The Halo Select is Kwikset’s first new smart lock in five years, and its new features, updated design and creative approach to connectivity could make the long wait worth it.
The Halo Select is an entirely new design of the company’s Halo line and the first lock to support Matter. It works with the new standard via the low-power mesh networking protocol Thread and, interestingly, has the option to skip Matter and use Wi-Fi.
“You have WiFi, which is what most customers want these days, but it is also future-proof with Matter and Thread.”
It’s a smart move by Kwikset. Smart locks today have limited features in Matter, but the standard offers greater interoperability and Thread promises better battery life (an important feature of a motorized lock). Buy this lock today and enjoy all the great smart lock features via Wi-Fi now, then switch to Matter later – when (or if) things get better.
“This lock has been a long time coming,” said Charles Dougherty, product manager at Kwikset The edge in an interview. “We didn’t rush this lock just to be first to market; we have taken our time and we think this is the right time given the way the market has developed. It has Wi-Fi, which is what most customers want these days, but it is also future-proofed with Matter and Thread.”
Interestingly, whichever option you choose for the lock – Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread (you can’t do both at the same time) – you’ll need to launch into the Kwikset app and connect to WiFi at least initially .
“We choose this because of the limitations on the characteristics between ecosystems [in Matter] At this point you could have a bad experience, and we chose to make the conversion to Matter part of our app flow, allowing us to educate the customer,” Dougherty explains.
He showed me a demo of the steps for setting up Matter, and it was the clearest and simplest process I’ve ever seen for a Matter smart lock, and I’ve tested almost all of them. Crucially, Dougherty says you can switch between the options if you discover that one of them isn’t working as you’d like.
This is a smart approach, at least for now, while the standard gets up to speed. One of the biggest frustrations with Matter for users so far has been the loss of some features, while gaining things like local control and reduced latency.
The Kwikset Halo Select will be available in mid-November for $279. It is a full replacement deadbolt and uses a touchscreen keypad and a traditional keyhole for physical access; there is no fingerprint reader or NFC for Apple Home Key.
The overall design is sleeker and sleeker than Kwikset’s previous Halo locks, and there’s now a handy new status icon on the touchscreen that tells you if the door is unlocked as you approach.
Kwikset says it has also upgraded the motor to be more powerful and quieter than its previous locks, and that the Halo Select meets the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) AAA certification for physical security. It’s powered by four AA alkaline batteries or a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (which you’ll need to purchase separately).
As mentioned, the Halo Select has both Wi-Fi and Thread connectivity built in, giving you your choice of protocols and platform compatibility. If you set it up over Wi-Fi, you can use it without an additional hub and lock and unlock it remotely using Kwikset’s app. It will also work with Kwikset’s new Auto-Unlock by Distance feature, which launched this summer, to unlock your door “hands-free” when you get home.
Other features of the Kwikset app include creating codes for friends, family and temporary visitors, scheduling the lock, setting an auto-lock and receiving alerts when the door is ajar – detected by the The company’s new slim magnetic door sensor.
Connecting the lock to a smart home platform such as Amazon Alexa or Google Home also adds voice control and the ability to use the lock in smart home routines. Kwikset says the Halo Select should have a battery life of six months on Wi-Fi using AA batteries and up to nine months if you buy the new lithium-ion battery pack. This is the first lock I’ve seen that can use both power options.
If you choose Matter-over-Thread connectivity, you won’t be able to use the Kwikset app to control the lock, but you can use any Matter-compatible platform, including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. You will need a Matter controller and a Thread border router.
Of course, the Matter standard can also work over Wi-Fi, but the benefits of Thread are especially attractive for devices such as smart locks. Thread connectivity should improve battery life significantly – “12 months plus,” says Dougherty. The protocol also offers a local mesh network, which should improve response times and ensure your lock stays connected even if the Wi-Fi goes down.
However, if you use Thread, you will lose access to most of the features of the Kwikset app. This includes creating access codes, automatic locking and door ajar alerts. Instead, you must rely on the capabilities offered by the platform(s) you choose. Today these are largely limited to locking and unlocking. Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings also let you set door lock passcodes in their apps, but Amazon and Google don’t.
“We have been as vocal as possible in encouraging ecosystems to support features by giving them our views on the category priorities,” said Dougherty. “We have had some impact here, so we hope these will be supported in the near future.”
Along with the launch of the Halo Select, Kwikset teased an NFC-enabled lock – the Halo Select Plus – in early 2025. While the company won’t share any more details, with NFC on board it could be compatible with Apple Home’s tap . -to unlock the Home Key function.
What’s more likely is that the lock will support Aliro, a new open standard designed to make smart locks compatible with any tap-to-unlock smartphone or smartwatch. Both Apple and Samsung are helping develop the standard and have announced that their phones will support Aliro next year. Kwikset’s parent company, Assa Abloy, is “very committed” to Aliro, Dougherty said.
