Yale Assure Lock 2 with fingerprint and Home Keys

[ashwinmj]

It looks like Yale is launching two new variants of the Yale Assure Lock 2 - one with fingerprint and one with Apple Home Keys support.
 

Does anyone know if these new variants would work with the C4 zigbee module AYR202-ZB-C4? I saw on another thread that it works with the standard Assure Lock 2, but I’m wondering if it would with the 2 new variants as well. 

 

Yale customer care also told me that any Assure Lock 2 won’t work outside of the US and Canada, as only the Yale Home app is supported in other parts of the world (as opposed to the Yale Access app in US and Canada). Does anyone have any experience using the Assure Lock 2 outside of US and Canada? 
 

Thanks! 

[Dueport]

On 9/22/2023 at 5:51 PM, ashwinmj said:

It looks like Yale is launching two new variants of the Yale Assure Lock 2 - one with fingerprint and one with Apple Home Keys support.
 

Does anyone know if these new variants would work with the C4 zigbee module AYR202-ZB-C4? I saw on another thread that it works with the standard Assure Lock 2, but I’m wondering if it would with the 2 new variants as well. 

 

Yale customer care also told me that any Assure Lock 2 won’t work outside of the US and Canada, as only the Yale Home app is supported in other parts of the world (as opposed to the Yale Access app in US and Canada). Does anyone have any experience using the Assure Lock 2 outside of US and Canada? 
 

Thanks! 

Very interesting I hadn’t heard about these and can’t seem to find anything on it. Are you able to share a link to them? Interested in learning more sound like great options. No way of knowing for sure but would think if it supports the modules like the other assure lock 2s then they might just work. 

[ashwinmj]

Yes, they support the modules just like the standard Assure Lock 2 - these are just variants of the Assure Lock 2. The fingerprint version is called Assure Lock 2 Touch and the Apple Home Keys version is called Assure Lock 2 Plus. 

Similar to the standard Assure Lock 2, they sell them as either Bluetooth only without a module bundled or as the wifi version with the Wi-Fi module bundled. The pre bundled z-wave options don’t seem to be announced yet. 

I talked to Yale and they said these will be available to buy from the 27th of this month. They also said the Apple Home Keys version is going to be a key free variant only. 

Here are the links from the Yale site:

Fingerprint, bluetooth only, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch-key-free?_pos=8&_sid=868e5f8cb&_ss=r 

Fingerprint, Wi-Fi, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch-key-free-with-wi-fi?variant=41587613368452 

Fingerprint, Bluetooth only, with key https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch?variant=41587625656452

Fingerprint, Wi-Fi, with key https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch-with-wi-fi?variant=41587625754756

Apple Home Keys, bluetooth only, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-plus-with-apple-home-keys?variant=41587602653316

Apple Home Keys, Wi-Fi, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-plus-with-wi-fi-and-apple-home-keys?variant=41587602358404

Here are the links from Amazon:

Fingerprint, Bluetooth only https://www.amazon.com/Yale-Assure-Lock-Touch-Black/dp/B0CBN9RYHJ?th=1&psc=1

Fingerprint, Wi-Fi, with key https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6554594.p?skuId=6554594

Apple Home Keys, Bluetooth only https://www.amazon.com/Yale-Assure-Lock-Plus-Apple/dp/B0CBNC61TM

Apple Home Keys, Wi-Fi https://www.amazon.com/Yale-Assure-Lock-Plus-Wi-Fi/dp/B0CBN988QK

The only one in stock now seems to be the fingerprint, Wi-Fi, with key at Best Buy. 
 

@Dueport what do you think about the compatibility of these with the C4 zigbee module? 

[AshMania]

Funny, I was just looking into this last week - thanks for providing the links as I only found the BestBuy link.

@ashwinmj - AFAIK, the fingerprint / bluetooth versions will work with Apple HomeKit, just not Apple Home Keys and the - is that correct?

And isn't Bluetooth in all versions of the lock, even if it isn't explicitly advertised?

 

And, what is the general consensus in terms of security / convenience of fingerprint vs Apple Home Keys.  My instinct says fingerprint is safer, requires no hardware to be on you - but in my experience, its not 100% reliable on locks (especially those exposed to the elements outdoor).

[ashwinmj]

2 hours ago, AshMania said:

AFAIK, the fingerprint / bluetooth versions will work with Apple HomeKit, just not Apple Home Keys and the - is that correct?

From what I’ve understood, yes all versions support Apple HomeKit, but only the Plus variant supports Apple Home Keys as well. 
 

2 hours ago, AshMania said:

And isn't Bluetooth in all versions of the lock, even if it isn't explicitly advertised?

Yeah, seems like all Assure Lock 2 models have Bluetooth built in. It also seems like you can get the Wi-Fi access either by using the Wi-Fi module or the Wi-Fi bridge. I wonder if this allows the usage of the C4 Zigbee module and the Wi-Fi bridge at the same time. Seems like the best of both worlds. 
 

2 hours ago, AshMania said:

And, what is the general consensus in terms of security / convenience of fingerprint vs Apple Home Keys.

