Level Lock Pro review: Brilliant design + Matter = best in class | usagoldmines.com

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We’re longtime fans of Level Lock’s family of smart deadbolts, the only products in their class that can pass for ordinary deadlocks, hiding all their intelligence in the motor that fits in a door’s bore hole. But the Level Lock Pro kicks things up a notch—maybe even a notch and half.  

That said, the Matter smart home standard that’s designed to unify the fractured smart home space deserves a chunk of the credit. The Level Lock Touch, for instance, was the first Level Lock to allow you to lock and unlock the deadbolt with a touch of your hand, but Android users couldn’t operate the lock remotely over Wi-Fi.  

Level eventually added support for Amazon’s Sidewalk, which required users to have an Echo smart speaker. Still later, Level introduced the Level Connect Wi-Fi bridge (2.4GHz networks only). Using either of those products finally put Android users on the same level as iPhone users (more precisely, iPhone users who also own a HomeKit hub such as a 2nd-gen Apple TV 4K or a HomePod smart speaker). And those aren’t your only options.

Both Android and iPhone users will still need a bridge to connect the Level Lock Pro to their Wi-Fi networks to gain remote access and management, but both camps have a lot more options because the lock has a Thread radio onboard. Those options now include the previously mentioned Level Connect ($79), a Samsung SmartThings Station, an Apple TV 4K or HomePod, or any of the several Amazon Echo or Nest Hub smart speakers and displays with a Thread radio.  

What’s even more important is that thanks to Matter, you no longer need to limit yourself to one smart home ecosystem or the other. An iPhone user like me can use an Apple TV or the like with the Level Lock Pro to take advantage of Apple’s Home Keys and also use a Thread-equipped Echo device or the Level Connect to control the lock with Alexa voice commands.

Level tells me users can operate the new lock in as many as five smart home platforms simultaneously. While the Level Lock Pro doesn’t support Amazon’s Sidewalk, that really doesn’t matter. 

Level Lock Pro: Specifications  

Michael Brown/Foundry

OK, enough preamble. Let’s turn our attention to the Level Lock Pro’s specifications. The new lock doesn’t look appreciably different from any of the earlier generations, although its exterior element is slightly larger in diameter. As usual, the lock’s motor fits inside the bore hole and is powered by a single CR2 lithium battery that’s cleverly hidden inside the lock’s bolt. The app reports remaining battery life as “Healthy,” “Low,” or “Critically Low,” at which point the battery won’t have enough power to lock or unlock the lock.

Unlike some other smart locks, none of the locks in the Level series have a provision—such as a USB-C port—for providing temporary power to the lock to open it should its battery fail. That makes the inclusion of backup access in the form of a physical key even more important. 

The Level Lock Pro boasts a BHMA AAA rating, which means it meets that standard body’s highest certification for security, durability, and finish respectively. Read our guide if you’d like to know more about the BHMA ratings for residential locks as well as the ANSI ratings for commercial locks.

The Level Lock Pro has a weatherization rating of IP54, which means it will keep out enough dust to prevent its failure and that it’s protected from water sprayed from any direction. That’s relatively modest protection, but most entry doors get at least somewhat shielded from the elements. Read our IP code guide if you want more details on that topic. 

Level says the Level Lock Pro also has a faster and more powerful microprocessor and faster memory than previous generations.

Another new feature unique to the Pro is a sensor that can detect if the door is open or closed. This depends on using Level’s magnetic strike plate (the element you mount to the inside of your door’s frame). If you do, the lock will not throw its bolt if the door is ajar, preventing damage to your door trim when the bolt slams into it. The app will inform you of this status, and you can override the sensor and still throw the bolt if you need to (using either the thumb turn or the app), such as when you want to change the battery.  

Michael Brown/Foundry

As I’ve already discussed, The Level Lock Pro supports Matter-over-Thread, and it also has a Bluetooth radio. This is used for initial setup, but it also supports the optional Level Keypad ($79), a numeric keypad that lets you assign PINs to unlock the door. The lock also comes with two NFC (near-field communication) key fobs that you can put on a keychain. You can buy additional fobs in packs of four for $20, or you can buy four Level key cards for the same price (you can also re-program any existing Level fobs or key cards you might have from a previous installation). Finally, the lock comes with two physical keys.  

The lock and its accompanying strike plate are available in either a matte black or satin nickel finish. Level tells me the lock and strike plate are fabricated from diecast zinc and stainless steel, with a ceramic coating that’s similar to powder coating, which all sounds very durable. Nonetheless, I managed to scratch the finish off the matte black strike plate during my installation (see photo), leading me to think it was merely painted black (Level disavowed me of that notion in response to a fact-check query).  

Michael Brown/Foundry

While it’s unlikely that anyone will be using a physical key to unlock the door with regularity, I would recommend inserting the key into the key cylinder with a degree of precision, lest the same thing happen to the lock, despite its ceramic coating. 

Level Lock Pro: Installation and setup  

As I’ve experienced with previous Level Locks, the Pro is supremely easy to install and set up, and Level’s four-part installation card explains everything well—with one exception. Out of the box, the interior paddle you’ll turn to retract the lock’s bolt is attached to its interior escutcheon, and it must be removed to expose the holes into which you’ll insert the screws that will fasten the lock’s interior element to its exterior.  

Accomplishing this isn’t immediately obvious, and despite having installed and reviewed the Level Lock+ about this time two years ago, I’d forgotten how to do it. Only after scanning the user manual twice did I notice a footnote reading “To disassemble in the future, use a paperclip or pen to press the small hole in the bottom of the paddle, while gently pulling away from the door to release it.”  

Michael Brown/Foundry

Had it not been for that delay, I would have finished the physical installation in less than 10 minutes. You don’t need to engage in any delicate balancing act to hold the lock’s interior and exterior elements together, and you don’t need to thread a power cable from the lock’s exterior escutcheon through the door’s bore hole and then plug it into a socket on the interior escutcheon, as is common with so many other smart locks.  

You’ll want to install the Level app on your phone, add the lock to the app, and download and install any firmware updates before you scan the QR code to onboard it to your Matter-certified smart home hub; otherwise, you’ll have only a 30-minute window to add the lock to the Level app. Miss that window and you’ll need to hardware reset the lock and start over. This isn’t a flaw, it’s just a matter of not putting the cart in front of the horse, and it’s clearly spelled out in the installation manual.  

You’ll need the Level app to accomplish some tasks, such as creating PINs, setting user permission levels, programming fobs and key cards, and pairing accessories such as the keypad. Other jobs, such as creating Apple home keys, will be performed in their respective apps—Apple Home in that example.  

Level Lock Pro: Using the Level Lock Pro  

Michael Brown/Foundry

I tested the Level Lock Pro with the Level Connect bridge first and then added it to my Apple Home environment, connecting it to a 2nd-gen Apple TV 4K. Apart from the new door-sensing feature, the Level Lock Pro operates just like previous models, if perhaps a bit faster to respond thanks to its new processor. When you exit, one touch on the lock’s exterior body throws the bolt and sounds a chime to let you know the door is locked (a chime with a different tone sounds when the door is unlocked).  

When you return, you can use a key fob or card, the Level app on your iPhone or Android smartphone, the NFC features on your smartphone or smart watch, or a physical key to unlock it. An auto-lock feature automatically locks the door after it’s been unlocked, and you can choose the amount of time that passes before that happens, from 30 seconds to one hour. You can also choose to disable this feature. 

Michael Brown/Foundry

The Level Lock Pro supports geofencing, and you can enable a setting that allows you to unlock the lock by touching it when you return home. This option is timed—your choice of one, two, or three minutes—and you won’t be able to use the touch method after that time expires. Also note that you must first cross over the border of your geofence before a touch-to-unlock can be performed; it won’t work if you just go out into your yard and then come back after the lock is locked.  

The Level app logs the date and time when the lock was locked, unlocked, and the door is opened; how the action was performed (manually, via touch, key fob, or keypad); as well as who unlocked the door (key fobs and cards can be assigned to individuals, although the lock obviously can’t know who actually used the device to unlock the door).  

The optional keypad, available in colors to match your lock, has a capacitive touch surface with LED backlighting (these aren’t cheap rubber buttons). It runs on two AAA batteries (included) that Level says should last up to two years. You can create up to 50 unique PINs and assign them limited-time permissions in the Level app if you so desire. You can also lock a paired Level Lock with this accessory, although you’ll find yourself more typically doing this by touching the lock itself if you’ve enabled that feature. 

Michael Brown/Foundry

The keypad needs to be installed within 30 feet of the lock, which shouldn’t present any obstacles. It’s thoroughly weatherized—IP65—which according to our IP code guide means it’s impervious to dust ingress and that it can withstand water jets projected from any direction (short of a pressure washer, but you should be able to hose it down to clean it if needed). It has an operating temperature range of negative four degrees to 140 F (-20 to +60 C). 

Level Lock Pro: User management  

You can grant permission to other people to use the lock as an Admin (who can control every aspect of the lock, including inviting new users) or as a Guest (with three categories of limited control). When you set up their access, the Level app will send an invitation to their mobile phone and/or email. 

The three levels of Guest access are Always, Temporary, or Recurrent. You’d probably want to give family members the Guest/Always level of permission, which lets them unlock the door at any time of day or night.  

Level Home

With Guest/Temporary access, you set start and end dates and times, which would be useful for vacation rentals (e.g., from 11:00 a.m. on August 29, 2025 to 3:00 p.m. on August 29). Recurrent access is intended for people to whom you wish to grant regular access to your home, but only at set times on given days of the week. If you have a housecleaning service that comes to your house every Thursday at 10:00 a.m., for instance, they’d be able to unlock the door.  

If you also have the Level keypad, you can create PINs for each person to whom you want to grant access to your home. These can be up to six digits long, but PINs have only two levels of access: Always or Temporary (i.e., the PIN will only work during a range of dates and times). Those permissions can be revoked at any time. 

Level Lock Pro: Conclusion

There was a time when recommending a Level Lock required several caveats, the most significant being that Android users were treated as second-class users denied access to some of its best features. Thanks to Matter support and the Thread radio in this lock (and in the earlier Level Lock+) that notion is firmly in the past.  

As with previous generations of this smart lock, the Level Lock Pro is the most attractive smart lock you can buy, primarily because it doesn’t look like a smart lock.

That said, this is a pricey smart lock at $349, and you’ll need to pay extra if you want to use a numeric keypad to unlock the door, a feature that comes standard on many of Level’s competitors. The fact that you’ll need either a Level Connect or a third-party device with a Thread radio to gain out-of-home control adds another layer of expense—unless you already own such a device. Level also doesn’t provide any means of biometric access–a fingerprint reader or a palm-vein scanner–as a number of its competitors now offer (albeit in much larger form factors).

Even with all those considerations, the Level Lock Pro is still the best smart lock on the market. No competing product is prettier or easier to install and use on a day-to-day basis. I recommend it without reservation.   

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart locks.