Yale Assure SL Smart Lock Review

The Yale Assure SL replaces your entire deadbolt, latch and all. Once you’ve swapped out your old-school deadbolt for this baby, you’ll be able to get rid of your house keys and rely on the touchscreen keypad instead. You can also set guest access codes and choose from a few different smart home modules.

Yale Assure SL features: 

• Touchscreen surface
• Keyhole-free
• BHMA Grade 2 deadbolt
• 25–250 user codes (depending on module)
• 4 AA batteries power the lock
• Battery backup option in case of dead batteries
• 12-month battery life (on average)
• Lifetime warranty on finish and mechanics
• Multiple finishes available
• Alternative lock types available (keyhole, keypad, and lever)
• Z-Wave, Zigbee, August, or HomeKit module options (choose one)

Appealing design

The Yale Assure SL is stylish. Some smart locks don’t look good on your door, even if they have great features. The Yale Assure SL gives you a smart lock that looks good and boosts your curb appeal.

Battery backup option

The only downside of getting rid of your house keys is what to do if the batteries in your Yale Assure lock run out of juice and you’re stuck outside. Sure, it would be easier to just use a regular ol’ metal key at that point, but with the Yale Lock Assure SL, you’ll use a backup battery instead.

The Yale Assure has a 9V battery terminal that you can use to power the door lock if the regular batteries die before you have a chance to change them. Just hold a 9V battery to the terminal, and you can enter your door code as normal.

Yale says the Assure SL’s battery should last “up to a year” with normal use.¹ We recommend keeping your backup battery in your car or another safe, accessible place if you know you might forget to change the Yale Assure’s batteries in time.

The Yale Assure SL costs around $220, and sometimes you can find it even cheaper. You’ll pay a lower base price for the Yale Assure SL than you would for the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock or the Schlage Encode Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt (two of our other favorite smart locks). But don’t think it’s a better deal just yet.

You’ll probably also want to buy a smart module for your Yale lock, which usually costs an additional $50–$100. And if you want to use your Yale Assure with the August app, then you’ll also need an additional bridge, which is yet another expense.

When you consider the accessories, then the Yale Assure SL is actually more expensive than options like the August Smart Wi-Fi Lock or the Schlage Encode. Those locks come with smart features built in and included, whereas the same features cost more with the Yale.

The Yale Assure requires additional “modules” before it will work with your other smart home stuff.

The modules are little devices you slide into the back of the lock. You can only add one, and they’re usually sold separately, so you have to choose which integrations are most important to you and then spend the money to buy the module that supports them.

Yale Assure SL module options: 

• Z-Wave Plus Smart Module
• Zigbee Smart Module
• iM1 Smart Module (Apple HomeKit)
• August Connect module

We recommend opting for the August Connect module. This enables your Yale Assure lock to work with the August mobile app, and you can usually get the August Connect bridge as part of the upgrade kit that includes the module. The August module is the easiest and best way to get app support for your Yale Assure SL. You can use the Yale Secure app with the HomeKit module, but the lock’s Z-Wave and Zigbee modules don’t offer app support.

The August accessories give your Yale lock more smart home integrations and features than the other modules by themselves. Just know the total cost for the lock and the August upgrade kit will be about $300.

The Yale Assure SL replaces your entire deadbolt mechanism, so it’s a little more labor-intensive than an August smart lock that modifies your existing deadbolt. But even a newbie can handle the Yale lock’s installation. You don’t even need special tools beyond a screwdriver.

Yale Assure Lock SL smart lock installation overview: 

1. Remove your existing deadbolt. All you need is a Phillips head screwdriver.
2. Fit your new latch into the doorframe. Make sure to adjust the latch to the size of your doorframe and check that the arrow is pointing up. Then screw the latch into place.
3. Hold the external keypad onto the outside of your doorframe and feed the power cable under the latch.
4. Get the interior mounting plate and feed the cable through it as you slide it on to your door. Grab the mounting plate screws and slide them through the mounting plate and into the external keypad. (You’ll do this part one-handed, so have the screws close by.) Tighten the screws with a screwdriver.
5. Hold the interior body of the lock up to the door and plug the cable into the circuit board. Attach the interior body to the mounting plate with screws.
6. Insert the network module, if you have one. Then insert the four AA batteries into the interior lock body and put on the battery cover.
7. The lock should turn on automatically now. Touch the touchscreen with three fingers to wake it up, then tap the settings icon, tap the number 1, tap the settings icon again, and then enter the PIN you want to use. Press the settings icon again when you’re done.
8. After you set your code, you can touch anywhere on the keypad to lock the door.

The Yale Assure SL has a sleek design and a bunch of different options for smart home integrations. If you want something that looks great on your door and lets you kiss your keys goodbye, then this lock is a good choice.  Just expect to pay more for accessories.

Features: The Yale Assure SL has a touchscreen-only design that lets you get rid of your door keys. It also includes standard smart lock features, like guest access codes.

Pricing: The base price for the Yale Assure SL is reasonable, but you’ll need to buy a few accessories that will jack up the price. If you want any smart home features at all, you’ll need to buy an additional module.

Home automation: The Yale Assure SL has a few different module options for smart home integrations, including Z-Wave Plug, Zigbee, and HomeKit. You can only choose one, so we recommend going with the August Connect module. You get better smart home support with that one than you do with the others.

Installation: The Yale Assure SL replaces your entire deadbolt mechanism, so installation can seem a bit tricky. But you should be able to get the lock up and running in around 30 minutes.

If you want to check out some of our other top picks for smart door locks, see our Best Smart Door Locks review.

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