The Avia Smart Deadbolt+ paired with the SolarPro is a great Home Key solution for Apple users, without locking out folks who want physical keys or a front-door code.
A front door with a smart lock is incredibly convenient. A lock that can be controlled remotely, unlock automatically when you’re close to the house, or via a shareable digital key, opens up so many possibilities.
There have been quite a few cracks at the concept. Some are good, most are bad. Several are super-expensive. Beyond more glaring flaws like poor network connectivity, the bad ones overlook the power problem.
A smart lock needs power in order to communicate with a network and to perform its core functionality. But, being on the edge of a swinging door, it requires some form of portable power, usually in the form of replaceable batteries.
The Avia Smart Deadbolt tries to solve this problem with its own solution, with the SolarPro add-on.
We tried the Avia Smart Deadbolt+ both with and without the solar add-on. We like both combos for different reasons.
Oh, and we’re homeowners, not landlords. We can see the possibility of using this as a landlord, though.
Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro review: Deadbolt+
The Deadbolt+ is a replacement lock for your door, with you switching out the door’s existing locking mechanism in favor of its own. You have a choice of two colorways, with the lock provided in black or satin nickel, depending on your preferred styling, and it measures 2.5 inches in diameter.
In isolation, the lock is an enhanced cylindrical barrel lock mechanism, sticking out of the door. While this outer ring enclosure on just physical locks is normally more or less flush with the door, this one has a bunch of numbered buttons on the top, as part of its smart lock functionality.
We replaced a slightly older, bulkier (and less smart) model with the new unit. If you look closely at the pictures, you can see the outline of the old frame.
The Smart Deadbolt+ still conventionally works with a key in the middle section as usual. It’s got a slightly newer key standard, with differing pins on either side of a frame — which we like. They’re still duplicatable at hardware stores, but the locksmiths we spoke to in the course of this review say that this key form factor is harder to pick, and more sturdy, than the standard inch and a half long key you probably have on your chain right now.
The deadbolt has been independently tested to ANSI 156.40 standards for security and durability, and with some lock pick testing to boot.
The outer segment is where the important parts lie for the smart lock functionality. For a start, those buttons can be used to enter a PIN to unlock the door without the key, with the buttons lighting up when pressed.
The base of the enclosure also illuminates, giving more of a clue to how to unlock it. There are built-in sensors allowing it to be unlocked remotely, including with the app or Home Key on iPhone, or an Apple Watch, or one of two included keyfobs per lock package.
The section for the back of the door is about the same size as just about everything else we’ve used. It has the usual rotating knob used to unlock the door from the inside.
Given the small amount of space inside the door for the lock to exist, most of the tech lives in this rear box. This is also where you would insert the batteries for the lock. A total of four AA batteries are needed to power the lock on its own, which would periodically need replacing unless you use the SolarPro.
Avia says that you get “up to five years” between battery replacements with the SolarPro add-on. We haven’t been able to test that, of course.
What we do like about that battery compartment is that it is easily accessible from the back of the unit. We replaced a lock that you essentially had to completely disassemble to get to the battery compartment when the AA batteries died.
Buy the Avia Smart Deadbolt+
Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro review: SolarPro
The Smart SolarPro is essentially a small solar panel that you attach to the front of the Deadbolt+ during installation. The idea is — obviously — that it collects power from the sun, which in turn recharges the batteries inside.
The SolarPro extends from the edge of the bore hole that the lock fits through down by about 2.75 inches. It’s also 2.25 inches wide, marginally narrower than the lock itself.
It’s an extra element that adds an obvious smart element to an item that looks pedestrian from a distance. At the same time, it’s not intrusive to the overall appearance of the lock.
Avia claims that in strong sunlight, the solar panel will help recharge the batteries enough to handle up to 100 operations per day. Your mileage may vary depending on climate and how much sun your door will get in a day, but 100 operations may also be quite a lot for most users to get through regularly.
We got bored after about 50 cycles in indirect sunlight. There was no apparent drain on the batteries.
However, you do have to supply your own rechargeable AA batteries, so that will be an extra cost on top. Conventional AA batteries will not work, and you don’t want to try charging them in the lock.
I’d really like Avia to have been clearer about this on the box, or charging a bit more and including the rechargeable batteries. Finding it in small text in the installation guide was a drag, and slowed the process after installation and before activation in the app.
Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro review: Hardware installation
The installation process for the Smart DeadBolt+ and SolarPro is straightforward, even compared to some other smart locks we have tested. In short:
- Remove the old lock and strike plate
- Insert the new deadbolt in the opening
- From the front, insert the keyway through the deadbolt with the tang vertical
- Poke the wires through
- Attach the two-part back plate
- Wire up the back section before mounting the electronics in place
This took us about 15 minutes, and that’s including time spent to disassemble the unit because we had the tang horizontal, and the internal knob to unlock the door didn’t work right.
The SolarPro element’s installation is not much more difficult. Between steps two and three, you connect the Deadbolt+’s cable to the pass-through of the SolarPro, and feed it through as before. That’s about it.
This is, for the most part, easy even for a non-technical person to set up, though as we said, you do need to make sure that the lock shaft is vertical.
After you have installed the lock, you then have to complete the setup using the company’s app.
Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro review: Access and app control
A key part of the installation and overall usage of the lock itself, the companion app is used to manage the lock’s settings and to connect it to the HomeKit network. This is done within the app, with pairing done with a button press and a scan of a code underneath the battery cover.
The lock connects over Bluetooth, but it also has support for HomeKit over Thread, meaning it will work with HomeKit as well as Apple’s Home Key platform. Once set up, you can send digital keys to others, so their iPhone or Apple Watch can unlock the door.
The app is used to set up the codes for the PIN pad; however, you can only set up a maximum of ten codes. You can, however, set up different lighting effects for the lock’s lights, again to match your preferred aesthetic.
There’s also support for six key fobs, of which you have two supplied in the kit.
You can also set the lock to stay unlocked or to automatically lock up to four minutes after it was last unlocked, for added security. This is useful if you have someone who has a habit of leaving doors unlocked, or if you handed a code out to a neighbor and want to make sure everything stays secure.
There’s also a log system at play, which will tell you when it was last unlocked.
Our border routers are a pair of HomePod minis and an Apple TV, about 40 feet from the front door. We’re testing some Wi-Fi 7 gear too. Bluetooth is fussy on these locks, but Bluetooth is always fussy.
The front door didn’t want to reliably connect with Thread either, but I will admit I live in a challenging wireless environment. Ultimately I added a Eve Energy smart switch about 2/3 of the way to the lock, and that cleared up everything.
The back door has line of sight to the Apple TV that’s one of my Thread routers, and is fast and flawless. Very impressive.
We’ve got the silver one with the solar panel on the front door, and the black one with just AA batteries powering it on the back. It makes sense to have the solar on the front, as that’s the main ingress and egress for the entire family.
We suspect the batteries on the back will last about forever. So long, in fact, we’ll probably take the access door off every few months to make sure the batteries aren’t leaking all over the place.
Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro review: A decent connected security option
Having a smart lock is a big step forward for homeowners who want to enhance their smart home. What Avia offers is a system that is quite a good option for those who want to go in that direction.
On its own, the Deadbolt+ provides a lot of different ways to unlock the door, both with and without Apple’s hardware. You do, however, need an iPhone to complete the setup process at this time, and an Android app currently isn’t available for those who own devices on that platform.
Once set up, though, this isn’t a giant problem assuming you just want to use the keypad, key fob, or physical key.
The SolarPro is an extremely useful add-on if you don’t want to have to keep replacing the batteries, and we think it’s essentially a requirement. Power isn’t a problem in traditional locking systems, but it is one now in the world of smart locks.
The Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro is a combination that helps remove one more small complaint that consumers may have about smart locks. It’s a good option for HomeKit users, but while it’s a bit of an investment, it’s not too premium to lock people out from a more connected home.
Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro Pros
- Reasonably simple installation
- Solar power recharging
- Keypad, key, fob, and HomeKit Home Key unlocks
Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro Cons
- Requires iPhone for installation
- No Android app, yet
- Only 10 physical PINs
Rating: 4 out of 5
We really, really like the Avia Deadbolt+. It’s notably more expensive than the Level Lock – Touch Edition, for example, which, if it’s working for you, is the cheapest Home Key lock we’ve found yet.
The Level Lock – Touch is inconsistent, though. It works for some, it doesn’t for others. The Avia Deadbolt+ is consistent, and works for everybody, it seems.
It is a premium product, with premium features, and a premium price. How much these premium features mean to you is best left for the reader to decide.
Where to buy the Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro
The Avia Smart Deadbolt+ and SolarPro are available from Avia directly, with the Deadbolt+ priced at $269 and the SolarPro for $43.
This review has been sponsored by Avia, but all opinions are of the AppleInsider Team. The manufacturer was only able to jump to the front of the months-long review queue due to the sponsorship.
