Part smart lock and part video doorbell, the Gate Smart Lock ($349) not only keeps track of who is coming and going in your home, it records clips of who is at your door and lets you speak with them before unlocking it.
It even has a doorbell button.
This pricey lock connects to your home's Wi-Fi, giving you access from anywhere, and offers keyed and keyless entry, as well as scheduled guest access.
But it lacks some of the features that you get with our Editors' Choice, the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect, including the ability to work with other smart devices, geofencing, and support for Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice commands.
Design and Features
With its brushed aluminum finish, backlit circular keypad, and vented speaker grills, the Gate Smart Lock looks like a high-tech hockey puck.
The front escutcheon measures 3.5 inches in diameter and 0.9 inches in depth and has 0-9 number keys, a lock key, and a doorbell key that sends an alert to your phone when pressed.
In the center is a keyway and at the top is a 720p camera with a 150-degree field of view.
There's also a motion sensor that tells the camera to begin recording when triggered and a built-in speaker and microphone that lets you speak with visitors before unlocking the door.
An embedded Wi-Fi radio lets you connect the lock to your 2.4GHz home network, giving you access to alerts and video from anywhere.
The interior escutcheon is also brushed metal and can be turned to lock and unlock the door.
It has a removable rechargeable battery pack that is rated to last 30 to 60 days before requiring a charge.
Simply remove the battery pack from the lock and charge it for four to five hours using the included USB cable.
During this time you can still use the lock with a key and by turning the interior escutcheon to lock/unlock the door, but the keypad, camera, and audio won't work until you replace the battery pack.
The lock is designed for use on doors with a separate deadbolt and doorknob and fits doors with a thickness of 1.5 to 1.75 inches.
Included in the box are the interior and exterior escutcheons, a deadbolt assembly, a screwdriver, a USB charging cable, three keys, and a handful of rubber spacers for use with thinner doors.
There are three service plans.
The Basic plan is free and gives you real-time video streaming, two-way audio, notifications, remote lock/unlock, and administrative rights for up to four people, but you can't view or share recorded video.
The lock comes with a free 30-day trial of the Premier Service plan ($4.99/month or $49.99/year), which gives you everything from the Basic plan as well as access to five days of recorded video with sharing rights, an unlimited number of administrative users, and the ability to create scheduled guest code for up to 10 people.
The Premier Plus plan goes for $7.99/month or $79.99/year and gives you everything from the Premier plan, as well as unlimited scheduled guest code access and 30 days of video storage with sharing.
The mobile app (available for Android and iOS) is easy to use.
The Activity screen displays the name of the lock and shows the current lock status (locked, unlocked) and battery status.
Tapping the lock status icon takes you to a screen with a large icon that shows whether it's locked, but you can't actually lock or unlock the door like you can with all of the August Smart Locks, the Nest X Yale Lock, and the Poly Control Danalock V3 BTZU.
There's also a Motion status icon that says No Motion when the lock is idle and See Gate when motion is detected.
Tapping See Gate lets you view a live stream with a slider that will lock or unlock the door and buttons to initiate two-way audio or end the feed.
This is the only place in the app that you can lock and unlock the door, and it's only available when motion is detected.
Below the status icons is a list of motion and doorbell ring events with thumbnails and timestamps for each.
When you tap an event you can play the video and share it, but only if you've subscribed to one of the service plans.
Swipe to the left to delete the clip.
At the very bottom of the screen are Activity, Access, and Settings buttons.
Tap the Access button to grant permanent or temporary access to family, friends, or service workers by sending an invite and access code to their phone.
There's also an option to create a code for users who don't have a phone: simply create the code and send it by email or give it to the guest verbally.
The Settings screen is where you go to view a list of users with their access rights, enable motion and doorbell notifications, change Wi-Fi settings, and configure motion settings.
Motion settings include Off (sensor is disabled), Low (detects motion up to 5 feet), Medium (detects motion up to 15 feet), and High (detects motion up to 30 feet).
Here you can also enable Auto-Lock, which automatically locks the door after a preset period of time.
Installation and Performance
To install the Gate lock I downloaded the app and entered my mobile number to obtain a confirmation code.
I entered the code and filled out a few screens with my name, email address, and lock name.
I pressed the Begin button to pair the lock to my Wi-Fi, removed the battery tab, and followed the on-screen instructions to remove the battery pack and to press and hold the 0 button on the lock's keypad while replacing the battery.
This puts the lock in Setup Mode.
I gave the app permission to access my location and went to my phone's Wi-Fi settings to connect my phone to the lock.
Within seconds the lock began flashing and I selected my home Wi-Fi from the list and entered my password.
Ten seconds later the lock was connected and I was ready to install it on my door.
