Review
Smart Locks
Full Replacement
Yale Assure Lock 2 — Convenient or a Security Risk?
Yale has been making locks since 1840, and the Assure Lock 2 is the most configurable smart deadbolt on the market. Two things most reviews get wrong: it is Grade 2 rather than Grade 1, and the company they name as its parent has not owned it in North America since 2023.
By Johnny T.
·
March 2026
·
12 min read
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Researched — not tested
We don’t own this lock. Everything below is manufacturer specification, certification records, corporate filings and the public record of owner reports — tagged so you can see which is which. Where an earlier version of this page said something the record no longer supports, it is corrected and logged at the end.
The best-looking smart lock on the market, sold in more configurations than anyone else, and the configuration choice matters more than the brand does. Yale controls the whole security chain here rather than bolting a motor onto somebody else’s deadbolt, and the modular connectivity is genuinely clever — you buy the radio you need.
Two things to hold onto. It is certified Grade 2 by the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association rather than Grade 1, so it is a step below the best mechanical deadbolts on forced entry. And the company most reviews name as its parent no longer owns it where you live.
Build & physical security7
Configuration flexibility9
App & ecosystem8
Value for money8
Long-term support outlook6
How to read this page
Scores are relative to the whole deadbolt category, mechanical included — not just to other smart locks. Grade 2 against a field that contains Grade 1 mechanical locks at a third of the price is the relevant comparison.
TestedPhysically in hand. Nothing on this page carries this tag.
DocumentedPublished specification, standard, regulatory filing or security research.
ManufacturerThe maker’s own claim. A claim, not a fact.
CommunityOwner reports and locksmith consensus. Informed opinion.
CorrectedSomething we previously published that the record doesn’t support.
The short version
Buy the keyed keypad model unless you have a specific reason not to, budget for the module you actually need, and know that Grade 2 means one step below the best mechanical deadbolts.
Every review of this lock — including an earlier version of this one — opens the same way: Yale and August are siblings, both owned by ASSA ABLOY, the largest lock manufacturer on the planet. Corrected
That was true. It stopped being true on 20 June 2023, and the reason is a matter of public record because a court made it one.
What actually happened
ASSA ABLOY agreed to buy Spectrum Brands’ hardware division — Kwikset, Weiser, Baldwin — for $4.3 billion. The United States Department of Justice sued to block it. The settlement let the deal proceed on condition that ASSA ABLOY divest its August and Yale residential and multifamily smart lock businesses in the United States and Canada, which went to Fortune Brands for $800 million. Both transactions closed on 20 June 2023. Documented
So in the United States and Canada, Yale and August are now Fortune Brands products — the same company that owns Master Lock, SentrySafe, Moen and Emtek. ASSA ABLOY still owns Yale elsewhere in the world.
The sibling relationship survives the change, which is why the strategy still reads the way it does: August handles retrofit, Yale handles full replacement, and both run through the same app lineage. What changed is who is accountable for the cloud service, the firmware pipeline and the app — and on a lock that stops being smart without all three, that is not a footnote.
It also reframes the shopping question. Comparing Yale against August is no longer comparing two divisions of a Swedish conglomerate; it is comparing two product lines inside one American one. Our head-to-head works through what that leaves you actually choosing between.
The Assure Lock 2 comes in four base configurations, and this choice matters more than the brand on the front.
The keyless models are genuinely unpickable, because there is no keyway to attack. That is not marketing — it is arithmetic. You cannot rake, bump or single-pin pick a hole that does not exist.
What you trade is every mechanical fallback. A keyed model with a dead battery is a lock you open with a key. A keyless model with a dead battery is a lock you open by holding a 9V cell against the external terminals, which works and which nobody remembers under stress at 11pm in the rain. For most households the keyed keypad model is the better balance, and the honest reason is that batteries fail more often than pickers arrive.
The module system, and the sticker price
The base lock ships with Bluetooth only. Wi-Fi, Z-Wave and Matter/Thread are separate modules, bought individually. Manufacturer That is a genuinely good idea — you pay for the radio you will actually use, and you can change your mind in three years without replacing the lock.
It also means the advertised price is not the price. The configuration most people actually want — keyed, keypad or touchscreen, plus Wi-Fi for remote access — lands meaningfully above the headline figure. Price the module in before you compare this against anything with a radio built in.
The Assure Lock 2 is certified Grade 2 by the Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association — ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 on the box. Manufacturer Here is what that means in test terms rather than marketing terms, from our grades explainer:
Five ram blows against ten. That is the entire difference expressed honestly, and it is a real one — but it is a difference between good and best, not between secure and insecure. Our own grades page makes the point that for most homes a well-installed Grade 2 in a reinforced frame is the practical ceiling of what the rest of the door can support anyway.
