The smart home in 2024 was a year for regrouping. After the initial excitement surrounding the new interoperability standard Matter — which is trying to make the smart home simpler and easier to use by allowing connected devices to work with any platform — momentum has stalled. As companies adjust to the reality that Matter is going to take time to, well, matter, 2024 became a year of consolidation, with more focus on software (especially around generative AI) than hardware. However, one category bucked this trend: smart door locks.

Aqara also launched three new locks, while Eufy and U-tec expanded their lineups with Matter support. Schlage was the only major player that was relatively quiet, but my guess is we’ll hear something from them at CES. Additionally, we’ve seen prices start to come down in the space with connected locks from trusted brands like The Home Depot starting as low as $99.

All of this made the smart lock one of the most active categories in the smart home in 2024. A key reason for this is that while many aspects of setting up a smart home can be confusing, smart door locks are straightforward. They’re relatively simple to install, come in various price points, and are easy to use. You also don’t need a smart home platform or smart home hub to use one, although they can offer additional benefits. If you want to control access to your home from your phone, from anywhere in the world, a smart lock is the answer. And in 2025, smart locks are poised to become even better.

Your phone is your key

Next year will see the launch of Aliro. This new cross-platform protocol is being developed by Apple, Google, Samsung, and major lock manufacturers to provide a standard way to use smartphones, smartwatches, and any compatible personal device as digital keys for your door.

Aliro builds on the success of Apple’s Home Key, a very handy feature that lets you unlock your door by tapping your Apple Watch or iPhone to it. Home Key uses NFC tech to enable the transaction and works similarly to Apple Pay. Like Apple Pay, however, Home Key is limited to Apple devices and a select few smart locks. With Aliro, the technology will expand to more locks as well as phones and devices from Samsung, Google, and others.

More excitingly, Aliro will bring a simpler, more accurate hands-free unlocking experience to smart locks with ultra wideband (UWB). An emerging technology for precise positioning, UWB will allow a lock to unlock automatically as you approach the door, no tapping required. Both the lock and the phone or watch will need to have a UWB chip, and Apple has already announced it will support auto-unlocking on iPhones and Apple Watches, as has Samsung for its Galaxy phones and watches.

However, as the Aliro spec isn’t set to launch until 2025, there are no smart locks compatible with UWB unlocking yet. I expect to see a wave of new smart locks announced with Aliro support shortly after the spec arrives. U-tec has already announced a lock with UWB, Kwikset has hinted it will support the standard, and as Allegion, the company that owns Schlage, is helping develop Aliro, it’s likely we’ll see support there, too.

Power and interoperability will improve

Two long-standing issues with smart locks have been short battery life and interoperability with different smart home platforms. By the end of 2025, I predict that most smart locks will be compatible with any smart home platform and offer at least a year of battery life. This is a significant improvement over the current three to six months, which can be frustrating, and limited support for Apple Home.

The solution to these issues lies in Matter-over-Thread, the smart home standard and its connectivity protocol designed for battery-powered IoT devices like smart locks. Matter will enable your smart lock to work with any smart home platform you choose, while Thread will help it consume less power than Wi-Fi-based locks. I’ve tested several Thread smart locks, including the Aqara U300 and the Yale Assure SL, and the battery life has been impressive.

While Matter has had a slow start in smart locks (in part due to some problems with platform support), we’re starting to see more Matter-over-Thread locks arrive. Within the next year, I’d expect it to become the norm, especially as locks adopt Aliro, which will likely require more power. Smart locks can and will support both Matter and Aliro.

If you’re considering adding smart features to your front door, 2025 is shaping up to be an excellent year to do so.