ADT and Yale have partnered on a new smart lock that adds biometric access to the security system.
One of the best features of the now-discontinued Nest Secure security system was that if you also had the Nest X Yale Lock, you could unlock your door and disarm your security system just by entering a single code. With both those products now discontinued, Yale and ADT have a solution you might find interesting.
The new Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch with Z-Wave ($279.99) integrates directly with the ADT Plus security system to unlock the door and disarm the security system simultaneously using your fingerprint, which is quicker and easier than typing in a code.
ADT Plus, which launched last year, is the spiritual successor to Nest Secure. Google invested $450 million in the security company shortly before discontinuing its own security system. Yale recently launched a new lock for the Google ecosystem to replace the Nest X Yale. While it offers other locks that integrate with ADT, this new lock is Yale’s first Z-Wave lock to provide fingerprint access.
Compatibility with the smart home protocol Z-Wave allows the lock to connect to ADT’s home security base over Z-Wave’s new User Credential Command Class. This is a new, more secure method for managing passwords and PIN codes within a Z-Wave network. Z-Wave is a mesh-based, wireless communication protocol that works over the 800-900 MHz frequency and requires a hub.
According to ADT, while the Z-Wave 800 Series lock can work as a stand-alone Z-Wave lock with any compatible Z-Wave system, disarming the security system through the lock is exclusive to ADT Plus for now. ADT is the first security company to adopt the Command Class standard; if they add support, the lock could be compatible with other security systems in the future.
This is only the second Z-Wave-compatible lock with fingerprint access, after Ultraloq launched a Z-Wave lock with a fingerprint reader a few years ago. However, the Ultraloq version just unlocks the door; Yale’s is the first to offer control of a system over Z-Wave using a fingerprint.
The new lock is a Z-Wave version of Yale’s Assure Lock 2 Touch, a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi-powered, fingerprint-enabled smart lock. In addition to fingerprint access and app control through the ADT app, the new Z-Wave lock can also be controlled using its keypad or a traditional key.
As with most of Yale’s smart locks, the Z-Wave lock uses a swappable module for connectivity. However, this module isn’t being sold separately, so you wouldn’t be able to swap it into an existing Yale lock.
The new fingerprint lock will also work with ADT Plus’s Trusted Neighbors feature, which requires ADT’s pro monitoring plan (starting at $24.99 a month). This automates access to your home for people you authorize when you’re away, and can disarm the system for them by recognizing their faces using Google Nest security cameras. The new lock adds the option of disarming the system and unlocking the door using their fingerprint.
ADT also recently introduced Home Away modes, which allows the security system to use the location of your household’s phones to automatically arm the system and lock the doors when everyone’s away and disarm when someone arrives home. Combined with the fingerprint control, these new features should make controlling an ADT security system a lot less fiddly.
The new Yale Assure Lock 2 Touch Z-Wave for ADT is available now for $279.99 at ADT.com.
