Seeking Door Lock Suggestion

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Hello everyone. I have a C-7 hub, and I am currently planning my transition from a home security system managed by SimpliSafe to one that runs locally on my UniFi system and works with Hubitat.

One big stumbling block I have run into is the front door lock. I want to replace the SimpliSafe bolt lock and SimpliSafe doorbell. For the doorbell I plan to use the new UniFi G6 Pro Entry, that combines multiple cameras and also entry/access features (phone tap unlock, phone proximity unlock, face unlock, fingerprint unlock, PIN unlock, remote app unlock), but I don't know what to use for my bolt lock.

My top requirement is no internet trips to unlock the door. I have already installed the new UniFi Protect built-in app in Hubitat and I have the two devices connected over my LAN. There's no devices yet but it seems to be happy so far. My understanding is that basically ~all of the WiFi-based locks, including the popular Yale models, require internet in order to talk to Hubitat. From what I've read, I probably want to stick to Z-Wave or Matter in order to have the reliability and security properties I want. That should guarantee no dependency on the internet being up, and prevent slow round-trips outside the LAN.

Unfortunately it looks like most of these models have been discontinued in the past year or two, and precious few models remain that don't tie into a proprietary cloud or use a proprietary protocol. In particular the Yale and Kwikset models seem to have been retired, and everything new is WiFi.

I would also really like to have a lock that presents itself as a normal keyed lock. Since I will already have an extremely fancy doorbell with a PIN pad on it to unlock, I don't really want a second PIN pad on the door. That would be confusing and kind of ugly. I am willing to buy a lock that comes with a separate keypad, which I simply would not install. The new Yale Approach lock would actually be perfect here, were it not WiFi-only.

The Level Lock seems like a great fit for me, but this thread and this compatibility list make me think it's not (yet) supported. I realize I would have to upgrade my hub in order to support Matter - that's fine.

I have a little time while I wait for the G6 generation UniFi Protect devices to actually hit the market. And I am guessing that there will be some delay in full support for the new devices in Hubitat (though I expect the cameras to "just work" now). So maybe Level Locks will be finished by the time I am installing. But I would really appreciate your recommendations!

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???

Unless I am unclear on what you're seeking, Yale and Kwikset keypad z-wave locks are available at multiple retailers. There's also a keypad z-wave model from Philips that is available.

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Something like these?

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Quite a bit more than just Yale and Kwikset on the compatible device list for locks.

Due to the nature of zwave, i would expect all of the locks on this list to just work as at least a generic lock even if they are not on the compatible device list.
https://products.z-wavealliance.org/?_zwa_device_type=lock

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This seems to be aimed at commercial applications with a magnetic door lock.

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I've spent a lot of time working with many different "smart" door locks. I ended up sticking with Yale Z-Wave locks and now have seven in my current setup. My personal experience/opinions are:

Wi-Fi: Apart from the legitimate security and privacy concerns you've already referenced, battery life makes this option a non-starter. While from a connectivity, reliability and functionality standpoint, my experience was positive, unless you want a part-time job replacing/recharging batteries, I would stay away.

Bluetooth: Sure, when it only works within a few feet of the lock, it alleviates Wi-Fi security and privacy concerns and the low power requirements of Bluetooth improve the battery life. So when you are standing right in front of your door, it works pretty good...but then, why not just take out your key?

Zigbee/Matter: Admittedly, while I have experimented with a Zigbee lock, I have NOT tried a Matter lock. I place them in the same category because in my personal experience (and I realize this is a hotly debated topic) and in my own setup Zigbee and Matter (I've have both "over Thread" and "over Wi-Fi" devices) have not been as reliable as Z-Wave connections or even Wi-Fi integrations. For that reason, I count them out for securely controlling access to my residence

Z-Wave: The initial setup on the Yale Z-Wave locks was a huge pain -- but not as bad a Kwikset. On all 7 of my locks, I had to use a combination of Apple and Android devices to complete the initial setup of the locks. Support said that this was due to some supposed "shortcomings" in both my phone and iPad and mandatory firmware upgrades from Yale. However, since the initial setup was completed, I have never had to revisit them. They just work - exactly how they're supposed to.

