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amazon Array By Hampton Connected Door Lock reviews
The Array By Hampton Connected Door Lock is a solidly built Wi-Fi-enabled smart lock supporting solar charging.
Hampton Products has been making weather-resistant locks for over 30 years, so it’s no surprise that the $299.99 Array By Hampton Connected Door Lock is made of brass, steel, zinc, and other materials. Other alloys look like built to Last. With built-in Wi-Fi, this lock requires no hub and can be controlled with Alexa and Google voice commands or with your phone. It can also be unlocked with a hidden keyboard or with traditional keys, and it has a unique solar charging panel.
Connect without hub and solar power
The Array By Hampton lock comes in two styles and multiple finishes. The Cooper style for sport looks modern with rounded corners and smooth edges, while the Barrington style features crown molding edges. Both are available in Polished Chrome, Satin Nickel, or Tuscan Bronze finishes.
While the August Smart Wi-Fi Lock uses most of your old hardware and only replaces the internal dongle, the Array is a complete dongle, meaning you’ll replace all your existing locking hardware have its own. It comes with external and internal components, a mounting plate, mounting screws, dowel pins, and lever assemblies. Two rechargeable lithium-polymer battery packs, a quick charge dock, a USB power adapter pair of keys lock, and detailed installation instructions.
The outer bar is plated with metal, creating a feeling of solidity and durability. It measures 5.4 x 2.7 x 0.8 inches (HWD) and has a circular notch at the bottom, just below the One-Touch lock button. The top half of the padlock has a panel that slides up to reveal a ten-button backlit keyboard with metal buttons (0-9). The front panel of the sliding panel contains a solar panel that will charge the lock’s battery when it is exposed to direct sunlight.
The interior is also metal and measures 6.8 x 2.7 x 2.0 inches (HWD). It has a thumbwheel on the bottom half, and the top has a removable panel that hides the battery and antenna for the embedded 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radio. The rechargeable battery pack can receive power with the included charging dock or with a solar panel.
You can lock and unlock the Array with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands. Still, it doesn’t work with Siri voice commands or Apple HomeKit support, nor does it work with IFTTT apps that allow it to interact with third-party smart devices.
Lock using the Array Solar mobile app for Android and iOS. The My Places screen contains buttons for all of your homes (if you have multiple) and buttons for adding new homes. Click your home button to view tables for all installed Array keys by their name and last event. Tapping the lock panel opens a screen with a large round dial with unlocked and locked icons. When you tap the dial button, the lock opens, the screen’s background turns yellow, and the status (locked or unlocked) is displayed with the current battery level. The dial will now point to the unlocked icon; tap it again to lock the padlock, which turns the background blue and turns the dial to the lock icon.
At the bottom of the lock screen are the Activity, Settings, and Keys buttons. The Activity button opens a screen showing all lock and unlock events and includes the method (user, auto, manual), date, and time. The Settings button is used to configure network settings and enable and configure the Auto-Lock feature with delay settings of 30 seconds, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. Here, you can check the battery level, change the lock name, and enable battery saver mode when the keyboard is off to extend battery life. In this mode, you can only operate the lock with traditional keys or E-Keys.
The Keys button takes you to a screen where you can generate E-Keys and E-Codes. E-Keys are sent to the user via email and allow the recipient to lock and unlock the Array using the mobile app. They can be scheduled to work all the time or only during specific hours and days. An electronic code of four to six digits is used with the keypad. You can generate a full-time code or a one-time code, or a code that expires at a certain time on a specific date.
Easy to install and operate
As with most smart locks, the Array is relatively easy to set up. Since it’s a full lock assembly, I started by removing all the components of my existing padlock and following the instructions in the Installation Guide to install the latch lock pin and lever assembly. Next, I passed the data cable through the drilled hole, attached the outer guard to the mounting plate, attached the inner guard, and used the keys to make sure the latch locked and unlocked smoothly.
With the key physically installed, I downloaded the Array Solar app, created an account, tapped Add a place on the My Places screen, created my home, and added a new home icon. Then I hit my homepage icon and was prompted to add a key. I followed the instructions to put the lock in pairing mode, which requires you to hold down the A button while inserting the battery. Then I hold down the button until the lock beeps long, go through the user guide, select my home Wi-Fi SSID, and enter my Wi-Fi password. After 20 seconds, the key was added to my network, and I gave it a name. I was then prompted to enter my first PIN, at which point the installation was complete.
The Array key works fine in the test. The electronic door latch motor is smooth and very quiet, and it responds immediately to keyboard entries and application commands. It also responds quickly to Alexa voice commands to lock and unlock the door. E-Code and E-Key schedules are always followed, and Auto-Lock works as promised.
Versatile independent, smart lock
The Array By Hampton Connected Door Lock is a solid choice if you’re looking for a well-built smart lock that you can control in multiple ways. It uses a built-in Wi-Fi radio to connect to your home network, so you can lock and unlock the door with your phone or voice, and it has a hidden keypad and a traditional one-button press. You can charge the removable battery pack using the stand or let the embedded solar panel help you. The lock worked fine in testing, but it didn’t interact with third-party smart devices like lights, doorbells, and smart plugs. For that, you’ll want to see our Editors’ Choice winner, August Wi-Fi Smart Lock. You’ll save $50 and get a key that supports Alexa, Google voice commands, and Siri, interact with other smart devices via the IFTTT applet, and work with HomeKit and other smart home automation platforms.
Advantages
The finishing quality is very good
Solar battery charger
Hidden keyboard
Supports Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands
Disadvantages
Expensive
Does not support HomeKit or IFTTT
Lack of third-party integration