Surprisingly, smart locks with facial recognition technology prove to be effective.

Hands-free unlocking is paving the way for the future of smart locks. The best smart home technology aims to eliminate hassle, and having your door unlock automatically as you approach is the ultimate convenience—no passcodes to memorize, no need to fumble with your hands to activate the lock. One effective method to achieve this seamless experience is through facial recognition. Just as you unlock your phone with your face, why not extend that capability to your home?

While geofencing has been a hands-free unlocking option for some time, it often suffers from slow response times and reliability issues, requiring an app to run in the background on your phone. Newer technologies, like facial recognition and ultrawideband (UWB) radio unlocking, offer a much-improved experience. In my tests, UWB provided the best performance, needing only your phone or watch to be on you as you approach, making it both fast and dependable. However, UWB-enabled locks tend to be pricey, and options are still limited.

During my review of the Schlage Sense Pro, I found a genuine application for facial recognition unlocking, a technology I had previously considered overly complex for a problem that was mostly resolved. My husband often leaves his phone inside when working outdoors or in the garage, which means he misses out on hands-free unlocking. If you’re in a similar situation and prefer not to rely on a device for unlocking, facial recognition could be the solution you need.

Facial recognition in smart locks utilizes infrared sensors to create a 3D map of your face. Different manufacturers employ various techniques—like structured light, stereo infrared cameras, or time-of-flight sensing—but they all aim to achieve the same goal. The 3D aspect is crucial, as it captures depth, making it difficult to fool the system with just a photo.

I tested four locks currently available with facial recognition unlocking: the $300 Eufy FamiLock E40, the $350 Lockly Visage Zeno, Lockin’s $199 Veno Solar Face, and Switchbot’s $230 Lock Vision Pro. There’s also a new option launching on Kickstarter next month, along with a couple of variations from Switchbot.

If I had to choose one facial recognition smart lock, it would be the Eufy FamiLock E40 from Anker. If I’m investing in high-tech for my door, I want the full package, and the FamiLock E40 delivers. It features excellent facial unlocking capabilities, a fingerprint reader, a keypad, a physical key, and even functions as a video doorbell. Install this on your front door, and you’re set.

Among the four locks, the E40 was the quickest to unlock using my face—taking less than a second—allowing me to open the door almost instantly. It was also the only model that consistently worked while I was wearing sunglasses. The others managed well with hats but struggled with sunglasses. Additionally, the E40 includes a backup battery that keeps the keypad functional even if the main battery dies, which is a thoughtful feature.

This lock supports the smart home standard Matter, allowing it to integrate seamlessly into your preferred ecosystem, and you can view recorded footage from the built-in 2K video doorbell without a subscription. Plus, Eufy has given this lock a stylish design, making it look more like a traditional lock compared to its competitors.

On the downside, the Eufy is quite large and pricey, and its lithium-ion battery takes nine hours to fully charge, although you can still use the lock while it charges. The main battery drains relatively quickly, losing 40 percent in just a week of testing. Overall, while it comes with a higher price tag, the Eufy E40 offers significant value, looks great, and performs well—provided you’re okay with regular charging.

For those in Apple’s ecosystem, the Lockly Visage Zeno is another excellent choice. This lock uniquely combines Apple Home Key functionality with facial recognition. Home Key serves as a handy backup when facial unlocking is a bit slow, allowing you to easily tap your phone or watch to unlock. If I’m in a rush and my hands are free, I just tap my watch; otherwise, I let the facial recognition do its job.

The Lockly was slightly slower than the Eufy, taking about two seconds to unlock. It also had issues with sunglasses; while it eventually unlocked, it took longer than expected. Being the oldest model I tested, launched in 2024, it supports Home Key but lacks UWB unlocking capabilities, only offering tap-to-unlock.

The Lockly stands out for its sleek design and compact size, boasting impressive build quality. Its battery life is remarkable, lasting around nine months (I’ve been testing this lock for a year, while the others have been tested for just over a week). It’s also the only model that comes with a spare battery, which helps offset the initial cost.

However, it is the most expensive lock I tested, and while its facial recognition is decent, the keypad can be overly complicated. Lockly’s PIN Genie system randomizes the digit layout each time you use it, which made guiding my dad through unlocking it while I was trying to relax by the pool quite frustrating. Fortunately, there’s now a version that allows you to switch to a standard keypad layout.

The other two locks I tested have significant room for improvement, but they are also more budget-friendly. The Lockin Veno Solar Face’s main selling point is its built-in solar panel for extended battery life, which performed well during my limited testing. However, its facial unlocking was slower and struggled with sunglasses. Additionally, it features an animated emoji that dances when you unlock it—something I could do without on my front door.

The SwitchBot Lock Vision Pro was the least impressive of the bunch, taking an agonizingly long time to unlock. I often had to stand in front of the reader for several seconds before it recognized me. While its fingerprint and palm-vein unlocking were more reliable, it also had issues with sunglasses and frequently misidentified people who weren’t there. One evening, while watching a show, the lock unexpectedly prompted me to “please stand closer to the door and try again,” which understandably startled me, as I thought someone was attempting to enter. I eventually had to disable the sound notifications in the app to stop the interruptions.

After testing these locks, I still believe that facial recognition may be more technology than necessary for your front door. Even if you’re not keen on paying a premium for UWB, keypads and fingerprint readers are effective, widely available, and generally more affordable. They may be a bit slower and require hands-on interaction, though.

There are trade-offs for the speed and cool factor that facial unlocking provides. While locks with this feature are not as costly as the current UWB options, they still come with a higher price tag, and the selection remains limited. I doubt we’ll see many more options emerge once UWB, a simpler technology, gains traction—something the new smart lock standard Aliro should facilitate.

These locks also have a distinctly high-tech appearance and require every household member to stand in front of the lock to register their face (I’m still trying to get one of mine to cooperate).

Lastly, not everyone may feel comfortable storing their facial biometrics in a door lock, although some might find it more secure than using a phone as a key—after all, only Nicolas Cage has successfully stolen someone’s face. The good news is that all the locks I tested claim to store and process data locally rather than in the cloud, enhancing both privacy and performance.

Facial recognition felt a bit odd at first, but it works and has that sci-fi appeal. After experiencing both technologies, I prefer UWB. The “unlocking in stride” experience feels more magical since the door is already open when I reach for the handle, rather than waiting a second or two for the lock to recognize me. However, until more manufacturers adopt UWB and prices decrease, facial recognition remains a solid option for those seeking hands-free unlocking today.