Kwikset Halo Touch Smart Deadbolt This smart lock works with traditional keys, a smartphone app over Wi-Fi, or a fingerprint reader, ensuring you'll never be locked out of the house.

Much as we like the idea of smart locks, sometimes, it just doesn’t work. Locks that open via Bluetooth, for instance, won’t work when you leave your phone at work. Those that use keypad input, on the other hand, won’t work when you forget your code. That’s why the Kwikset Halo Touch allows you to unlock it in one of three ways, which should cover nearly every situation, eliminating the likelihood that you’ll find yourself locked out of your own home again.

That’s right, this smart lock can open in one of three ways. Like other smart locks, you can use the companion app to engage and disengage the deadbolt, so you simply pull out your phone, launch the app, and press unlock to get inside your home. Unlike them, though, it also has a keyhole, so you can use that thing dangling off your key fob just like conventional deadbolt locks. For those times you end up forgetting both your phone and your key, there’s also the option of getting in using fingerprint biometrics (there’s a fingerprint reader), which, we’re guessing, there’s zero chance of not being in your person at any point (unless you’re unlucky enough to lose a finger during the day, of course).

The Kwikset Halo Touch has an appearance that’s more similar to traditional locks, with a keyhole, a black patch, and a small strip of light being the only things you really see when looking at it from a short distance. That’s because it doesn’t incorporate a keypad like most smart locks today, which also gives it a more compact appearance. It has built-in Wi-Fi, allowing it to connect straight to your home network, eliminating the need to incorporate it into a separate smart home hub, making it very easy to set up using the companion app (iOS and Android).

Once properly set up, you can lock and unlock the deadbolt with a simple tap on your phone, as well as receive notifications every time someone else interacts with the lock, if you want it. You can also manage the registration of fingerprints directly from the app, making it easy to add, remove, and suspend users from access to the door via biometrics. Instead of storing the fingerprints exclusively in the cloud, the system actually keeps fingerprint records right on the lock, so people will be able to get in their home using the fingerprint reader even when the internet is down. According to the outfit, it can store fingerprint records for as many as 50 people at a time.

The Kwikset Halo Touch is powered using four AA batteries, so there’s no need to wire this into your home’s electrical system or regularly charge it on a power outlet. When the battery’s dead, by the way, you can still open the door using the regular key, so you’ll never be locked out unless you managed to lose your key again like you always did (which is the whole reason you bought a smart lock anyway). Yeah, life turns out that way sometimes. A fresh batch of batteries, by the way, should keep it running for around six months.

The Kwikset Halo Touch is priced at $249.

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