Most people go looking for smart locks and video doorbells after something goes wrong. A package disappears off the porch. A tenant moves out with the only key. A guest lands at 11pm and the host is forty minutes away with the spare. The hardware question underneath all of that is simpler than the listings suggest: the lock has to throw its deadbolt, it has to fit the door already hanging in the frame, and it has to let the right people in without a phone call.
This roundup covers six devices that solve that problem three different ways. Two are straightforward keypad deadbolts. Three fold a camera, a doorbell, and a fingerprint reader into the lock body itself. One is a standalone video doorbell for a door that already has good hardware on it. Every card sends you to the retailer instead of printing a number that will be wrong by next week.
Related: Smart Lock Installation Checklist: Fit, Pairing Order, and Deadbolt Throw
Quick answer
The Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt Lock with Century Trim, Matte Black is the strongest fit for a front door that has to hand out codes to guests, tenants, or a cleaner, because the WiFi lives inside the deadbolt and the keypad keeps working whether or not the app is cooperating. Choose the Hornbill Video Smart Lock with Camera instead when you want the camera, the doorbell, and the fingerprint reader in the same piece of hardware, and you are not willing to pay a monthly fee for the privilege.
Smart locks and doorbells worth comparing
Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt Lock with Century Trim, Matte Black
A WiFi deadbolt with Century trim in matte black. The radio lives inside the lock, so there is no separate hub to buy or pair before the door works, and the keypad handles the codes you hand to guests and tenants.
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Hornbill Video Smart Lock with Camera: 10-in-1 Ring+2K Camera+Doorbell+Fingerprint Keyless Entry Door Lock, Built-in WiFi Deadbolt(only 2.4G), Two-Way Audio/App Remote Control/PIR, No Monthly Fee
A 10-in-1 video smart lock that folds a 2K camera, a doorbell, a fingerprint reader, and a keypad into one WiFi deadbolt, with two-way audio and PIR motion sensing. Built-in WiFi on the 2.4GHz band only, and no monthly fee.
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JAIOTlink 5 in 1 Smart Lock for Front Door, Keyless Entry Deadbolt with Camera & Doorbell, WiFi Secure Electronic Lock for Home, Fingerprint, Keypad, Voice Changer, Compatible with Alexa, Black
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A 5-in-1 keyless entry deadbolt with the camera and doorbell built into the lock body, plus fingerprint and keypad entry, a voice changer, and Alexa compatibility. Finished in black.
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Smart Front Door Lock Sets: 2K HD Camera Lock with Doorbell Kits, Hornbill Fingerprint Keyless Entry Door Lock with Handles, WiFi Deadbolt (only 2.4G) for Remote Control, Auto Lock, Satin Nickel
A full front door set in satin nickel that pairs a 2K HD camera lock and doorbell kit with matching handles, fingerprint and keypad entry, remote control, and auto lock. WiFi on the 2.4GHz band only.
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Schlage Electronic Keypad Deadbolt Lock, Camelot Trim, Aged Bronze
An electronic keypad deadbolt with Camelot trim in aged bronze. The simplest thing in this roundup: codes on a keypad and a bolt that throws, with no camera and no video feed to maintain.
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aosu 5MP Ultra HD Wireless & Wired Video Doorbell Camera
A 5MP ultra HD video doorbell that installs either wired or wirelessly, for a door that already has solid lock hardware and only needs eyes on the porch.
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How these products were compared
Every device here is judged on the same five things: how the deadbolt fits an existing bore and backset, whether WiFi is built into the lock or arrives through a separate hub, what the camera and doorbell can actually see at the door, which entry methods are on the hardware (keypad, fingerprint, app, physical key), and what the device costs per door once any subscription is added to the total. Product names, images, and retailer links are matched by ASIN so that every card points to the product shown.
What this comparison is not: a bench test. The details that break a smart lock install are rarely in the spec sheet. Door thickness, backset, whether the existing bore is the standard size, whether the frame has a strike plate that lines up with a new bolt, and whether the door closes square in the jamb all decide more than the marketing copy does. Measure first, and read the pairing order before you power anything on.
How to choose the right smart lock
Start with what is already on the door. If the door has a working handle set and a deadbolt above it, you are shopping for a deadbolt, and three of the six products here are exactly that. If the handle is loose, the finish is shot, or you are outfitting a new door, the lock sets that include handles save you a second purchase and a second set of screw holes that may not line up with the first.
Then decide whether you want the camera in the lock or beside it. A lock with a built-in camera and doorbell puts one device on the door, which means one battery to watch and one app to open. A separate doorbell puts the camera at a height and angle it can aim, which usually means a better view of the porch and the walkway. Field of view beats resolution almost every time. A camera that catches the whole stoop at 2K is worth more than a sharper one that only sees the top of a hat.
The band matters more than the box admits. Most of these devices speak 2.4GHz WiFi only, and that requirement is usually buried in the fine print while the front of the box just says WiFi. If your router broadcasts 5GHz only, or your mesh system splits the bands in a way the lock cannot read, the lock will never connect and the manual will not tell you why. Check your router settings before you buy, not after.
