Malcolm Owen
Level Lock+, a Homekit-supporting smart lock with Apple Home Key support, has been demonstrated to be opened by skilled hands in the same time a regular lock can be, but it's still a high-grade lock for your front door.
The recently-launched Level Lock is a smart lock for the home, one that replaces an existing locking system with one that communicates with the iPhone. In the latest release, the $320 smart lock also supports Apple's Home Key, which enables a door to be unlocked using an iPhone.
However, a video posted to YouTube has revealed that the lock may not necessarily offer homeowners much more security than a typical non-smart version. The video by Lock Picking Lawyer published on Tuesday shows the basic workings of the Level Lock+, before demonstrating how it can be opened key and iPhone-free with relatively simple methods.
Using tension tool and a wave rake for a few seconds, the lock can be opened and with relative ease. A test using a bump key also produced similarly rapid results.
The YouTuber expresses disappointment that while a smart lock, it is still ultimately a lock, and that security pins could've been included to make it more secure from the outset. However, a redeeming feature of the lock is that it uses a standard key knob cylinder, so a homeowner could replace it with something more robust.
According to Level, the Level Lock+ has an ANSI Grade 1, meaning it meets the standard to be classed as a strong and secure deadbolt lock intended for entranceways, like many other home locks. The same tension tool and bump key methods work on regular locks of this type, too, but at least with the Level Lock+, the homeowner is automatically notified if the lock is opened manually.
That said, the testing for ANSI Grade relates more to the lock's ability to survive blunt-force attempts to gain entry, including impacts, saws, heavy loads, and electrostatic discharge. It doesn't cover lockpicking, which is a skill-based means of gaining entry.
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14 Comments
So this is not some electronic hack right? It's just like when you have to call a locksmith to come open your door when you leave your keys in your house by accident? I consider that a feature really.
Once again, with feeling:
The idea of the Level is that you replace the cylinder with the one you already have in your door. That means you can keep using your keys, which you probably have all over the place. This is the entire design concept and it is why it is laid out like it is. There are hundreds of YouTube videos showing you how to do it.
So the Level is exactly as pickable as your current cylinder because it uses your current cylinder. It's like the same cylinder though, as it's a completely standard 5-pin model that you can even re-key to use your existing keys.
There are LOTS of reasons not to buy this lock, but pickability is not one of them because almost every lock out there is easily pickable. Better reasons include:
1) If you touch it with any body part, even just brushing it, it will lock/unlock. It's so annoying almost everyone turns it off
2) the auto-lock will re-lock the door even if its open, which means you you go to close it, BANG
3) the auto-lock will re-lock even if you deliberately unlocked it. there's no way to leave your door unlocked if you're expecting someone. If you don't have a storm door you can keep closed... well, tough.
I LOVE the Lock Picking Lawyer, it’s a fun channel to watch. The thing is, the man is not human like the rest of us. If he says a lock is easy and disappointing, it’s great for the average homeowner. Lol