Eufy has taken the covers off of its first smart lock compatible with the Matter standard: the Eufy Smart Lock E30.
Boasting Matter-over-Thread, which – in theory, at least – should mean faster response times and improved battery life compared to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-based locks.
The E30 offers a mix of modern and traditional methods for unlocking. It features a fingerprint scanner that can recognize fingerprints in just 0.3 seconds and an accuracy rate of 98.5%, and also comes with a keypad for PIN codes and the option to use a regular key.
It’s a similar mix to what U-tec introduced earlier this year with the Ultraloq Bolt Matter Fingerprint Edition, which was the first Matter-over-Thread smart lock to feature a fingerprint reader.
The Smart Lock E30 marks Eufy’s return to Apple HomeKit compatibility after years of focusing on other ecosystems.
The bad news is that it doesn’t support Apple’s Home Key feature – boooo.
Non-Apple users can integrate the E30 with any of the other major smart home platforms including Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings.
To fully utilize the lock’s Matter-over-Thread functionality, users will need a Matter controller and a Thread border router, which can be combined in devices like Apple’s 2nd-gen HomePod or the Amazon Echo Hub, or split between products such as Amazon’s Echo and an Eero mesh router.
Thread is a low-power networking protocol, ideal for battery-powered devices like door locks – have a read on our guide to Thread in the smart home to find out more.
With the E30, Eufy claims users can expect around eight months of battery life from a set of eight AA batteries, although a future version with a rechargeable lithium battery is reportedly in development too.
While Thread-based smart locks are still relatively new to the market, the E30 joins a growing list of options that support both Thread and Matter, including models from Aqara, Nuki and U-tec.
Eufy – part of the Anker Innovations umbrella – already has a bunch of smart security cameras on the market such as the excellent Eufy Solocam S340 and the Indoor Cam S350, as well as video doorbells too, so for users already using those it makes sense to keep on-brand for a smart lock when making that upgrade as everything will live together in the Eufy Security app.
Eufy’s Smart Lock E30 is available for purchase now direct from Eufy and on Amazon.