I agree that fingerprint is the safest - no one can “steal” it. But with Apple Home Keys, my understanding is that there’s an express mode that can be disabled or enabled - if it’s enabled Face ID also needs to be authenticated first to use the Home Key. I guess if someone could get past that, they could do a lot more damage with the phone. 

[msgreenf]

36 minutes ago, ashwinmj said:

fingerprint is the safest - no one can “steal” it.

Clearly you don't understand the threat model of fingerprints if you believe that 

[ashwinmj]

7 minutes ago, msgreenf said:

Clearly you don't understand the threat model of fingerprints if you believe that 

I don’t know about this. Would be awesome if you can elaborate on this a bit more. 

[msgreenf]

3 hours ago, ashwinmj said:

I don’t know about this. Would be awesome if you can elaborate on this a bit more. 

Just read anything about finger prints…they are no more secure then a key and they can be replicated

[Dueport]

13 hours ago, ashwinmj said:

Yes, they support the modules just like the standard Assure Lock 2 - these are just variants of the Assure Lock 2. The fingerprint version is called Assure Lock 2 Touch and the Apple Home Keys version is called Assure Lock 2 Plus. 

Similar to the standard Assure Lock 2, they sell them as either Bluetooth only without a module bundled or as the wifi version with the Wi-Fi module bundled. The pre bundled z-wave options don’t seem to be announced yet. 

I talked to Yale and they said these will be available to buy from the 27th of this month. They also said the Apple Home Keys version is going to be a key free variant only. 

Here are the links from the Yale site:

Fingerprint, bluetooth only, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch-key-free?_pos=8&_sid=868e5f8cb&_ss=r 

Fingerprint, Wi-Fi, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch-key-free-with-wi-fi?variant=41587613368452 

Fingerprint, Bluetooth only, with key https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch?variant=41587625656452

Fingerprint, Wi-Fi, with key https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-touch-with-wi-fi?variant=41587625754756

Apple Home Keys, bluetooth only, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-plus-with-apple-home-keys?variant=41587602653316

Apple Home Keys, Wi-Fi, key free https://shopyalehome.com/products/yale-assure-lock-2-plus-with-wi-fi-and-apple-home-keys?variant=41587602358404

Here are the links from Amazon:

Fingerprint, Bluetooth only https://www.amazon.com/Yale-Assure-Lock-Touch-Black/dp/B0CBN9RYHJ?th=1&psc=1

Fingerprint, Wi-Fi, with key https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6554594.p?skuId=6554594

Apple Home Keys, Bluetooth only https://www.amazon.com/Yale-Assure-Lock-Plus-Apple/dp/B0CBNC61TM

Apple Home Keys, Wi-Fi https://www.amazon.com/Yale-Assure-Lock-Plus-Wi-Fi/dp/B0CBN988QK

The only one in stock now seems to be the fingerprint, Wi-Fi, with key at Best Buy. 
 

@Dueport what do you think about the compatibility of these with the C4 zigbee module? 

Wow these look great - I'm going to be in the market for a new lock soon so I'll probably try the Apple Home Keys version with the C4 module at some point. I'm only guessing of course but I think there's a good chance the C4 module will work with these if we know they work with the other Assure Lock 2s and these are variations of those. Of course we won't know until we try them but here's hoping. Appreciate you flagging these new versions and sending the links!

[ashwinmj]

I’ve pre ordered the Apple Home Keys version. I’ll know soon if it works with the C4 Zigbee module.

I wish they had a variant with both Apple Home Keys and fingerprint. 

[Dueport]

On 9/24/2023 at 10:45 PM, ashwinmj said:

I’ve pre ordered the Apple Home Keys version. I’ll know soon if it works with the C4 Zigbee module.

I wish they had a variant with both Apple Home Keys and fingerprint. 

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/27/23891513/yale-assure-lock-2-touch-fingerprint-plus-homekey

The Verge article says the Apple Home Keys version won't initially support the wave module which makes me wonder if the lock's firmware will need to be updated to support that - and possibly also the C4 module. Hopefully that's not the case - look forward to hearing how your testing goes @ashwinmj!

[ashwinmj]

22 minutes ago, Dueport said:

The Verge article says the Apple Home Keys version won't initially support the wave module which makes me wonder if the lock's firmware will need to be updated to support that - and possibly also the C4 module. Hopefully that's not the case - look forward to hearing how your testing goes @ashwinmj!

I came across this as well in the article about an hour ago. What I understood from my read of it is that the fingerprint version won't support the z-wave module for now, but it will in the future ("Z-Wave module compatibility is coming soon"). And the Apple Home Keys version won't support the z-wave module at all ("won’t work with the Z-Wave module"). I also assume that if z-wave won't work then zigbee won't.

I was thinking of canceling my order when I read this. 

Is there anyone in the US who's planning to test this out? I live outside of the US, so it would be a hassle to return it if it doesn't work. 

[lippavisual]

If wifi is built-in to the lock, then you can use the IP driver for C4 control.  I use it at my own home for the original Assure 2.

[Ryanjackson]

There is a wifi yale assure 2 driver? Where is it at!? thanks!

