bluetooth and an Apple 4k streaming device. It has always reported lock status correctly and the status is updated within a few seconds of being changed (locked/unlocked). I use the home app on my iphone to lock/unlock the device. I haven’t had to change the battery, yet…I wanted a smart lock that was hidden in the door and could be used with my existing lock without a large box mounted to the inside of the door. This product fit perfectly…

We’ve had our eyes on the Level Bolt Smart Lock for a year or so and were super excited to see it 30% off on Prime Day, so we decided to give it a shot.We loved the idea of being able to roll up to the house and have the front door dead bolt unlock and then also being able to unlock our front door with our phones is a great option to have if we got locked out or if we needed to let someone in when we’re not home.The install instructions and package look good and were easy enough for me to understand and do.The first issue I had was that the lock didn’t really fit in the door all that well and I had to take a bit of the wood out of the door hole to make the hole a little bigger on one side so the lock could fit. Initially I gave the Level a pass because there are tons is different door companies, so I could see how that might happen. Our door is only a couple of years old, so I expected it to fit better.So install was a little harder then I thought it should have been. The next issue was that the strike plate was smaller then the one we had in our door way. You only get one size of a strike plate, so you’ll have to stick with the one Level gives you or try to find some sort of aftermarket one. I couldn’t get our old strike plate to work, the Level needs a strike plate with a bigger then average hole.Initially syncing it up to my iPhone was pretty easy, and the app seemed to work well.I got it to lock and unlock, with about every 10th time the app having some sort of issue where it wouldn’t do the operation. I felt like I could live with it not always working when I engage it on the app and then having to hit it again, and then set up the Auto Unlock feature I was really excited about.We went out to do an errand, locking the front door with the app as we left. It was actually kind of cool that the app kept a log of all the locking and unlocking that happened and wether it was done manually or via the app.We rolled up to the house and my phone crossed into the hypothetical geofence that was around the Level Bolt lock. We went to open the door and it was locked. I tried to use the app to open the door and it kept on giving me an error. I opened up the lock with my key and bolt kept on wanting to engage the lock and was making a high pitched whine. Even if I unlocked it manually it would force the bolt to lock.Anyways, I wasn’t going to risk our front door being unlocked for a product I couldn’t trust. I loved the idea of this product. It seemed like it would really be something we’d use, but it doesn’t seem like Level is doing enough software support. I’ve had a similar issue with other “smart” products. If it’s not made by a big company like Apple, Amazon or Google there doesn’t seem to be any support after the initial purchase.

This version of the Level Bolt can be changed to Matter over Thread via a support request at Level. They require that you fill out a questionnaire to ensure you know what you're doing, that you own a compatible home automation system, etc. It took over a month for my request to be reviewed, but if you have a Matter over Thread setup, I highly recommend the firmware. It also makes it possible to add the locks to multiple controllers, which is great if you have a split ecosystem. Setup was finicky (but this seems to be an issue with Matter over Thread in general). I had to delete the bolts from Level app, close all the apps, re-add them, and tried to pair many many times before successful. It took hours to add all 7 bolts. Once done, though, the locks are far more responsive, rarely disconnect, and communicate instantly. This contrasts with the bluetooth connection I had via HomeKit, which would frequently disconnect, especially one I had far from the HomePod installed in a metal door.The hardware is high quality and as long as you pair them with a lock model listed on Level's website, they are fairly easy to install. They are great for knowing the state of all doors, but some doors required a lot of adjusting to allow them to remotely lock and unlock freely... most bolts rubbed against the strikeplate or required pulling or pushing pressure to allow the bolt to move freely. This might be the hardest part of most installations if you intend to use apps or automation to lock and unlock doors. If you just want to know if the garage door or whatever is locked or not from your bedroom, or receive alerts, then the bolt works well in any installation. MAKE SURE YOUR HARDWARE IS COMPATIBLE WITH THE LEVEL BOLT. I cannot stress that enough. They publish a list. Check it!Overall, I'm very happy with my Matter over Thread installation of these, but be prepared to invest some serious time into the process. From waiting for approval for the Matter firmware, to installation and pairing to my HomeKit and Home Assistant ecosystems, it took many weeks of waiting and many hours of installing. But in the end, I'm pretty sure I have the best smart bolts that money can buy.