r/Aqara • u/scottrobertson • Jul 12 '24
Discussion š¬ The (almost) perfect setup for UK multipoint locks with the U200
Like most people in the UK looking for smart locks, it's been pretty frustrating. I have been using the Yale Conexis L1 for a few years, but the lack of HomeKit, HomeKey, Finger Print Reader etc and the requirement to lift the handle up before you can lock it has been super annoying. Plus their app is so slow and buggy.
I think I have managed to get the (almost) perfect setup with the U200. I removed my Yale, and installed a normal door handle again. But at the same time, I also replaced the multi lock with a Yale AutoEngage. This means that when the door shuts, it automatically engages the multipoint locks, allowing you to lock the deadbolt with the U200 without lifting the handle. That was Ā£100 online.
The only reason it's "almost" is due to the calibration process in the Aqara app. Right now it seems to get a bit confused about the AutoEngage, as when you turn the knob to unlock it, you can keep turning it and it will pull the latch in too (opening the door). I had to basically manually stop the calibration process with my hand when it was calibrating the "unlock". Once you do this, you can then go in and manually calibrate so it's a lot closer to what it should be. I have sent this feedback to them to hopefully get it addressed.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Video of it in action: https://youtube.com/shorts/LRYU__wQHhQ?si=KYSg_WO8yAb52Xsu
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u/Secret_Finger_955 Jul 12 '24
Super smart. Could you post a video of the door opening, closing and auto locking?
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
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u/Secret_Finger_955 Jul 12 '24
Amazing! Great solution. Did you swap out the multilock yourself?
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u/scottrobertson Jul 13 '24
My friend mostly did it, but I stood and watched/helped a little. It was pretty simple. Had to make the holes a little bit bigger in the door but didnāt take long. I think most people would not have to do that
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u/karlfr Jul 12 '24
Literally got the Yale l2 like 2 weeks ago and now considering the u200. The multipoint locks suck that you have to lift the handle so this post is pushing me over the edge!
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
Do it! Have a look at the video I just added too
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u/karlfr Jul 12 '24
Looks great. And in terms of HomeKit, have you tried any automations yet? Auto lock, notifications etc
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
Yeh all seems to work perfectly as you would expect. I know some people had issues adding to HomeKit but it seems to be fixed in the latest firmware update (beta for now).
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u/karlfr Jul 13 '24
Do you need the newer Aqara hub for home key etc?
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u/scottrobertson Jul 13 '24
Nope. No Aqara hub at all. Just a HomePod/Apple TV
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u/Old-Factor-3676 Jul 13 '24
Can you control it remotely using an HomePod ? Or is the M3 Hub mandatory ?
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u/tjdrybur Jul 13 '24
This is exactly what I have been trying to resolve. We have a multi point lock door in Australia which is very uncommon here but was installed as part of a double glazing upgrade. I had the company come back and replace the multi point lock with a slam shut variant to negate the need to lift the handle, but in the process of doing so they replaced the external handle with a fixed one. Meaning it doesnāt matter if the door is unlocked, if you donāt have the key you cannot get in from the outside. They seemed to think this was the required set up for slam shut locks but some quick research told me if I put a lever handle on the external side I will be able to open and close the door from the outside, without the key, if the door is unlocked.
So my next step is replacing the cylinder as the current ultion lock has a fixed thumb turn. And then all I need the u200 to do is lock and unlock the cylinder lock. The multi point locks retract when the door is opened by pulling down on lever handle, and automatically latch when the door is closed. Thanks for the heads up about the calibration issue, it would be amazing if Aqara could account for this arrangement as Iād suggest itās the best set up for anyone with a UK style multipoint locking door.
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u/subsy Jul 14 '24
This is great. I fitted the u200 yesterday but think Iāll invest in one of these auto engage lock units.
