Schlage Sense Pro review: a smarter smart lock

The Schlage Sense Pro is a beautiful smart lock. Sleek, discreet, and simple to use, it’s Schlage’s smartest lock to date. Thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB), it unlocks as I walk up to my front door; I don’t need to enter a code or tap my phone or press my finger against it. I’ve tested several hands-free unlocking systems that rely on geofencing and other radio technologies, and UWB is faster and more reliable. It’s the first one I actually trust.

The $399 Sense Pro is Schlage’s first smart lock with ultra-wideband auto-unlock, its first to support Matter-over-Thread, and its first without a physical keyhole. It works with Apple Home Key for both hands-free and tap-to-unlock access with an iPhone or Apple Watch. There’s no visible hardware on the front, just a barely perceptible Schlage logo and a keypad that only appears when you tap the lock. It looks high-tech enough to be at home on the USS Enterprise without looking out of place on my front door.

These are all great upgrades if you’re comfortable with smart locks — and I am. No one in my family has carried a physical door key for nearly a decade; controlling my lock remotely and sending visitors digital keys is something I would never give up.

But for some, this lock might be a touch too smart. With no keyway and a touchscreen keypad that disappears when not in use, it isn’t immediately obvious how to use it. Others — those with household members on Android — may need to wait for it to get a little smarter. While the Pro should work with Samsung and Google devices for hands-free and tap-to-unlock later this year, thanks to Aliro (see sidebar), it only works with iPhones and Apple Watches for now.

The Sense Pro is one of only two residential deadbolts to support UWB hands-free unlocking using Apple Home Key (the other is Aqara’s U400, which I reviewed earlier this year). This is different from existing hands-free unlocking solutions, sometimes called auto-unlock. These rely on some combination of geofencing, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and an app running on your phone. I’ve tested them all, and found myself waiting at a locked door one too many times. But UWB hasn’t failed me yet.

The tech can interpret the signals from the UWB antenna in the lock and the UWB radio in your phone or watch to determine not just where you are and how close you are, but also whether you’re actually approaching the door by tracking your distance, speed, and angle of approach. Schlage calls its implementation Schlage Converge.

Hands-free unlocking is the main reason to consider buying this very expensive lock, but bear in mind that you will also need an Apple Home hub to use it with Apple Home Key. (And those just got more expensive.)

In testing, it worked quickly and smoothly in most scenarios, unlocking at the right moment, so I could simply press the handle and walk in. It never unlocked before I got there or after I had walked through the door. I don’t have to deal with a key, keypad, or other method when my hands are full. It’s also so cool having my home react to me; it feels like the future.

It never unlocked when I didn’t want it to, ignoring me while I sat on the porch, walked past the house, or moved around in the front yard. It only ever unlocked when I walked up to the door to open it, and even worked while I was on a phone call. The only times it failed to unlock immediately were when I had my phone in my back pocket or in a backpack; I had to turn slightly for it to connect.

It also unlocked if I returned quickly — whether I ran back from the car to grab something or walked back from the garage on the side of the house. But if I only walked a few steps, it wouldn’t unlock. Reassuringly, it never unlocked when I was inside the house.

Unlocking the Schlage with the other available methods — tap-to-unlock, app unlock, and keypad — was also fast and smooth in every instance. The deadbolt moved smoothly and cleanly, never getting jammed (which is unusual in my very old door). Response times were instant in all cases, and the auto-lock feature (which can be set in the Home app or the Schlage app) worked reliably. I could also lock the door manually by pressing on the LED light bar.

Having my door unlock automatically feels magical to me, but for some it sounds scary. The good news is that this new tech is designed to be secure. UWB unlocking uses a direct lock-to-phone handshake; it doesn’t use cellular data or Wi-Fi, and it works even during a power outage. A Scrambled Timestamp Sequence (STS) protects the lock from signal eavesdropping and tampering, and Schlage says the lock enforces a UWB distance check to foil attempted relay attacks, such as those seen on UWB-enabled car keys.

If the convenience of all this appeals but you’re concerned about the door unlocking too soon, Schlage offers two alternative modes to the standard unlock-on-approach: Touch, which won’t unlock until you touch the lock, and Delay, which adds a short pause before unlocking.

Another worry is that someone who has your phone can unlock your door. Using UWB unlocking in Apple Wallet does require Express Mode to be turned on, which bypasses Face ID or Touch ID — that’s why it’s hands-free. So, yes, if someone has your phone, they could open your door, just as they could with your physical key. However, Express Mode only works if your phone has been unlocked by you within the last day.

My main frustration with UWB unlocking is that you have to have your phone or watch on you. This bothered my husband the most. He does a lot of work in the garden and garage without his phone and doesn’t have an Apple Watch, so he mostly uses the keypad.

If you’re like him, a lock with fingerprint or facial recognition unlocking is a faster option than entering a code, plus you’ve always got your finger or your face on you.

If you want the best of both worlds, the Aqara U400 may be a better fit. It has a keypad and UWB hands-free unlocking with Apple Home Key, like the Schlage. But it also includes a fingerprint reader and a physical keyway. At $270, the U400 is still expensive for a smart lock, but it’s cheaper than the Schlage and also has a door sense feature that tells you if your door is open or closed, which the Sense Pro lacks.

However, the U400 is about double the size of the Sense Pro and far less elegant-looking; it uses a large rechargeable battery that requires a bulky rear housing, whereas the Pro uses four AAs. The Pro feels more premium overall, with an all-metal design; it also has a higher BHMA physical security rating. The Pro offers built-in Wi-Fi, which the Aqara lock doesn’t — you need a separate hub for out-of-home control.

I tested the Schlage and Aqara auto-unlock capabilities side by side, and their performance was largely identical (even down to the back-pocket fail), with the Pro being just a touch faster. The only time it wasn’t was when testing the claim that UWB can detect velocity and unlock faster if you approach faster. The Aqara unlocked as I got to the door, while the Schlage took a second longer.

I did struggle to set up the Sense Pro. While the physical installation was simple and connecting to the Schlage app was easy, pairing to Apple Home failed repeatedly. You can use either app to control the lock or both simultaneously, but the Apple Home app is required for hands-free unlocking.

The issue appears to have been Thread connectivity, which I eventually solved with the help of the Thread Tools app, several Thread border router reboots, and moving a Thread smart plug near the door. That feels like too much to ask just to set up a smart lock. However, once connected, it’s been rock solid and responds instantly to app control.

The Schlage Sense Pro nails UWB hands-free unlocking. It’s fast, reliable, and finally delivers what geofencing never could: a lock that knows the difference between me arriving home and me faffing about on the front porch. Its discreet design, Matter-over-Thread reliability, and Schlage’s build quality make this an excellent smart lock — if you’re an iPhone household with $400 to spend.

Everyone else should wait. Currently, the Sense Pro only works with Apple Home Key, so Android users miss out on its flagship feature. Schlage says support for Samsung and Google devices is coming later this year, through Aliro. The Aqara U400 supports tap-to-unlock on Samsung phones and is less expensive.

But the Sense Pro is the first device I’ve tested that successfully builds futuristic technology into a lock that doesn’t look like a lock at all. If you’ve been waiting for that, the Schlage Sense Pro is for you.

Photos and screenshots by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge