On October 16th, smart lock maker Level announced a new Wi-Fi bridge for its locks to enable “remote access and integrations with smart home technology platforms,” including Amazon Alexa and Google Home. Welcome to 2015, Level.
Let’s back up. In November 2022, Level revealed that all its locks had Thread-capable radios, were compatible with Matter, and that they would soon be updated to support the standard. That hasn’t happened yet. Instead, Level has released the Level Connect, a $79 Wi-Fi bridge that plugs into an outlet and acts as a bridge between its lock’s Bluetooth radio and your internet router, so it can be controlled remotely and work with cloud-enabled smart home platforms.