You can now unlock your Yale smart lock with your voice via Alexa

By Lulu Chang Published May 14, 2018

Nest security Yale door lock — Christian de Looper/Digital Trends

Your voice is quickly becoming the only key you need. The latest smart lock to unveil Amazon Alexa integration is Yale Locks & Hardware, who on Monday, May 14 announced support for the smart assistant and the ability to unlock the smart deadbolts with only a spoken command. All you need is a compatible smart home hub, or the Amazon Echo Plus and a Yale Assure Lock with Zigbee.

While Yale already has an Alexa lock skill that lets Yale Z-Wave and Zigbee users lock their doors and get lock status updates, this is the first time that folks will actually be able to unlock their doors in a hands-free fashion as well. While the unlock feature is set to “off” by default, you can turn the ability on by verifying your Amazon credentials through the Alexa app. Like other smart locks, in order to unlock your door, you’ll need to set a four-digit voice code, and then repeat those four digits anytime you’d like Alexa to unlock your front door.

Recommended Videos

“Yale is committed to providing consumers with the smart home technology they want most, and the message from consumers is loud and clear – they want voice control,” said Jason Williams, president of ASSA ABLOY U.S. Residential Group, which includes Yale Residential. “With the addition of the Alexa unlock feature our locks now allow consumers to secure their homes and enter them using simple voice commands, delivering a new level of convenience without any compromise on security.”

Included in the Yale Assure Lock family is a wide range of keypad deadbolts available in both keyed and key-less versions. All are equipped with the company’s modular system that integrates with alarm systems and other smart home setups. All Yale Assure Lock deadbolts can be bought separately as a PIN-controlled lock, or with the broader Yale Network Module for more comprehensive smart home integration.

Of course, as convenient as these smart locks and connected homes are, users have recently discovered that efficiency could come at the price of privacy. For example, Ring video doorbells were recently discovered to have a rather severe security exploit that did not require users to sign back into their Ring apps even after passwords had been changed. So be sure that when locking and unlocking your Yale smart lock, you’re only letting the right folks into your home (and your app).

Former Contributor

Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…

Topics

Smart Home

Wyze cameras can now use AI to summarize your motion events

A text alert from Wyze summarized using AI.

Wyze has officially launched Cam Unlimited Pro, a new subscription that gives you access to several AI-powered features. This includes Descriptive Alerts -- text notifications generated by AI that accurately summarize motion events triggered by your camera. It’s a powerful feature, and one that should give you highly detailed alerts so you can determine if you need to dive into the Wyze app to watch the full video clip.

For example, an old alert from Wyze might say something like “Pet detected by Backyard Cam.” With Descriptive Alerts, that’ll change to “Small white dog playing with tennis ball in backyard at 4:04 PM.” It can also give you accurate descriptions of folks at your front door, letting you know if they’ve dropped off a package or delivered groceries.

Smart Home

The Schlage Sense Pro only unlocks the door when you want it to

The Schlage Sense Pro on a wooden door.

When it comes to smart home technology, smart locks are some of the most convenient gadgets you can buy. They'll automatically unlock your door as you approach, making it a lot easier to get inside when your arms are full of groceries (only one trip, right?). On the other hand, they can sometimes unlock when you don't want them to — like when you're looking out the window beside the door. The Schlage Sense Pro made its debut at CES 2025, and it practically reads your mind.

OK, it can't actually read your mind, but it's a bit mind-blowing what it can do. The Sense Pro reads your approach and responds accordingly. If you walk up to the door with purpose, it will unlock — but a slow saunter won't trigger the lock. It reads your direction, speed, and movement to know whether to activate or not. Of course, it's dependent on you having your mobile device on your person.

Smart Home

Ultraloq showcases the first-ever ultra-wideband smart lock at CES 2025

Bolt Mission UWB + NFC installed on a white door.

Ultraloq showed off two smart locks at CES 2025 -- one of which is the first smart lock to ever offer ultra-wideband (UWB) support. The Ultraloq Bolt Mission UWB + NFC uses UWB technology to unlock automatically as you approach your front door. Similar functionality already exists on other smart locks, but UWB should allow the Ultraloq Bolt Mission to be more accurate than the competition.

The Bolt Mission uses technology similar to digital car keys, and Ultraloq says it can track the keyholder’s phone location with “centimeter-level” accuracy. As your phone gets closer to the front door, the Bolt Mission can be programmed to automatically unlock, giving you a hands-free way to get inside. Better yet, because the smart lock can detect both your distance and direction from the front door, it should prevent you from accidentally unlocking the smart lock while inside your home.