Yale Assure Lock Review

The Yale Assure Lock is one of the most recent products developed by Yale, a company with a long and interesting history that is certainly known to any lock aficionado.

Luckily, you don’t need to be personally interested in security to get the most out of their products. Their Yale Assure Lock is a testament to how locks can still be improved on after hundreds of years.

With 250 possible key codes and an intuitive app, this device is sure to provide home security at a high quality. Whether you want to lock and unlock your door remotely, or set-up intricate schedules with the rest of your smart home, there are few things this Yale lock won’t be able to do.

While it may feel like nitpicking to point out that you can only lock your door with a voice command, it is important to note that it’s this kind of little detail that keeps this smart lock from really shining.

With the bare essentials laid out, it’s time to move into the real details about this product. Read on and find out what Yale’s best smart lock is really about.

Yale Assure Lock Touchscreen Keypad: The Details

Specs

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 3.8 x 6.8 inches.
• Product Weight: 4.44 lbs.
• Product Type: Smart lock.
• Compatible with: Amazon Alexa, Z-Wave smart home, or alarm systems including SmartThings, Wink, Vera, Honeywell, and Iris.
• Batteries: 4 AA Batteries, included.
• Warranty: Lifetime Finish and Mechanical, One-Year Electronic.

How Does it Work

Smart locks are one of the first things every homeowner considers if they value their safety. While the original deadbolt design has been around for years – and for a reason – there is always a way to make things even better.

A smart lock eliminates the need for a key, making those collections of key chains a thing of the past. As long as you have your phone with you, you’ll be able to get back into your home.

Luckily for us, installing a smart lock is one of the easiest things to do when smartening up your home. Be sure to make some necessary measurements before ordering your Yale Assure Lock, since it does need to fit the available space.

The installation process itself only involves a screwdriver and a face borehole of 2-1/8″, and a backset of 2-3/8″ or 2-3/4″.

Too lazy for measurements? We can already tell you this lock certainly fits on standard doors – 1 3/4″ to 2 1/4″ thick.

Once you’re done with getting this lock in place, you’ll be able to enjoy its many features, which include:

Phone or Pad

You might wonder if forgetting your phone at home would mean you’re out of luck.

Luckily, we can put this worry to rest – since even if you forget your phone, you can always use the padlock to type in your PIN.

The Yale Assure Lock Touchscreen keypad is also backlit, making it easy to use even when you come back home in the middle of the night.

Voice Assist

While a keypad can’t tell you what it’s thinking, a smart lock sure can.

While you’re getting this setup, the Yale Assure lock will be able to keep you informed on what your current settings are and allow you to make simple adjustments on the fly.

Added Keys

Still feeling a bit nervous about getting a smart lock? With two added physical keys, you’ll never have to worry about being locked out, no matter what happens.

This means a case of emergency is avoided, but you can still enjoy enhanced ease as well as security.

Track Your Visitors

While it might sound creepy, it is a very convenient feature. As soon as you have the app and lock installed, you’ll be asked to generate and distribute your keys.

This means you can even give a key to your house-sitter or babysitter and keep track of when they arrive.

If you own a BnB or other establishment, this will definitely come in handy for distributing keys and keeping track of them with convenience.

Keeping track of whether or not your guests are in their room can also help you make sure any event invitations can be handed out in person, or if you’ll have to leave a little note, it will definitely be received.

250 Codes

With a maximum of 250 codes that can be kept in memory, you’re sure to be well stocked in case of a party.

Also, because you can delete codes at will, you’ll never find an unexpected guest at home.

Open and Lock From Anywhere

Thanks to the great app and its easy-to-maneuver interface, you can control your lock from anywhere.

If one of your family members accidentally does end up not being able to enter, all you need to do is enter the app and command the door to open.

Weather Resistant

There are quite a few smart locks on the market that perform wonderfully, right up until the first rainstorm hits.

