Hi. Just installed a Kwikset Halo wifi lock. Looks like only Kwikset Z-wave/Zigbee door locks are supported out of the box. Is there any path to getting a Smartthings integration running - even if only a limited integration (eg locked/unlocked status)?
You can create a virtual lock using the vEdge Creator Edge driver and then use the Kwikset Smart Home Alexa skill to mirror the status of the lock from Alexa to ST using Alexa routines. You may also be able to do something similar with the IFTTT mobile app.
Edit: I neglected to mention that I do something similar with my Schlage Wi-fi locks. The one gotcha is that if you want to unlock a lock via an Alexa routine, you need to use an Alexa custom action to mimic doing a voice unlock (which you have to enable in the settings for the real lock). So, for example, if you use ST to unlock the virtual lock, your Alexa routine will be âIf virtual lock unlocks then Alexa custom âunlock mylock using pin code xxxxââ which is a pin code you create when enabled voice unlocking.
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Similar question: I would lean toward the Kwikset / Weiser Aura BT (for battery life reasons) and then use a 3rd party Hub/Bridge for WiFi connectivity. Yale does this with their Assure SL series, but bundle the bridge if you order the right kit.
Has anyone been able to connec to / manage the Aura lock in such a manner via bridge and still have app functionalty for remote user code management?
Not surprisingly, locks are among the most difficult device classes to reverse engineer, as they have a lot of security features to prevent doing exactly that.
Yaleâs bridge is built by their own company, so itâs a completely different situation from a security standpoint.
The kwikset Aura series is intended only for local integration with their own app. They donât integrate with any voice assistants and you donât even have out of home control of the lock. Your phone has to be within Bluetooth range for it to work. Even the home assistant community hasnât been able to build an integration for it. So I think that model is unlikely to have an integration anytime soon.
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Perfect, thanks very much for your quick response. I kinda figured this would not be an easy feat or supported. I will go with the Halo series then with integrated WiFi as I need the remote management features.
I would actually prefer to go with the Yale Assure SL solution, but the lock is intended for use in Costa Rica (but will be purchased in Canada), and if others are not aware, that will no longer work. The crux of the issue is that Yale NA and LA (Latin America) split up as companies in mid 2023 meaning that any Yale Lock that was purchased in NA does not work with the app, nor is there any support when used in LA. For a NA lock purchased prior to this and used in LA I think it is grandfathered. FYI, see link below for more info on the Yale saga:
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I just got a Kwikset Halo Select Lock, that also has Matter integration. I thought I could connect it to Google or Alexa and then to my SmartThings v2 Hub, but it says I need a thread router. They are cheap, so I thought about getting one, but is it worth it?
I have been playing with routines in Alexa. I set up a virtual lock in SmartThings using vEdge Creator. When I lock it or unlock it, Alexa locks and unlocks the Halo lock. However, I am trying to figure out a way to track lock/unlock done manually.
Letâs say the Halo lick is unlocked manually, and left that way, while the vEdge Lock will still show locked. When my night time routine runs, and tells the vEdge Lock to lock, itâs already locked, so I donât think itâs going to trigger the Alexa routine to lock it.
I thought about tracking manual lock/unlock with a secondary vEdge switch. However, then that can wind up being out of sync with what current lock status. As far as I can tell, Alexa doesnât have the ability to test if the lock is open before performing an action.
You also mentioned using the Kwikset Alexa skill and a virtual lock to mirror the status. How exactly did you set this up and how do you deal with manual lock/unlock?
Thanks.
-Rich B
Also, I have a Z-wave lock that I might replace. I can check which code opened the door through SmartThings and act accordingly (and I canât recall right now, but I might also be using SharpTools and Tasker to deal with the unlocking as well). So far I havenât seen that Kwikset sends a notice about which user opened the door. You can see it in the app, but not in the notices (I have a Pixel 9 Pro). I could look for the notice using Tasker and then have Tasker trigger turning lights (this is for our cleaner that usually arrives on Thursday). However, if anyone else opens the door, itâll trigger as well. Is there anyway to see which user opened the door? Would I be able to do that if I could somehow integrate the lock with SmartThings using Matter? Thanks!
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Everything I see says the Halo Select is a Wi-Fi lock with Matter support. If that is the case, you shouldnât need a Thread Border Router and it should work fine with your v2 hub using Matter over Wi-Fi.
You would have to have routines in Alexa to mirror the state back to ST. So, if you manually unlock the lock, you would need an Alexa routine that said âIf Lock is unlocked then unlock the vEdge virtual lockâ.
