ERA Protect Smart Universal Door Handle Review – Smart Lock With Fingerprint Reader & NFC Tags

I have been a big fan of smart locks for several years now. My preference has typically been smart locks, which use your existing hardware and work by turning the key in the cylinder. I currently have the SwitchBot Lock Pro on my back door and the Aqara Smart Lock U200 Review on my front door.

The ERA Protect Smart Universal Door Handle is different; it replaces all your hardware with handles for both the inside and out, as well as its own cylinder. This design is more like the Yale Conexis L1, which I reviewed 6 years ago. It was a good lock but I had a few set-up niggles, the app wasn’t great and I wasn’t confident enough with it to commit to using it permanently.

Similar to the Yale, the ERA does not have mechanical keys at all; you instead unlock the door with your fingerprint and an NFC card via the app. If the batteries die, you have 2 prongs on the bottom for a 9V battery backup.

The main advantage of the ERA vs Nuki and similar locks is the overall appearance. The inside hardware looks relatively normal, and the fingerprint scanner is built into the lock outside rather than being separate, like the options from Nuki, Aqara, etc.

Buy from ERABuy from Amazon

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Smart Universal Door Handle - Versatile, Durable, and...	No ratings yet	£309.00	Buy on Amazon

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Specification

Features

• High security smart door handle suitable for multi-point door locks with a ‘lift to lock’ action
• Simple to fit, replacing either an existing door handle or for a new door installation
• With three secure keyless ways to enter a property:
• Fingerprint – up to 50 fingerprints can be stored
• Encrypted key card (2 supplied with each handle) – up to 50 key cards can be stored
• ERA Smart Home App – easily share permanent or temporary ekeys with friends and family.
• WiFi Connection Hub (included) allows remote opening from anywhere, anytime
• Simple thumb turn and lever to exit the property from the inside  
• App notifications and activity logs
• Fitted with an voice assistant for ease of set up and for handy audible notifications when the door is
• Unlocked/ locked/ low battery. The voice assistant can be muted within the app
• Battery powered, all wiring is neatly contained within handle so there is no need for any additional
• 9v battery back up in case of power failure
• Available in a choice of three finishes to complement home and décor
• Supplied non-handed for use on left or right-hand opening doors between 44mm – 75mm thick
• Suitable for PVCu, composite, aluminium and timber doors
• Additional Key Cards available

Compatibility

The ERA Protect Smart Universal Door Handle suits many properties and can be fitted in any new or existing PVCu, composite, aluminium or timber door.

Designed for use with a multi-point door lock with a ‘lift to lock’ action, you can check your existing door lock is compatible with the EP1 handle by taking a look at our compatibility checker.

ERA claims this lock is compatible with 95% of doors in the UK.

When I first received my sample, it seemed like the lock did not fit any of my three PVC doors. If I had read the instructions properly I would have realised I was wrong.

The problem I found was that all my doors have just four holes: one for the cylinder, one for the door handle spindle, and then two holes to fix the hardware in place.

The ERA door handle is longer than the hardware I use and has an additional mounting point above the handle.

What I didn’t realise was that this could be adjusted by height, and you could even remove the threaded screw pillar, which allowed me to install the lock without drilling my door.

While the lock fits securely with this method, it is not ideal. The metal plate on the inside of my door pulls away slightly at the top (where I have removed the third screw pillar point).

At some point, I will refit the lock and drill a hole. It should be a relatively small job, but I wanted to use and review the lock before I start drilling holes in things.

Installation

Apart from the above issues, installing the lock was quite easy but more fiddly than smart locks that use your existing door handles such as Aqara, SwitchBot, Yale Linus and Nuki.

A quick overview of what you need to do:

• Remove existing hardware, including cylinder
• Install the ERA cylinder and use the setting tool to measure which bar length you need
• Install the outside handle and make sure the handle is facing the right direction
• Thread the cable through the lower hold and through the metal back plate (which is quite fiddly, some needle nose pliers will help)
• Mount the backplate using the correct length bolts to reach the screw pillars. Again, this was quite fiddly getting things lined up, especially with the bottom pillar where you have the wire in the way.
• Install the indoor handle and make adjust the direction of the handle if necessary.

Issues I had included:

• The cylinder was very stiff locking, and I ended up removing everything and refitting, but the likely problem was overtightening, so I could have loosened it and saved a lot of time.
• On my second installation, I realised the outdoor handle and been knocked downwards, requiring me to remove and adjust.
• Threading the cable through
• Aligning the bolts on the inside with the screw pillars on the outside

Overall, it is more fiddly than popular smart locks, but most of the issues I experienced were user error and not reading the instructions properly.

