Defiant Smart Wi

Jul 24, 2023

The Defiant Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt ($99.88) is The Home Depot's first foray into the smart lock arena. This affordable and stylish deadbolt, which relies on a smart plug hub for Wi-Fi access, lets you lock or unlock your door via a keypad, a traditional keyway, your phone, or your voice. It's simple to install and manage via the Hubspace companion app, too. That said, it can't connect with other many smart home devices and doesn't ship with the batteries it needs to run. As such, we more highly recommend the Bosma Aegis Smart Lock ($119.99 plus $29.99 for a fingerprint-scanning keypad), which offers IFTTT support for much greater third-party compatibility.

The Defiant Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt is a complete lock assembly that's available in either a squared-off or rounded design with an Aged Bronze, Matte Black, or Satin Nickel finish. The box includes an exterior escutcheon, an interior escutcheon, a deadbolt latch and strike hardware, a mounting plate and mounting screws, a pair of keys, and an installation guide. You also get a Defiant smart plug that serves as a Wi-Fi gateway for the lock. You need this plug to control the lock remotely and for Alexa and Google voice commands, but, without it, you can still install and use the lock with your phone over a Bluetooth connection.

The exterior escutcheon features a durable zinc alloy material and measures 4.9 by 2.5 by 0.6 inches (HWD). It contains a 12-button backlit touch keypad (0-9, Lock, and Clear), a status LED, and a round keyway cylinder. The interior escutcheon, which uses the same material, has a plastic battery cover and a thumb-turn knob. The lock runs on four AA batteries, but the package doesn't include them. Inside the battery compartment, there's a Set button that you can use to reset the device to factory settings and a QR code that you need for the setup process.

The included hub is a smart plug that measures 1.4 by 2.6 by 1.2 inches (HWD). It has a three-prong receptacle on the front, a three-prong plug on the back, and a power button on the right. It looks similar to the Defiant Smart Hubspace Wi-Fi Bluetooth Plug and is about the same size (that one comes in at 1.5 by 2.7 by 1.2 inches), but there are some differences between them. For instance, the one that comes with the deadbolt has a 10-amp rating (compared with 15 amps).

As mentioned, you can lock and unlock this deadbolt via the keypad, physical keys, the mobile app, or with Alexa and Google voice commands. Alexa support opens the possibility of connecting with other devices via Alexa routines, but the lack of compatibility with Apple HomeKit or IFTTT severely limits third-party options.

In terms of features, you can set up an Auto-Lock option in the companion app that engages the deadbolt after a set period, but this won't work automatically based on your location, something the Yale Assure 2 ($159.99) offers. Moreover, you can assign PINs for only up to 10 users and there's no way to create access schedules. For comparison, you can set up access to the Wyze Lock Bolt ($69.99) for up to 50 users.

This lock uses the same Hubspace mobile app (available for Android and iOS) as other Defiant smart home devices. It appears in a dedicated panel on the main screen, along with the included smart plug gateway. The lock panel shows its name and battery level, as well as a button for quickly locking and unlocking it.

Tap the panel to see a larger button with the same lock and unlock controls, a battery meter, and a text entry of the latest lock activity. Below that are toggles for the Auto-Lock feature and Vacation mode (which disables all user PINs except for the Admin PIN that you, the lock owner, use).

At the very bottom of this screen are Activity, PIN Management, and Settings buttons. Tap the Activity icon to view a history of lock and unlock events. Choose the PIN Management option to create or change your Admin PIN, enable the Keypad Lockout feature (which disables it after four unsuccessful attempts), and create guest PINs. As mentioned, you can set the latter up for a maximum of 10 users and your only choices are for unlimited or one-time access. That means you can't create temporary pins for specific times of the day or events. Once you create a PIN, the name of that access code entry shows up in this area, along with an option to quickly enable or disable it.

Finally, select the Settings button to toggle the keypad sounds, configure the Auto-Lock delay time, verify the lock functionality, configure Wi-Fi settings, and choose a lock button style (round button or slider).

The Defiant Smart Lock was simple to install in testing, but if you plan to use it on a door that lacks predrilled mounting holes, you have to pick up a hole saw kit and drill them yourself.

I started by removing my old lock and installing the deadbolt latch and strike hardware. Next, I attached the exterior escutcheon to the interior mounting plate using the included bolts and connected the data cable to the interior escutcheon. After securing the interior escutcheon to the mounting plate, I installed four AA batteries (not included) and moved on to the app pairing process.

In the app, I tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the main screen. Then, I selected Add Product and used my phone's camera to scan the QR code on the interior escutcheon. At this point, the lock showed up in both the app and on my Alexa device list. I gave the lock a name and a location before running a quick test to make sure it was working properly.

To configure the lock for Wi-Fi access, I confirmed an app prompt to add the Wi-Fi gateway and used my phone again to scan the QR code on the smart plug. Once the plug showed up in the app and on my Alexa device list, I plugged it into an outlet, specified a name and a location, and provided my Wi-Fi network credentials. I simply had to tap the connect option to complete this installation.

The Defiant lock worked well in testing. The keypad is sufficiently bright, while both app and voice commands to engage and disengage the lock worked immediately. The Auto-Lock feature functioned reliably too, as did an Alexa routine I set up for a Wyze Bulb to turn on when someone unlocks the deadbolt. Finally, the motor feels smooth and sounds relatively quiet.

We like the Defiant Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt's attractive metal-alloy build as well as the many unlock options it offers. It's also relatively affordable. Still, it lacks a few expected features such as scheduled guest access, a location-based auto-unlocking option, and IFTTT support. For those reasons, we prefer the Bosma Aegis Smart Lock, which offers IFTTT compatibility in an equally slick design, though you do have to pay extra for a keypad accessory. If money is no issue, meanwhile, the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi ($249) is our top pick overall because of its built-in Wi-Fi, strong third-party device support, and comprehensive access scheduling.

The affordable Defiant Smart Wi-Fi Deadbolt is easy to install and supports multiple unlock methods, but don't expect it to interact with many of the other smart devices in your home.

Sign up for Lab Report to get the latest reviews and top product advice delivered right to your inbox.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!