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<\/p>\n","post_title":"My Dream Desk Setup (2026 Edition)","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"my-dream-desk-setup-2026-edition","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2026-05-25 21:03:59","post_modified_gmt":"2026-05-26 04:03:59","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/www.derekseaman.com\/?p=19395","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},{"ID":23045,"post_author":"2","post_date":"2026-05-16 17:11:23","post_date_gmt":"2026-05-17 00:11:23","post_content":"

In early 2026 Aqara introduced the U400 smart lock. It was the first smart lock to support UWB (Ultra-Wideband) technology. The day it was released I jumped on the opportunity to get my hands one and placed an order. Over the past few months I've been using it daily, and I'm excited to share my experience.<\/p>\n

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Aqara U400 Smart Lock (Deluxe Version)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My Smart Lock Journey<\/h2>\n

In mid-2024 I purchased the Aqara U200 smart lock from their Kickstarter campaign. One of the big selling points was that it was one of the first smart locks to support Matter over Thread along with Apple HomeKey. When paired with my iPhone and Apple watch I could unlock my front door with a tap of my wrist or phone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Apple HomeKey was a game changer, and worked flawlessly for me. The Aqara U200 was also a retrofit lock, meaning the exterior of the lock was the same as my existing lock. However, the interior side was a bit bulky and mostly plastic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Since the Aqara U200 is a retrofit lock, it's great for renters or anyone that can't replace their exterior lock. The interior is a bit bulky, but battery life was excellent and it was extremely reliable. I was very happy with my purchase. But what if locking my front door could be even easier? Yes, first world problems.<\/p>\n

What is UWB and Aliro?<\/h2>\n

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a short-range radio technology that transmits data using extremely short pulses spread across a wide slice of the radio spectrum. Unlike Bluetooth, which simply checks whether your phone is \"close enough\" to trigger an action, UWB can measure the precise distance between two devices down to a few centimeters \u2014 in three dimensions. That means the lock doesn't just know you're nearby<\/em> \u2014 it knows where you are, how far away you are, and what angle you're approaching from.<\/p>\n

That last part matters more than it might seem. Bluetooth-based auto-unlock relies on signal strength (RSSI), which is notoriously noisy \u2014 walls, your body, and nearby wireless devices can all distort the reading. Because UWB tracks your angle of approach (AoA), speed, and precise distance in real time, the Aqara U400 can wait until you're actually walking toward<\/em> the door (from only the outside) before acting \u2014 which means far fewer ghost unlocks and a much more satisfying \"it just works\" experience.<\/p>\n

Until the emergence of Aliro, UWB smart locks were limited to the Apple ecosystem. The CSA (Connectivity Standards Alliance<\/a>) recognized this problem and wanted to develop an open standard for authenticating to access control devices like locks. Aliro<\/a> promises cross-platform compatibility to include Apple, Google and Samsung devices. Aliro supports NFC, Bluetooth LE, and UWB protocols for authentication.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aliro is also more secure than other methods, as it uses modern cryptographic standards and your phone or watch store the private key which never leaves your devices. Even if someone intercepted the Alira communications, they would not be able to grab a valid key to unlock your device. The system works completely offline, so no network connection is used.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On February 26, 2026 the Aliro standard v1.0 was released. Aliro is not just limited to residential smart locks. It was designed to also support commercial uses as well.\u00a0In April 2026 the Aqara U400 was the first smart lock to pass the Aliro 1.0 certification process. You can check out the official documentation here<\/a>. At the time of this writing, the only other lock to pass the Aliro certification process is the ULTRALOQ Bolt Mission.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Aqara U400 supported UWB with Apple HomeKey from launch, so the Aliro certification didn't make any difference for me. However, for anyone using Android it's a big deal. Is UWB really all that's its cracked up to be? We'll find out.<\/p>\n

Aqara U400 Features<\/h2>\n

The Aqara U400 supports Matter over Thread connectivity to your favorite smart home hub. This design enables compatibility with Apple Home, Google Home, SmartThings, Home Assistant and more. Thread is very low power, so this helps extend battery life. Thread, IMHO, is much preferable to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth for battery powered devices like smart locks. However, you will need a Thread border router.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Aqara U400 Smart Lock (Standard model)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Aqara U400 has a full complement methods to unlock your door. These include:<\/p>\n