I tapped the Install tab in the app and followed the instructions to install the lock on my door.
I verified that the door was the correct thickness, removed my old lock assembly, and removed the Gate lock from its shipping block.
I installed the deadbolt, attached the front escutcheon, and aligned it with the interior escutcheon.
I attached the two pieces using the mounting screws, replaced the battery pack, and the installation was complete.
The Gate Smart Lock is easily the quietest smart lock I've reviewed, and it performed well in my tests.
The motion sensor did an excellent job of triggering a video recording, but I had to adjust the motion sensitivity to Medium to avoid triggers from passing cars—your mileage may vary.
Once motion was detected I had no trouble locking and unlocking the door, and two-way audio was loud and clean.
Daytime video was crisp, with good color tone.
But the lack of infrared LEDs rendered the camera useless at night, as video was too dark to make out who or what was at the door.
On the plus side, the lock followed my guest access schedules without issue and push alerts arrived instantly, including alerts informing me that the door was left unlocked.
Additionally, the keypad was responsive and well lit.
Conclusions
With the Gate Smart Lock, you get a connected door lock that lets you create permanent and temporary access codes for family and service workers and can be locked and unlocked using a mobile app, a backlit keypad, or a traditional key.
It's expensive, but it's the only lock we've come across that records video when it detects motion and lets you speak to whomever is at your door.
The lock performed well in our tests, responding quickly when motion was detected and delivering decent daytime video, but its night video was way too dark.
You'll also have to pay for a monthly subscription if you want to see, share, and download recorded video and create guest schedules.
We'd like to see a few common features added, including support for geofencing, on-demand locking and unlocking using the app, interoperability with other smart devices, and support for IFTTT applets and voice commands.
Our Editors' Choice for smart locks, the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect, doesn't have a camera, but it does interact with the August Doorbell Cam Pro and supports Apple HomeKit and Alexa and Google voice commands.
It also works with other smart home devices and supports IFTTT applets and geofencing, and it costs around $70 less than the Gate lock.
Cons
Expensive.
Some features require a subscription.
Doesn't interact with third-party smart devices.
Can't lock the door from within the app unless motion is detected.
No geofencing or night vision.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Gate Smart Lock is a smart Wi-Fi door lock with a built-in camera that records video when somebody approaches your door.
Part smart lock and part video doorbell, the Gate Smart Lock ($349) not only keeps track of who is coming and going in your home, it records clips of who is at your door and lets you speak with them before unlocking it.
It even has a doorbell button.
This pricey lock connects to your home's Wi-Fi, giving you access from anywhere, and offers keyed and keyless entry, as well as scheduled guest access.
But it lacks some of the features that you get with our Editors' Choice, the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect, including the ability to work with other smart devices, geofencing, and support for Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice commands.
Design and Features
With its brushed aluminum finish, backlit circular keypad, and vented speaker grills, the Gate Smart Lock looks like a high-tech hockey puck.
The front escutcheon measures 3.5 inches in diameter and 0.9 inches in depth and has 0-9 number keys, a lock key, and a doorbell key that sends an alert to your phone when pressed.
In the center is a keyway and at the top is a 720p camera with a 150-degree field of view.
There's also a motion sensor that tells the camera to begin recording when triggered and a built-in speaker and microphone that lets you speak with visitors before unlocking the door.
An embedded Wi-Fi radio lets you connect the lock to your 2.4GHz home network, giving you access to alerts and video from anywhere.
The interior escutcheon is also brushed metal and can be turned to lock and unlock the door.
It has a removable rechargeable battery pack that is rated to last 30 to 60 days before requiring a charge.
Simply remove the battery pack from the lock and charge it for four to five hours using the included USB cable.
During this time you can still use the lock with a key and by turning the interior escutcheon to lock/unlock the door, but the keypad, camera, and audio won't work until you replace the battery pack.
The lock is designed for use on doors with a separate deadbolt and doorknob and fits doors with a thickness of 1.5 to 1.75 inches.
Included in the box are the interior and exterior escutcheons, a deadbolt assembly, a screwdriver, a USB charging cable, three keys, and a handful of rubber spacers for use with thinner doors.
There are three service plans.
The Basic plan is free and gives you real-time video streaming, two-way audio, notifications, remote lock/unlock, and administrative rights for up to four people, but you can't view or share recorded video.
The lock comes with a free 30-day trial of the Premier Service plan ($4.99/month or $49.99/year), which gives you everything from the Basic plan as well as access to five days of recorded video with sharing rights, an unlimited number of administrative users, and the ability to create scheduled guest code for up to 10 people.