Day to Day Use

Fingerprint / Keycard Unlocking

I have found the fingerprint unlocking a bit hit or miss, but I have found this true for all smart locks. Not dissimilar to your phone, the fingerprint scanner will struggle if you have wet fingers. Living in the north of the UK, it rains more often than not, so the conditions are rarely ideal. I’d say the accuracy is not as good as my Aqara lock, but not significantly worse.

On the other hand, the NFC tag works perfectly every time, and I have found myself using it as my main unlocking method.

App / Remote Unlock

You can, of course, use the app to unlock the door, and this is good if you don’t have an NFC card on you and the fingerprint scanner is struggling. I generally don’t use this method as pulling my phone out of my pocket, unlocking it, and then waiting for the app to connect is more time consuming than using an NFC card.

The app unlock is best used when paired with the WiFi hub as this then allows you to remotely unlock the door.

Lift and Auto-Lock

The lift and lock function of the ERA is by far my favourite feature.

With other smart locks, such as Nuki, you have auto lock functionality but it doesn’t work particularly well with UK multipoint doors. This function will try to lock the door after a set period of time, but if you have not engaged the multipoint lock, it won’t work. Nuki doesn’t have the ability to identify when you lift the handle to engage the multipoint.

With Era, it does. As soon as you lift the handle, it locks the door.

Admittedly, it doesn’t make a huge difference day to day, but with my old door into my garage/gym, I had to type the pin in, then turn the knob, and I just found it a bit annoying. This saves me a few seconds and should improve security.

Battery Life

I have only used the lock for a couple of months, so it is too early to tell how good the battery is.

Subjectively, it seems that it will last longer than my Aqara, but the auto-locking function could potentially drain the lock faster than expected.

One downside is that this uses four AA batteries, whereas the Aqara has a rechargeable battery, and it can be charged with a battery pack due to the conveniently located USB-C port.

Price and Alternative Options

Buy from ERABuy from Amazon

Preview	Product	Rating	Price
	Smart Universal Door Handle - Versatile, Durable, and...	No ratings yet	£309.00	Buy on Amazon

The ERA Protect Smart Universal Door has an RRP of £309 and at the time of writing it was available for £216.

The Yale Conexis L1 is a similar product but lacks the fingerprint scanner and, in my opinion, is nowhere near as good. This has an RRP of £200 and is currently available for £170.

I haven’t used the new Yale Conexis L2, but I assume it is much better than the older one. This has an RRP of £290 and is available for £269.

You have a variety of lesser-known brands with similar locks. The Ruveno Weatherproof Smart Door Lock looks good on paper with a fingerprint scanner, pin code, and backup keys, as well as a lift-to-lock function. This is available for £200.

You then have all the various smart locks that mount on your existing hardware and effectively turn your key. These include:

• Nuki 4^th Gen lock only from £169
• Ultion Nuki Plus Smart Lock (integrated handle and included cylinder) for £379
• SwitchBot WiFi Smart Lock Pro for £179
• Aqara Smart Lock U200 for £216

Overall

I had a bumpy start with this smart lock, but most of the issues were user errors.

The lock does still have some quirks. Installing it with the bottom and middle screw pillar makes the upper section of the inside of the lock pull away from the door slightly.

Then, pairing the WiFi hub with the lock was a bit of a nightmare.

I found the fingerprint scanner a bit, hit or miss. This is true for all the smart locks I have tried; if you are sweaty or it is raining, then there is a good chance it won’t recognise your fingerprint. I’d say my Aqara is more reliable, but it is not a massive difference in performance.

I also still favour locks that have some sort of mechanical key backup.

That being said, there is a lot to love about this lock. The overall installation is neater than locks like Nuki. In particular, the indoor hardware looks much more attractive.

I love the lift and lock function. I know some locks have similar functionality, but they don’t know if you have engaged the multiple locks; it will just try to lock when the door is closed. The ERA is significantly better as it knows when you engage the multi-point lock and locks it immediately.

The key card works perfectly and has been my preferred way to use the lock.

The £309 RRP isn’t cheap, but I’d argue it is competitive. The Nuki 4^th gen starts at £169, but the bridge is £89, a universal cylinder is £89, and a basic keypad is £79. The Keypad 2 with fingerprint scanner is £145.

At the time of writing, the ERA was just £216, which makes it a bit of a bargain.

Even though I had a rocky start with this lock, I have quickly grown to love it. I wouldn’t say it is better or worse than my Aqara and Switchbot, but it does offer an excellent alternative solution, and I much prefer it to my old Welock.

Overall, I can give the ERA Smart Universal Door Handle a strong recommendation, especially at the discounted price and I like it enough that I plan to continue to use it as I find it much better than the Welock I was using on that door.

James Smythe( Editor-in-chief )

I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.

As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.

In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.

Last update on 2025-02-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API