The Yale Assure Lock doesn’t have this problem, instead boasting of a great weather resistant gasket to protect it from rain and sunshine alike.

Yale: The Brand

Founded as the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company in Connecticut in 1868, this company has been around long enough to know what they are doing.

They have owned some of the most illustrious patents in the history of locks, including the bank lock, vault and safe door bolt, and padlock.

While they have scaled both up and down in their long history, Yale is still going strong and strives to deliver the best quality to everyone who wants to feel safe in their home.

Yale Assure Lock Review

The Positives

Perfect for the Doubters

Still not sure on whether or not you want the smart lock? Or do you live with a lover of all things tech, while you’re still happy with the basics in life?

The Yale Assure Lock is a perfect in-between for those tough situations when you want to give it a try without committing entirely.

With the inclusion of physical keys, you can easily compromise on home security, and when you’re ready to join in on the smart home action, just ditch the key!

This also makes it easy for the indecisive to switch between access methods, and you’ll always have a familiar backup should things get tricky.

Quiet

Sometimes a smart lock sounds as if every single gear is straining to break free. The Yale Assure Lock unlocks and locks like a breeze, making sure that entering your home feels natural.

If your bedroom is near the front door, or you live in a small apartment or studio, having a noisy smart lock can interfere with the zen of your home. With the Yale Assure Lock, things can continue without interruption.

While a noisy lock can tell you if you have an intruder (or if your teenager is sneaking out in the middle of the night), this smart lock will notify you of door activity in a less evasive way – on your smartphone.

Customizable to Fit Your Life

What makes this smart lock so great is the included customizable features that allow users to take full control of their front door.

If you know you live in a forgetful household, or a busy one, you can set your Yale Assure Lock to re-lock after a set amount of time. If you’re in a rush in the morning and forget all about locking your door, this smart lock will have you covered, ensuring your home is always secure.

With the master lock code, you’ll also have the option of locking out all codes whenever you want to. This is great for getting that bit of privacy at the end of the day. Now you can do so undisturbed.

Even if you forget to give a guest an access code, you’ll be able to unlock the door remotely should they arrive when you’re not around.

The Negatives

One-way Voice Command

While you can connect to Amazon Alexa easily, and there are a number of very cool combinations you can make between systems, you cannot ask Alexa to unlock your front door.

Asking your smart home system to lock the door is possible, so this seems to have been a conscious choice on the manufacturer’s part, which we’re displeased about.

This feature would definitely help when your hands are full of groceries upon returning home! However, we surmise that it’s to ensure no unauthorized visitors are able to fool the voice command function into letting them in.

Here’s a video showing what the Yale Assure Lock looks like out of the box and installed.

Overall Verdict

The Yale Assure Lock is a great yet rather standard lock that is sure to get the job done.

With a range of great features that are sure to appeal to everyone, there are still a few small details that just keep it from really shining.

Because of this and the generally easy set-up process, this is the ideal smart lock for those who are just getting used to living life without a key to their house.

If you need to compromise between different housemates on how smart your home can be, this smart lock can be one of the ways to break the ice and guide your home into a new age.

While nobody will be unhappy with this device, true tech lovers might want to poke around before committing.

Where to Buy the Yale Assure Lock

Yale continues to show that they are leaders in home security by keeping up with the times and adding smart locks, including the Yale Assure Lock, to their repertoire.

They’ve become masters in traditional locks, with a variety of products under their belt, and they’ve combined their past experience, with the use of smart technology to create a lock that speaks to modern times.

By integrating popular technology into their products, they’re able to stay ahead of the game and keep up with new innovative companies.

Thanks to their success in the home security market, products like the Yale Assure Lock can be found both in-store and online.

While it’s always best to check home-department, home security, and tech stores, you can kick-start your search with the following online retailers.

• Wal Mart (from $230)
• Go Keyless (from $229)
• Home Controls (from $264)

And of course, you can also find this smart lock on Amazon.

That’s it for our Yale Assure Lock review. Curious to give it a try?