The Premier Plus plan goes for $7.99/month or $79.99/year and gives you everything from the Premier plan, as well as unlimited scheduled guest code access and 30 days of video storage with sharing.
The mobile app (available for Android and iOS) is easy to use.
The Activity screen displays the name of the lock and shows the current lock status (locked, unlocked) and battery status.
Tapping the lock status icon takes you to a screen with a large icon that shows whether it's locked, but you can't actually lock or unlock the door like you can with all of the August Smart Locks, the Nest X Yale Lock, and the Poly Control Danalock V3 BTZU.
There's also a Motion status icon that says No Motion when the lock is idle and See Gate when motion is detected.
Tapping See Gate lets you view a live stream with a slider that will lock or unlock the door and buttons to initiate two-way audio or end the feed.
This is the only place in the app that you can lock and unlock the door, and it's only available when motion is detected.
Below the status icons is a list of motion and doorbell ring events with thumbnails and timestamps for each.
When you tap an event you can play the video and share it, but only if you've subscribed to one of the service plans.
Swipe to the left to delete the clip.
At the very bottom of the screen are Activity, Access, and Settings buttons.
Tap the Access button to grant permanent or temporary access to family, friends, or service workers by sending an invite and access code to their phone.
There's also an option to create a code for users who don't have a phone: simply create the code and send it by email or give it to the guest verbally.
The Settings screen is where you go to view a list of users with their access rights, enable motion and doorbell notifications, change Wi-Fi settings, and configure motion settings.
Motion settings include Off (sensor is disabled), Low (detects motion up to 5 feet), Medium (detects motion up to 15 feet), and High (detects motion up to 30 feet).
Here you can also enable Auto-Lock, which automatically locks the door after a preset period of time.
Installation and Performance
To install the Gate lock I downloaded the app and entered my mobile number to obtain a confirmation code.
I entered the code and filled out a few screens with my name, email address, and lock name.
I pressed the Begin button to pair the lock to my Wi-Fi, removed the battery tab, and followed the on-screen instructions to remove the battery pack and to press and hold the 0 button on the lock's keypad while replacing the battery.
This puts the lock in Setup Mode.
I gave the app permission to access my location and went to my phone's Wi-Fi settings to connect my phone to the lock.
Within seconds the lock began flashing and I selected my home Wi-Fi from the list and entered my password.
Ten seconds later the lock was connected and I was ready to install it on my door.
I tapped the Install tab in the app and followed the instructions to install the lock on my door.
I verified that the door was the correct thickness, removed my old lock assembly, and removed the Gate lock from its shipping block.
I installed the deadbolt, attached the front escutcheon, and aligned it with the interior escutcheon.
I attached the two pieces using the mounting screws, replaced the battery pack, and the installation was complete.
The Gate Smart Lock is easily the quietest smart lock I've reviewed, and it performed well in my tests.
The motion sensor did an excellent job of triggering a video recording, but I had to adjust the motion sensitivity to Medium to avoid triggers from passing cars—your mileage may vary.
Once motion was detected I had no trouble locking and unlocking the door, and two-way audio was loud and clean.
Daytime video was crisp, with good color tone.
But the lack of infrared LEDs rendered the camera useless at night, as video was too dark to make out who or what was at the door.
On the plus side, the lock followed my guest access schedules without issue and push alerts arrived instantly, including alerts informing me that the door was left unlocked.
Additionally, the keypad was responsive and well lit.
Conclusions
With the Gate Smart Lock, you get a connected door lock that lets you create permanent and temporary access codes for family and service workers and can be locked and unlocked using a mobile app, a backlit keypad, or a traditional key.
It's expensive, but it's the only lock we've come across that records video when it detects motion and lets you speak to whomever is at your door.
The lock performed well in our tests, responding quickly when motion was detected and delivering decent daytime video, but its night video was way too dark.
You'll also have to pay for a monthly subscription if you want to see, share, and download recorded video and create guest schedules.
We'd like to see a few common features added, including support for geofencing, on-demand locking and unlocking using the app, interoperability with other smart devices, and support for IFTTT applets and voice commands.
Our Editors' Choice for smart locks, the August Smart Lock Pro + Connect, doesn't have a camera, but it does interact with the August Doorbell Cam Pro and supports Apple HomeKit and Alexa and Google voice commands.
It also works with other smart home devices and supports IFTTT applets and geofencing, and it costs around $70 less than the Gate lock.
Cons
Expensive.
Some features require a subscription.
Doesn't interact with third-party smart devices.
Can't lock the door from within the app unless motion is detected.
No geofencing or night vision.
View More
The Bottom Line
The Gate Smart Lock is a smart Wi-Fi door lock with a built-in camera that records video when somebody approaches your door.
