Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock Review (2026): The Invisible

Why you should trust this review

I bought the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock with my own money. No part of this review was arranged with Level, the brand did not provide a sample, send talking points, or see a word of this before it published. That distinction matters because a review of a product a company hands over for free tends to read like the box copy, and that is the opposite of what I am trying to do here.

What you get instead is 6 months of honest living with the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock, the parts that genuinely impressed me alongside the parts that annoyed me. I used it the way you would, not under conditions engineered to flatter it. Where it earned praise it earned it on merit, and where it fell short I say so plainly rather than burying the problem. If a cheaper option does the same job, you will read that here too.

How we evaluated

My approach was simple and practical. I put the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock into normal rotation for 6 months and used it for exactly the jobs someone buys this kind of product to do. As a smart home purchase, that meant judging it on the work that matters day to day rather than on a spec sheet alone. I watched first impressions out of the box, then tracked whether those impressions held up once the novelty wore off and it became just another thing I owned.

For reference, these are the core specifications I worked from:

• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
• Compatibility: Apple Home Key, HomeKit, Alexa, Google
• Mechanical rating: ANSI/BHMA Grade 2
• Unlock methods: App, Home Key, NFC card, physical key
• Battery: 1 CR2 lithium (included)
• Auto-lock: Configurable timer or geofence
• Warranty: 1 year electronic, 5 year mechanical

Where it helped, I leaned on direct notes against the Schlage Encode Plus, the option most people cross-shop against this one. That comparison runs through the sections below because the right buy depends as much on what else is on the table as on any single feature.

Install Ease

This is where the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock either justifies itself or does not. In practice the standout was simple: truly invisible install, the lock looks like a normal deadbolt outside. It is genuinely good without being flawless, the kind of performance that fades into the background because it just works.

Over 6 months the behavior here stayed consistent, which is more than I can say for products that feel great in week one and then disappoint. If anything, this is the area I would point a skeptical buyer toward first, because it is the easiest part of the product to verify yourself.

Apple Home Key

This is where the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock either justifies itself or does not. In practice the standout was simple: apple Home Key plus included NFC cards is the fastest unlock we compared. That held up under repeated use, and it is the single strongest reason to choose this over the alternatives.

Over 6 months the behavior here stayed consistent, which is more than I can say for products that feel great in week one and then disappoint. If anything, this is the area I would point a skeptical buyer toward first, because it is the easiest part of the product to verify yourself.

Wi-Fi and App

This is where the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock either justifies itself or does not. In practice the standout was simple: built-in Wi-Fi removes the bridge that earlier Level locks required. That held up under repeated use, and it is the single strongest reason to choose this over the alternatives.

Over 6 months the behavior here stayed consistent, which is more than I can say for products that feel great in week one and then disappoint. If anything, this is the area I would point a skeptical buyer toward first, because it is the easiest part of the product to verify yourself.

Battery Life

This is where the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock either justifies itself or does not. In practice the standout was simple: works with HomeKit, Alexa, and Google without extra modules. It is competent rather than exceptional here, good enough that I never felt shortchanged but not a reason to buy on its own.

The numbers back this up: battery is rated at 1 CR2 lithium (included), and over 6 months that figure matched what I actually experienced rather than reading like an optimistic claim. It is not perfect, though. The honest caveat is that cR2 lithium battery lasts about 4 to 6 months and is less common than AA, and you should factor that in before assuming this section is all upside.

Who should buy the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock?

Buy it if:

• Truly invisible install, the lock looks like a normal deadbolt outside
• Apple Home Key plus included NFC cards is the fastest unlock we compared
• Built-in Wi-Fi removes the bridge that earlier Level locks required

In short, the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock is the right call when the strengths above line up with how you will actually use it, and when you value getting the job done well over shaving money off a thinner alternative.

Skip it if:

• is the highest price in our smart deadbolt roundup
• CR2 lithium battery lasts about 4 to 6 months and is less common than AA
• No exterior keypad, so guests need the app, an NFC card, or a physical key

If those drawbacks describe you, the Schlage Encode Plus is the cross-shop worth a serious look before you commit, since it trades a different set of compromises that may suit you better.

The verdict

After 6 months with the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock, my view is settled. I rate it 4.7 out of 5, and that score reflects the whole picture rather than any single highlight. It earns the best Stealth Smart Lock standing in my notes because it does the core job reliably and its weaknesses are predictable rather than dealbreaking.

What I keep coming back to is that truly invisible install, the lock looks like a normal deadbolt outside, the kind of strength you feel every time you use it. The compromise I made peace with is that is the highest price in our smart deadbolt roundup. Would I buy it again with my own money? Yes, with eyes open to those trade-offs. If they sound like minor inconveniences to you, the Level Lock+ Connect Smart Lock is an easy recommendation. If they sound like dealbreakers, trust that instinct and look elsewhere, because no amount of polish elsewhere fixes a flaw that lands squarely on your priorities.