Just bought a Schlage Encode Plus, a Yale Assure Lock 2, and an Aqara U100 and did a full install-config-test-uninstall on each today, evaluating for best Apple Home Key experience (best == reliable & fast). TL;DR - Schlage Encode Plus (via Home app for Thread support).

@ethanschoonover I only know these US companies from watching Lockpicking Lawyer and that alone doesn't inspire much confidence :D

@ethanschoonover I installed a Yale Assure (pre-Home Key) in 2019 when I moved in, but was quite dissatisfied with the performance and wound up replacing it with the Encode Plus last year. Way better in that it’s more consistently connected, though the UX could use some improvement and there are bugs (like Home Key not working with my Apple Watch - not a dealbreaker since it’s generally more convenient to use the phone anyway, but annoying). Also I wish I could temporarily grant people Home Key access, but that is restricted to just family members. Would love to send people an Apple Wallet key that works for a given duration.

@alpha FWIW I had major homekey issues with the Schlage at first and was going to return it (which is actually why I picked up the other locks to test). My phone and watch worked but my family's homekeys would show "success" state on their phones but not actually unlock the unit. The "solution" to this was for me to uninvite them from the home one by one and reinvite.

@alpha Doesn't sound like the same issue for you though (there is a separate watch homekey setting that needs to be set to tap though I'm sure you've checked that)