Setup order is the other thing that costs people an evening. If a hub or bridge is part of the plan, pair the lock to the app first, then add the gateway. Do it backwards and you are looking at a factory reset, and a factory reset wipes every code you have already programmed. The install checklist linked above walks through that order step by step.
Auto-lock is the feature that earns its place in a rental. It re-locks the door after a set delay, which ends the most common call in property management: the tenant who forgot. Fingerprint entry is the feature that sells the lock and the one that ages the worst. Readers that work perfectly at month one start missing on wet or worn fingers by month seven, which is why a keypad backup is not optional on a fingerprint lock.
Finally, check what the app does after the free trial ends. Remote access, video history, and shared-user management are the usual things that get paywalled, and a lock that charges you monthly to open your own door is the worst deal in the category. Two of the camera locks here advertise no monthly fee, and that is worth more than an extra megapixel.
Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt Lock with Century Trim, Matte Black
The Encode is the pick most landlords and hosts recognize on sight, and the reason is boring in the best way: WiFi is built into the deadbolt, so there is no hub to buy, no bridge to pair, and no third device to explain to a tenant. It wears Century trim in matte black, a clean, modern look that suits most front doors without an adapter plate.
The trade-off is the price and the feature set. You are paying for the deadbolt, the build, and the app, not for a camera. There is no video, no doorbell, and no fingerprint reader on this model, so if you want to see who is at the door you are buying a separate doorbell or stepping up to one of the camera locks below. For a door that needs reliable codes and a bolt that throws every time, that is the right trade.
Alternatives to consider
The Hornbill Video Smart Lock with Camera is better suited to a front door where you want video, a doorbell, and fingerprint entry without adding a second device, since it bundles a 2K camera, two-way audio, PIR motion detection, and a keypad into one WiFi deadbolt and states plainly that there is no monthly fee. The JAIOTlink 5 in 1 Smart Lock is a stronger fit when you want the same idea in black with Alexa voice control and a voice changer for guests who would rather not announce themselves, and you want to keep the job to a single deadbolt swap.
The Smart Front Door Lock Set with 2K HD Camera covers the full-replacement case: it ships with matching handles in satin nickel, so a door that needs new hardware gets a lock, a handle, a camera, and a doorbell in one box. The Schlage Electronic Keypad Deadbolt with Camelot Trim covers the opposite end, a code-only deadbolt in aged bronze for a side door, a garage entry, or a rental where video is more trouble than it is worth. The aosu 5MP Ultra HD Video Doorbell covers the porch: if the deadbolt on your door is already good, adding a camera at the doorbell position is cheaper and simpler than replacing the lock.
Day-to-day use and maintenance
The battery is the part of a smart lock that decides whether it feels like a convenience or a chore. Camera locks draw far more power than a keypad deadbolt because the camera wakes on every approach, so expect to change or charge batteries more often on the video models. Check the level in the app monthly rather than waiting for the low-battery chirp, and keep a physical key somewhere you can reach without going through the front door.
Codes are the other maintenance item. Set a separate code for every person who needs one, delete it the day they leave, and avoid sharing a single code across a whole building. If the lock supports a privacy or anti-peeping entry, use it, because a code typed in front of a neighbor is not private. Change the master code from the factory default on day one.
Once a month, check the deadbolt throw. Close the door, lock it, and look at the bolt in the frame. If it does not extend fully into the strike plate, the door looks locked and is not. That is usually a strike plate alignment problem rather than a lock problem, and a five-minute adjustment to the plate fixes it. While you are there, wipe the keypad and the fingerprint reader with a dry cloth, because oil and grit from fingers is what wears a reader out early.
Finally, update the app and the lock firmware when an update appears, and re-check the device after a router change. A new router or a new WiFi name is the most common reason a lock that worked for a year suddenly goes offline.
Buying checklist
- Measure the door thickness, the backset, and the existing bore before you order anything.
- Choose a deadbolt, a lock set with handles, or a camera lock based on what is already on the door, not on what looks best in a photo.
- Confirm that the exact model you are buying includes the entry method you rely on, whether that is a keypad, a fingerprint reader, or a physical key.
- Check your router for a 2.4GHz band before the box arrives.
- Decide up front whether you are willing to pay a subscription, and pick hardware that does not require one for the features you actually use.
- Read the pairing order in the manual before you power the lock on.
- Verify the current retailer price, availability, and return terms, since all three move.
Final recommendation
Choose the Schlage Encode Smart WiFi Deadbolt Lock with Century Trim, Matte Black when the door needs reliable codes, a solid deadbolt, and nothing more complicated than that, which describes most rentals and most front doors. Choose the Hornbill Video Smart Lock with Camera when you want to see the porch and the person on it without adding a separate doorbell or a monthly bill. If your deadbolt is already fine, the standalone doorbell is the smaller, cheaper change, and if the door is bare, the full set with handles is the one that finishes the job in a single order.