Article

Smart Lock Protocols Compared

Updated October 11, 2026

The five radios in your door

• Wi-Fi — remote access with no hub, but the hungriest radio. Expect the shortest battery life. Check it with the battery estimator.
• Bluetooth — phone-nearby unlocking, lowest power draw. No remote access without a bridge or module.
• Z-Wave / Zigbee — hub-required mesh protocols. Excellent range through walls, modest power, but you buy and maintain the hub.
• Matter over Thread — the new standard (Halo Select, Yale Matter). Needs a Thread border router (Apple TV, Nest Hub, Echo). Check router placement with the signal checker.

Pick by your house, not the box

Already have a hub

Z-Wave or Zigbee locks (914, 916, BE469) join the mesh you own. Verify hub-to-door distance first.

Apple or Google household

Matter locks ride your existing border routers. One router per floor is the practical minimum.

No hub, want remote access

Wi-Fi locks (Encode, Assure 2 Wi-Fi, Halo) work standalone — budget for batteries with the yearly cost estimator.

Related

Match the protocol to a model in the model lookup, then read the fit walkthrough.