 

[msgreenf]

On 9/24/2023 at 11:54 AM, ashwinmj said:

 

Use August connect driver 

[ashwinmj]

1 hour ago, msgreenf said:

Use August connect driver 

I used that for a while with my Assure Lock 1st gen. It was very unreliable for me - the status of the lock would often mismatch in C4 and commands from C4 would often not lead to a physical action on the lock. I worked with Cinegration as well to debug these issues, and one of their driver updates about a year ago was based on their fixes for this. The update reduced the frequency of the problems, but didn’t fix it completely. 

Has your experience been good with the driver?

[msgreenf]

26 minutes ago, ashwinmj said:

I used that for a while with my Assure Lock 1st gen. It was very unreliable for me - the status of the lock would often mismatch in C4 and commands from C4 would often not lead to a physical action on the lock. I worked with Cinegration as well to debug these issues, and one of their driver updates about a year ago was based on their fixes for this. The update reduced the frequency of the problems, but didn’t fix it completely. 

Has your experience been good with the driver?

I had poor experience like , 3+ year ago but moved away from August for native ZigBee integration 

[Dueport]

20 hours ago, ashwinmj said:

I came across this as well in the article about an hour ago. What I understood from my read of it is that the fingerprint version won't support the z-wave module for now, but it will in the future ("Z-Wave module compatibility is coming soon"). And the Apple Home Keys version won't support the z-wave module at all ("won’t work with the Z-Wave module"). I also assume that if z-wave won't work then zigbee won't.

I was thinking of canceling my order when I read this. 

Is there anyone in the US who's planning to test this out? I live outside of the US, so it would be a hassle to return it if it doesn't work. 

We're in the US and I do plan on purchasing one in the next few months and will update then if someone hasn't tried it sooner than that. Sounds like it could go either way....

[macosr]

My lock came in today but I’m waiting on the control4 module to come in. The look works great with home kit. I’m wondering if the C4 driver works over Wi-Fi…I may get the Wi-Fi card for now. 

[msgreenf]

51 minutes ago, macosr said:

My lock came in today but I’m waiting on the control4 module to come in. The look works great with home kit. I’m wondering if the C4 driver works over Wi-Fi…I may get the Wi-Fi card for now. 

If you are using WiFi use the august connector driver 

[macosr]

11 hours ago, msgreenf said:

If you are using WiFi use the august connector driver 

I’ll try that…I ordered a wifi module for the lock and a few more locks since this one works so well. I got them all with wifi for now.

[macosr]

So I installed the wifi module in the lock and also got the August driver and bridge setup in C4 and it works great. I'll be curious to see how the Zigbee module works, and if it is actually supported yet or not, once I receive it.

Using the WiFi module the lock responds within two seconds and reports back in the mobile C4 app within less than a second that the lock state has changed. So, overall, from the time I press lock/unlock in the mobile C4 app the lock is locked and the status within the app changes in two to three seconds which is not bad.

I will post back if I experience any issues. 

I will also add that it is nice being able to just use the iPhone and Apple Home Keys to control the lock itself.

[Dueport]

7 hours ago, macosr said:

So I installed the wifi module in the lock and also got the August driver and bridge setup in C4 and it works great. I'll be curious to see how the Zigbee module works, and if it is actually supported yet or not, once I receive it.

Using the WiFi module the lock responds within two seconds and reports back in the mobile C4 app within less than a second that the lock state has changed. So, overall, from the time I press lock/unlock in the mobile C4 app the lock is locked and the status within the app changes in two to three seconds which is not bad.

I will post back if I experience any issues. 

I will also add that it is nice being able to just use the iPhone and Apple Home Keys to control the lock itself.

This is great news! Thank you for sharing! Looking forward to hearing how your testing with the C4 module goes when you can try that too

[ashwinmj]

I have good news! The Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus (with Apple Home Keys) works with the C4 ZigBee module!

I was using the module in my older Assure Lock gen 1. I swapped out the module to the new lock and registered the module in the Yale app, and it all worked immediately. Nothing had to be done in C4. 

I haven't tried it in the model with fingerprint, but I assume it would be the same since the Verge article made it seem like the fingerprint version has wider module support than the Home Keys model. 

 

[macosr]

15 minutes ago, ashwinmj said:

I have good news! The Yale Assure Lock 2 Plus (with Apple Home Keys) works with the C4 ZigBee module!

I was using the module in my older Assure Lock gen 1. I swapped out the module to the new lock and registered the module in the Yale app, and it all worked immediately. Nothing had to be done in C4. 

I haven't tried it in the model with fingerprint, but I assume it would be the same since the Verge article made it seem like the fingerprint version has wider module support than the Home Keys model. 

 

I would be curious what the response time is from the time you do an action within the C4 app vs when it is executed and reported back vs wifi. I’m actually quite happy with how the wifi integration with C4 is working so it might be helpful for others if a pro/con list is done.

I do have 3 more Yale locks coming in, all with the wifi modules that I plan on installing in the next few days. So far I’m beyond impressed with the Yale Assure 2 Plus lock with the Apple Home Keys.