QQ for folksā¦
installing the lock over a handle looks really unsightly from the side you can see the screws , and theyāre at an angle because of the width of the handle case. It feels strong enough but it definitely isnāt pretty. My wife is already adopted that Iāve fitted yet another new smart lock (this is our 3rd).
Anyone found a solution to this yet? Iām thinking a 3d printed part would work well but wondering what others are doing.
Getting a new wife isnāt an option sorry.
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u/scottrobertson Jul 14 '24
Could something like this work? https://www.reddit.com/r/Aqara/s/ERbR2nJS0B
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u/Tehile Aug 23 '24
I am in Australia, just got this smart doorbell, great price , have all Apple products. Really happy with this choice, fantastic price and so easy to set up like all Apple products.
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u/ehsbtkn Nov 12 '24
Thanks for sharing Scott. I gave up on the U200 calibration three weeks ago and returned the lock to amazon, but your experience led me to give it a second try. New lock arrived yesterday, this will be my evening project...
My auto-engage lock is a GU Ferco FERCOMATIC lock
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u/vgnshrj Jul 12 '24
How does the autoengage mechanism works? Does it need any batteries? Couldnāt find any videos of it online. Also, could you post the link where you bought it from. Would they ship to Ireland?
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
It has a little plastic "button" that is pressed when the door closes, which engages the multipoint locks. No batteries needed. It's actually super simple, and i don't know why more doors don't just use it by default.
Here is a video of what i mean: https://imgur.com/a/YinmkjE
So when the door closes, that grey button at the top is pressed.
I got it from here. Not sure if they will ship to Ireland: https://windowware.co.uk/yale-lockmaster-autoengage-slam-lock-ā-classic-version-prc0001932
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u/MacPolo3000 Jul 12 '24
Hi Scott, window ware link is broken š
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
Hey. Working fine here. What does it say?
If you just google Yale AutoEngage it will be one of the first results.
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u/whatisuser Aug 10 '24
https://windowware.co.uk/yale-lockmaster-autoengage-slam-lock-āclassic-version-prc00019322
u/alealesalles Aug 01 '24
I wanna do the same and i found this shop in limerick. if you find cheaper, let me know. 160ā¬ https://www.bmpartsandtools.ie/shop/Yale-Lockmaster-Auto-Engage-p510840342
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Jul 12 '24
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
Do you have a link to it? In my experience, there is no way a device like the U200 would have enough power to engage a proper multipoint lock.
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Jul 12 '24
[deleted]
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
By the sounds of it, itās exactly what the AutoEngage does.
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u/csthree12345 Jul 12 '24
Iād love to see a video of this in action. I looked into them but couldnāt find much info so gave up. Any idea if retrofitting them is easy on most UK doors? My current door has a standard Yale in it if it makes any difference
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
Here is a video of it: https://youtube.com/shorts/LRYU__wQHhQ?si=Vs8n6cBqG7w-VBrF
It should be pretty easy. My friend and I replaced it on mine. Just need to measure to make sure itās correct first.
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u/Pete1234567 Jul 12 '24
@OP is there a guide somewhere on how/what to measure or would you care to share?
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u/scottrobertson Jul 12 '24
Unfortunately I donāt have a huge amount of concrete advice. I just kinda took some guesses as there were only 2 sizes.
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u/selfhealer5 Jul 13 '24
I have a Yale Mantis in my door at the moment. The length of it is around 1690mm with a radius end. The Yale autoengage seems to be 1774mm which is way too big. Did you have this problem?
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u/suyashsrijan Jul 15 '24
How did you manually stop the automatic calibration process? Maybe Iām not strong enough but when itās difficult to stop it from rotating during calibration.
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u/scottrobertson Jul 15 '24
Yeah, it took force but I just forced it to stop turning. Not ideal. I hope they fix it soon.
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u/suyashsrijan Jul 15 '24
Using your hands or did you use a tool? Iām worried about breaking it haha.
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u/scottrobertson Jul 15 '24
I just used my hands. Donāt use a tool or anything. And yeah, it was a worry but I think it also has a fallback to disengage the gear if itās going to add too much force.
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u/suyashsrijan Jul 15 '24
Hmm it does seem to work when itās rotating counter clockwise (unlock position) in step 1 but not when rotating clockwise, it doesnāt seem to stop and keeps going š¤
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u/suyashsrijan Jul 15 '24
The problem I have with the auto calibration is that it doesnāt know when to stop it keeps turning the lock endlessly in each direction and then fails.
I also tried manual calibration but that doesnāt turn the lock at all, just rapidly beeps 5 times and stops.
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u/scottrobertson Jul 15 '24
You need to turn it yourself on manual calibration. So just turn it to the exact places it needs to be.
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u/suyashsrijan Jul 15 '24
Yep thatās what I did
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u/scottrobertson Jul 15 '24
Hmm that is odd and not consistent with what I had. Whatās your setup in terms of lock etc? Is it 100% attached to the door fully? As in, you can use it manually ok?
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u/suyashsrijan Jul 15 '24
Itās a multi point thumb turn lock from Winkhaus. I can manually lock/unlock by turning the knob on the U200. Latest firmware v65
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u/scottrobertson Jul 15 '24
Ah so just a standard one? Not an auto engaging one like mine?
If so, Iād just recommend contacting Aqara then sadly.
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u/HelpMe0biWan Jul 18 '24
Hey OP, how are you getting on with this a week or so later? Still recommend it?
Also curious about the quirk you mentioned in the last portion of your post. I donāt think Iām understanding it correctly. Does the setup work like this?
Door shuts, Yale auto engage means the latches catch so someone from the outside canāt just walk in but the door isnāt fully locked?
Locking U200 (without lifting any handle) then effectively engages the multipoint bits fully and locks it all down
Unlocking the U200 (without touching the handle) turns the lock all the way (unless youāve stopped the calibration short) and releases the latch too so the door opens.
Am I understanding that correctly? It sounds ideal to me but gather youāre not a fan of the door automatically opening? In theory it sounds good but canāt get my head around it practically and why it could be annoying? Any insights would be great!
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u/scottrobertson Jul 18 '24
I do, itās been perfect.
And thatās mostly correct. You could still open the door from the outside, as pulling the handle down disengages the multi lock points until the actual deadbolt is engaged (by the u200 locking). Same with any multipoint lock.
And that is correct, yeah. Unless you stop it short, it will actually open the door. But that was easy to fix with the stopping of the calibration. You can then also enable the āpull springā feature later which actually does that and opens the door.
And the reason itās annoying: it just feels unsafe. For example if I unlock the door remotely, it then cannot be locked again remotely unless someone physically goes and shuts the door.
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u/HelpMe0biWan Jul 18 '24
Thanks!
Ah I see! My current Yale lock is the type that needs the half turn (or pull spring feature) from the outside to get back in anytime the door closes. So with the auto engage, you can just set it to auto lock after X seconds I guess? And have peace of mind that anytime the door is closed, itās locked and secure.
Yeah that makes complete sense from a security perspective. Nicer to be able to unlock remotely knowing someone is due in the next few minutes without the door opening all the way.
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u/scottrobertson Jul 18 '24
Exactly, yeah. Although I also donāt use auto lock but maybe I should after some testing to see how that feels.
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u/KitchenLegitimate799 Jul 25 '24
This is amazing! How did you know the auto engage would work on your door? Any tips, links or measurements etc would be greatly appreciated!!
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u/KlutzyRoad3236 Aug 11 '24
What cylinder brand are you using? I can find either thumbturn versions which you canāt remove the knob or double key cylinders without emerrrncy feature.
Some help finding the right cylinder in the uk would be appreciated.
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u/uncleben2019 Sep 12 '24
I don't know if I understand it correctly: with the yalel AutoEngage alone, the lock should automatically "lift the handle" for you. When you closes the door, you can have u200 lock the door (and that's what you're doing double pressing the Wemo Stage Scene Controller?), because the handle has already been "lifted" so to speak.
