Netatmo enters the smart door lock space with programmable NFC keys

Netatmo, the French startup that got acquired by Legrand, is announcing a new device at CES, the Netatmo Smart Door Lock. You can install it as a replacement to any cylinder door lock, which are more common in Europe than U.S.-style deadbolts.

Compared to many smart door locks, Netatmo isn’t as heavy-handed as other solutions as you can use both your phone and a physical key to open your home. You don’t have to switch to a code-based system or rely entirely on your phone.

But the key isn’t a traditional key. It’s an NFC badge shaped like a key, which means that you can program the lock to authorize the key or not. For instance, if you lose your key, you can deactivate it in the Netatmo mobile app. You can also use the same key for multiple doors — your front door, your back door, your office door, etc.

When it comes to digital keys, you can invite as many people to your home as you want so that they can unlock the door with a digital key. Home owners can also send invites to guests. This way, you don’t have to make sure that the first person to get home has the key.

And of course, digital keys are a great solution for Airbnb guests. You can grant access to a guest for a couple of days and disable the digital key when your guests are gone.

Netatmo has received three certifications that assess that its door lock can resist physical and electronic attacks — A2P*, BZ+ and SKG***. In particular, Netatmo uses Bluetooth and not Wi-Fi. This way, the lock isn’t connected to the internet directly and key data is stored on the door lock storage.

The physical keys are tamper-proof in order to make it harder to duplicate them (but you should still disable keys if you lose them of course). Finally, Netatmo has put an accelerometer in the device to detect break-in attempts.

Battery is supposed to last two years, there’s no subscription fee and the device works with HomeKit. Netatmo hasn’t shared any information when it comes to pricing and availability.