Smart deadbolts eat batteries for breakfast. I know, because I have five of them installed on various entry doors in my own smart home, and I replace the batteries in each one two to three times a year. So when I learned that the Array by Hampton was not only powered by a rechargeable battery, but that its battery is continuously topped off by an integrated solar panel, I thought “Brilliant!” After thorough testing, I can say Hampton has solved the battery problem, but as good as it is, this lock won’t be the right addition for every smart home.
The Array’s biggest drawback (for people who live in smart homes, at least) is one that Hampton touts as a feature: It connects to Wi-Fi, with no additional hub needed. Most smart deadbolts use one low-power connectivity technology or another—Z-Wave, ZigBee, or even Bluetooth—because Wi-Fi consumes too much battery power. Since any device that needs to be accessible from the internet must have an IP (Internet Protocol) address, Z-Wave, ZigBee, and Bluetooth devices rely on a bridge to connect to your Wi-Fi network.