To address another concern, you expressed related to the requirement of Wi-Fi and security, it is not necessarily intuitive that AFTER the lock has been paired to your hub, your Hubitat is in complete control. No app. No phone. No Bluetooth. No Wi-Fi is necessary - unless you need to make changes to the initial setup. You WILL need the app and Bluetooth for the initial setup, but that's it.

Lastly, as far as using a keyed lock with a separate, detached keypad, there are a few options. However, the options are limited, and I wouldn't consider any of them great. For the lock, you could use something like a Z-Wave August Smart Lock Pro (Yale - same company). Separately, you could mount a Z-Wave Ring Alarm Keypad. Create a rule-based action that unlocks the door based on a successful code entry. Using that basic template, you could swap out different components. But again, reliable options are limited.

Good Luck.

P.S. The best "smart" locks I've owned are the Qolsys IQ Lock-PG. These operate on the PowerG frequency. They paired seamlessly. They performed flawlessly. They had great battery life. At the time (and I think to this day), there were no great options for integrating their operation with Hubitat so I had to get rid of them.

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Thanks everyone for your helpful, thoughtful, and knowledgeable suggestions! I have investigated all of them and each of you has proved helpful in teaching me more about this topic.

In my reference to "models seem to have been retired", I ought to have been more specific. I was looking at the retrofit and other keypad-less models that had sold and in particular the Z-Wave ones. And especially the oft-recommended Z-Wave version of the Yale Assure There's still Yale WiFi/Bluetooth, August, and Kwikset models, among others, that would technically fulfill my requirements but show a keypad or buttons. I think after some more learning over the last day I really don't want those. I do more or less agree with @user2315 protocol analysis above.

I think the Level Lock gives me what I want, and a closer read of the forum told me that the lock should be supported by the Hubitat Matter controller now, as it was released in platform version 2.4.2.

My main hang-up on the Level Lock is depending on a Thread border router.

I was bummed out when learned at the start of this investigation that my C-7's Zigbee antenna cannot be flipped to do Thread instead (I would have just gotten a C-8 and run them together). But I suspect that the next hub version will have a dedicated antenna and will be a Thread border router. I actually forgot that I have a thread border router already in my house [Google TV Streamer (4K)] , but it's not in a super great position to run the lock (it's upstairs).

So since I am a Google house I think I will probably just upgrade my Nest Hub to the current version (v2) that gives me one more Thread border router. However this makes me a bit nervous, because I don't have confidence that the Nest hub will do its routing job if the internet connection is down. Also the Nest Hub would be the only element in the chain that doesn't already have a battery backup, so I would be inclined to add one so I can still use the lock.

I'm kinda just going to bet on this as a temporary state of affairs until the Hubitat C-9 comes out with a dedicated Thread radio and border routing capability built-in (HEY DEVS TAKE MY MONEY). And I'll probably be inclined toward adding devices that offer built-in Thread border routing until that hub drops.

So I think the plan is basically:
Level Lock -> Google Nest Hub -> Hubitat -> UniFi Controller -> UniFi Doorbell

I'm hoping that doesn't make it slow and doesn't touch the internet. Let me know if you think it will work.

This seems to be aimed at commercial applications with a magnetic door lock.

True! In fact I spent an embarrassing amount of time before this stage of the project trying to figure out how to wire a UniFi electric strike lock at my front door. You can also use a magnetic lock for this, but they are both squarely in the commercial side of things. Long story short, this is a nightmare; and that goes triple if you have glass panes surrounding your front door. I called seven different locksmiths, five had the good grace to not literally laugh into my face. Commercial locksmiths who know the equipment won't work on homes. Residential locksmiths will stare at you blankly and say "what" and then "no". And if you start talking about motorized hook locks for a sliding glass door, you may as well just quit.

Doing the bolt lock residential style is already "Plan B" for me. I would have preferred to use the UniFi Door Controller Mini and wired it to the strike lock for a 100% battery-free installation tied directly to UniFi Protect. But now I am hoping that the UniFi/Hubitat integration is strong and the pathway above is robust and fast enough.