Abode Smart Lock review: This retrofit left us with reservations

Smart home company Abode has never taken the most ambitious approach toward industrial design, and with its Abode Smart Lock, the company appears to be staying the course with its no-nonsense, no-frills looks. The good news is that this is a retrofit lock, so at least the outside of your house will remain unblemished by this device’s lackluster design.

As discussed in our recent retrofit or replace story, when you install a retrofit lock, you replace only the interior escutcheon of your existing deadbolt. And while Abode includes no printed instructions on how to do this—users are directed to a page on Abode’s website, instead—the process isn’t difficult. Like most retrofit locks, the Abode is a multi-piece affair, starting with a small metal plate that attaches to the door directly, using two bolts from your existing lock.

Features

Abode

Abode

Abode

The Abode Lock is powered by a beefy 4000mAh rechargeable battery instead of the usual AA batteries; that’s nice for avoiding consumables purchases but it does mean you’ll be without a smart lock while it recharges, although a physical key will still work. Abode says this battery should last for about a year before it needs a top-up. You’ll need to supply the USB-C charging cable and power supply (or portable battery) for the task, as neither are included with the lock.

Although it’s a retrofit lock, the Abode Smart Lock comes with a combination numeric keypad and fingerprint reader that’s wholly separate from the lock mechanism, kicking up its value proposition by a notch. The pad is powered by two AAA batteries and can be mounted on the door frame outside the house, providing an additional means of controlling the lock via Bluetooth. The lock itself connects to you home network over Wi-Fi.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks.

Hardware installation

Abode

Abode

Abode

To accommodate locks of different sizes and designs, the boreholes in the mounting plate are designed to easily move around, thanks to two rings that are inset into larger channels and that can slide up and down to ensure proper alignment. But in my initial review sample, these rings were missing; rather, one was broken and the other was completely absent. I ended up hacking together a temporary fix using the broken ring and a single bolt, which was at least sturdy enough for temporary use.

From there, it’s a simple matter to attach the lock mechanism to the mounting plate with two tiny bolts that attach on each side of the thumbturn. You’ll need a very small screwdriver to get these into place; I had to dig one out of the toolbox as none of the standard screwdrivers I typically use during testing would fit through the narrow channel in which the bolts must be set. Lastly, a plastic plate slides over the front of the lock, covering the electronics.

Setup occurs in the Abode app. You don’t need an Abode hub to use the look, but additional features such as multi-device connectivity and control are available if you do. The most recent of these is the Abode Security Hub, then there’s the Abode Iota, which has an integrated security camera, and the original Abode Smart Security Kit.

Abode Security Kit

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The Abode Lock’s support for both 2.4- and 5GHz networks is commendable, although I was consistently surprised that about half the time I tried to connect to my home network, I was informed the Wi-Fi password was wrong. Fortunately, the second try was invariably successful, after which I was quickly able to pair the keypad to the lock and the lock to my Wi-Fi network.

To my immediate surprise, I discovered a small problem: The lock was mounted on the left side of the door, but it was attempting to turn the deadbolt clockwise to lock it and counterclockwise to unlock it; in other words, backwards. Normally this is a quick fix, as most smart locks have a switch inside that lets you tell the lock on which side of the door it’s mounted. But Abode has a unique means of setting which side of the door it’s on, based on which direction the thumbturn is rotated during the setup process: Turn the knob all the way left and you’re setting up a left-side-door, and vice versa.

Had I missed this step during my setup? I did a factory reset on the lock and tried again, making sure the thumbturn was properly aligned, but no dice. I tried resetting and removing the battery for a half hour before trying again. Nothing changed how it worked. Eventually I worked with Abode tech support for several hours, resetting the lock roughly a dozen times and going through all manner of troubleshooting steps before I finally gave up and requested a new unit. Perhaps the broken mounting plate had been a first sign of trouble to come.

The good news: The replacement lock arrived with an intact mounting plate and set up correctly the first time I tried it, allowing me to finally lock and unlock the door successfully.

Abode

Abode

Abode

Setting up users

Abode’s app isn’t the most elegant when it comes to door locks, but it’s relatively easy to navigate because there’s not a whole lot to it: Tap the slider on the device listing or the icon above it to initiate a manual lock or unlock. Tap the icon to the left of the lock name to delve into additional settings, where the “Access Control” feature lets you set up user accounts with a PIN and optional fingerprint(s). PINs can be 4 to 12 digits in length, and each user can have up to 5 registered fingerprints. Only 10 users can be set up in total. PINs can be permanent, one-time use, or time/day restricted.

Setting all of this up and registering fingerprints is easy and straightforward. The buttons on the external keypad are a little stiff—it’s not a touchscreen—but the fingerprint reader is accurate and easy to activate without error. Oddly, the method for re-locking the door from the outside is to hold down any button on the keypad for 5 seconds, which isn’t entirely intuitive An auto-lock feature allows you to configure the lock to re-engage without additional interaction after 30 seconds to 10 minutes.

All lock and unlock activities are logged via push notifications and are recorded on the Timeline in the Abode app, though the means of access is only recorded if the app is used to do the job. Keypad and fingerprint access is recorded, but, strangely, events are not assigned to the owner of the PIN or fingerprint. The lock supports Alexa and Google Assistant, but not HomeKit. iPhone users can, however, add the lock as a widget on their home screen.

Should you buy the Abode Lock?

The Abode Lock’s $130 sale price is appealing, especially considering its Wi-Fi connectivity and the inclusion of the exterior Bluetooth keypad/fingerprint reader. August’s retrofit lock, a device from which Abode borrows more than a few of its design cues, has a $250 MRSP with a Bluetooth keypad and Wi-Fi connectivity, while the new Yale Approach is priced at $180 with the same connectivity features. Neither of those locks include a fingerprint sensor.

All that said, first impressions count for a lot, and my experience with the first hardware I received left a very bad taste in my mouth. That leaves me hesitant to recommend the Abode Lock without reservation.