I only mentioned that those were tools you could use. Iâve never used a Kwikset lock, only Schlage. In general, those kind of skills allow Alexa to control your locks using voice commands and Alexa routines. Without a skill, Alexa has no way of controlling a lock.
With Z-Wave locks, per user actions are very dependent on the Edge driver you are using with the device. So, hard to say how youâve got that working now. You will get a push notification from ST on who locked/unlocked a lock, but thatâs not the same as having Routines with Actions based on that event.
There is no specific profile for the Kwikset Halo lock in the matter-lock driver for ST. As such, it will end up using the default profile which allows for codes to be set using SLGA, but I donât believe exposes per user Actions in Routines.
I do have a routine to mirror the virtual lock. However, itâs awkward because Alexa tries to relock the lock if I lock it manually because the manual lock triggers the routine to lock. I suppose it wouldnât be a big deal, but Alexa (although we use Ziggy) announces it on my phone. Thatâs why I was thinking of using a virtual lock to control the auto lock/unlock and a separate switch to track manual lock/unlock. My head is spinning with the logic, but Iâll figure it out eventually. I might just have to have it auto-lock quickly after unlocked so that it should âusuallyâ be locked when most routines are triggered. Thanks.
When you say âauto-lockâ, are you referring to routines youâve written to re-lock the lock when itâs unlocked or the feature of a lock to re-lock itself shortly after being unlocked? Iâm confused by your explanation above âHowever, itâs awkward because Alexa tries to relock the lock if I lock it manually because the manual lock triggers the routine to lockâ
For auto lock, I meant that if the lock is unlocked, I have the Kwikset app lock it after x minutes. They call it auto lock.
In a prior post, you mentioned connecting Matter over WiFi to ST. However, when I use the Kwikset app to convert the lock to Matter, it gets rid of WiFi on the lock. I converted it to matter and tried to connect it as a matter device to Google home and the Kwikset app or Google said that a thread border router is needed. When I tried connecting it to ST before converting the lock to Matter, ST said I needed a thread border router as well.
For my comment about the switch causing the lock to lock, I have four routines at the moment. I have two ST switches, one is a vEdge lock and the other a switch. Four Alexa routines. Let me work on it before I make any addâl comments about a routine getting triggered if I mirror the lock to a vEdge switch or lock.
Thanks.
I tried to connect the lock as a matter device using ST and it needed a Thread network. I donât have one that I know of, but ST located some eero one and asked for the 32 but key, which I donât have. I think I need some thread network. Iâve seen them as low as $50 in Amazon. Not sure if I should convert to Thread and lose the WiFi control over the Kwikset app or just control it using Alexa controls.
If it is a Matter over Thread device, then it wonât work with your v2 hub since it only supports Matter over Wi-Fi. To get it into ST, youâll need some Thread capable hub such as the v3/Aeotec, ST Station, or an TV/Fridge with Thread support.
I donât know if you can manage the lock with both Wi-Fi and Matter over Thread or if you have to choose one vs the other.
You can use Thread devices with a v2 hub you just need a separate Thread Boarder Router. At home I use a 4th Gen Amazon Echo as my TBR. At camp I use a Tuya ZigBee Gateway (Matter Bridge) as my TBR.
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How is that presented when commissioning a new device with a v2 hub? The OP said that he was offered a Thread network from a Eero device.
ST will ask you what hub to use if you have multiple hubs, then it asks what TBR to use if you have multiple TBRs and then it asks for a 32 digit key for the TBR you select.
In the case of Alexa if you start the process with Alexa you donât need the key.
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My echo dot might be 4th gen, and it supports Matter, but I donât think itâs a TBR. I must be picking up my neighborâs eero TBR somehow. And since I retried Matter last evening, and then converted the lock back to WiFi when Matter didnât work, my Alexa routines now donât work and my custom command to open the lock with a pin doesnât work. 
This is what happened. I used ST to start the Matter connection and it asked for a 21 digit key for the eero Thread network. I donât have an eero device. Are you saying that if I convert the lock to Matter and use Alexa to connect a matter device I wouldnât need the key? But does that just connect it to Alexa and not to ST? I probably should just get a new Echo and then Iâll have TBR and can connect to ST. I think I messed things up cause Alexa keeps showing that I can connect to the lock as matter even though itâs connected as WiFi and now my routines arenât working even though I had them working yesterday. Sigh.
Echo Dots do NOT have a TBR.