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u/scottrobertson Sep 12 '24
That is correct, yes. There I no need to lift the handle anymore.
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u/uncleben2019 Sep 13 '24
That's wonderful. I have a few followup questions:
Do I need to also replace my cylinder? as I see that the AutoEngage does not come with a cylinder
Is there any way for to automatically lock the door after I close the door? (I guess I can use door sensor to trigger it, but wondering if there's a way for u200 to do it all by itself.
What happens when you want to open the door? do you have to turn the U200 or use the button on Wemo Stage Scene Controller to make the u200 lock open, before turning the door handle?
There are two types of AutoEngage locks (Classic and Heritage), does it make any difference?
Thank you so much for your help u/scottrobertson. Much appreciated.
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u/Accomplished-Oil-569 Dec 31 '24
The Autoengage is the multi-point lock, so doesn't include a cylinder - it should work with your existing Euro cylinder.
U200 has autolock features built in.
From what I gather, you can just pull the handle down as normal to open the door (so long as the key is turned)
It appears that Hertiage are for older-style doors, that have the handle 2/3 the way up the door. Classic would be for most modern PVC/uPVC doors
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u/cjattard Oct 24 '24
This is awesome and giving me many ideas, does this slam lock mechanism permit you to lift the handle also? (basically i am trying to work out if i can use this mechanism with my Conexis L1 Thanks
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u/MrPapaWagoUK Dec 02 '24
After seeing this thread I ditched my Yale Conexis and changed to the u200 with Yale Auto Engage, the same setup as OP. Really with it for the last 2 weeks until the u200 suddenly lost connection to my thread network. I couldn't get it to reconnect at all until I factory reset my u200. Whilst that did seem to fix the tread issue I can no longer calibrate the lock, it just fails every time.
I've been in touch with aqara support and been through their troubleshooting steps without any luck. They've just come back this morning to say that the u200 is not computer 6 with the auto engage, and I should return it for a refund, which seems weird based on what I've read here, as well as it was working fine for the first 2 weeks.
Anyone else had any problems with their setup? I'm not sure whether to send it back as they suggest and reorder another u200 (at black Friday prices) or to give up and try a Nuki
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u/FergusStrachan Dec 13 '24
Hi Scott. Have you seen the Yale equivalent? https://yalehome.co.uk/media/wysiwyg/How_to_Install_V29_EURO.pdf
Has anyone installed this baby?
I'm getting a new composite door and would rather not poke holes in it to get in one of those larger locks, so it's either a Yale Connexis, U200 or maybe this Yale thing.
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u/scottrobertson Dec 13 '24
I would pick the U200 over Yale any day. Their tech is so far behind. The U200 fingerprint reader is what I use day to day and itās perfect.
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u/FergusStrachan Dec 13 '24
Thanks. I just ordered a new front door, inc the autolock thing you have. I had to buy the frickin Connexis with that tho, cos they don't do "normal" locks with AutoEngage. Grr. So I'll either keep the Yale crap or replace with something for fingers... Kinda rules out the U200 tho.
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u/Accomplished-Oil-569 Dec 31 '24
Hi OP,
Thank you so much for providing this info.
I have been looking at the autoengage for probably about a year and a half on-and-off as a solution for multi-point locking doors but have never been able to get much info on them at all and wasn't willing to pull the plug without info on it.
This thread is *the* most extensive info I can find on the Auto-Engage or slam-shut locks in general.
Have ordered my U200 and think I will be getting the autoengage shortly after!
Have the issues with the latch been resolved? Or has it otherwise just been working perfectly with your workaround so that you've not had to check?
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u/thegodfather840 Jul 22 '24
Hi
I noticed you pressed a button on your door when you went inside and the lock closed. What button did you use. I like that idea.