Which is the caveat that actually matters. A Grade 2 deadbolt anchored by short screws into pine trim is a Grade 3 door. The frame is the limiting component on almost every residential installation, and it costs eight dollars to fix. See door frame reinforcement before you spend anything on the lock.
The digital side
An earlier version of this page specified a key length for the lock’s encryption. We have cut the number, because the sources we can verify describe the transport security without stating it. Corrected What is worth knowing instead is the shape of the dependency: the smart features run through an account and a cloud service, and the brand that operates that service changed hands in 2023 by regulatory compulsion rather than choice.
That is not an accusation. It is the reason the long-term support score on this page is the lowest of the five.
Who owns Yale smart locks now?
Fortune Brands, in the United States and Canada, since 20 June 2023. ASSA ABLOY was required to divest the Yale and August residential and multifamily smart lock businesses in those two countries as a condition of the Department of Justice settlement that allowed it to buy Kwikset. ASSA ABLOY still owns Yale elsewhere in the world.
Which Yale Assure Lock 2 configuration should I buy?
The keyed keypad version for most households. It keeps a mechanical way into your house when the electronics fail, and the physical keypad is readable in direct sunlight where the touchscreen is not. Choose keyless only if you have thought through what happens on a dead battery and are comfortable with the 9V terminal as your fallback.
Is the Yale Assure Lock 2 ANSI Grade 1?
No, it is Grade 2. In test terms that means it survived five blows from a 75 foot-pound impact ram during certification, where a Grade 1 lock survives ten. That is a genuine step down from the best mechanical deadbolts, and it is still well above the Grade 3 hardware on a great many front doors.
Do I need the Wi-Fi module?
If you want remote access, guest code management from away, or notifications when you are not home, then yes, and it is a separate purchase. The base lock is Bluetooth only, which means control at the door and nothing beyond it. Price the module in when comparing against locks with a radio built in.
Can a keyless Yale Assure Lock 2 be picked?
No. There is no keyway, so there is nothing to pick, rake or bump. That removes an entire attack class. It also removes your mechanical fallback, so the failure you should plan for is a flat battery rather than a burglar with picks.
The Spec Sheet
Product
Yale Assure Lock 2 — full deadbolt replacement, four base configurations
Owner
Fortune Brands in the United States and Canada since 20 June 2023; ASSA ABLOY elsewhere Documented
Certification
ANSI/BHMA Grade 2 Manufacturer
Impact test equivalent
Five blows from a 75 foot-pound ram, against ten for Grade 1 Documented
Connectivity
Bluetooth in the base lock; Wi-Fi, Z-Wave and Matter/Thread as separate modules
Keyway
Optional — keyed and keyless versions of every configuration
Emergency power
9V terminal on the exterior for keyless models
Best paired with
A reinforced strike plate and three-inch screws. The frame is the limit, not the lock
Buy the Assure Lock 2 if you want a full deadbolt replacement that looks good, gives you a keypad, and lets you choose your own radio rather than accepting whatever the manufacturer soldered in. On those terms it is the best-designed lock in the category and the modularity is a real, uncommon virtue.
Do not buy it believing the badge means Grade 1 physical security, because it does not, and do not buy it believing you are buying into the world’s largest lock manufacturer, because in North America you are not any more. Neither of those makes it a bad lock. Both are things the marketing is content for you to assume.
And whichever configuration you choose, spend the eight dollars on the strike plate first. A Grade 2 bolt in a properly reinforced frame beats a Grade 1 bolt in pine trim, every time, for less money than the Wi-Fi module.
Verdict — 8 / 10
The best-designed smart deadbolt on the market, one grade below the best mechanical ones, from a company that is not who most reviews say it is.
Sources & Method
- Ownership — corrects our previous statement — Documented Corrected The May 2023 proposed Final Judgment in the Department of Justice action against ASSA ABLOY required divestiture of the Emtek, Schaub, August and Yale residential and multifamily smart lock businesses in the United States and Canada. Fortune Brands acquired them for $800 million and both transactions completed on 20 June 2023. Earlier versions of this page described Yale and August as ASSA ABLOY brands without qualification. ASSA ABLOY — completion announcement
- Grade 2 test values — Documented Grade 1 hardware must survive ten blows from a 75 foot-pound impact ram and remain functional, Grade 2 five, Grade 3 two. NoPryZone — ANSI grades explained
- Product configuration — Manufacturer Four base configurations across keyed and keyless, keypad and touchscreen; Bluetooth in the base lock with Wi-Fi, Z-Wave and Matter/Thread available as separate modules; four AA cells; exterior 9V emergency power terminal.
- Encryption claim removed — Corrected An earlier version specified a key length for the lock’s transport encryption. We could not verify that figure against a primary source and have removed it rather than restate it.
We do not own this lock and nothing here is hands-on. If you have lived with one — particularly on real battery life, touchscreen visibility in sunlight, or what changed for you through the ownership transfer — tell us and you will be credited.
