Finally a standard for smart lock systems: Aliro allows hands-free door opening

Debora Pape

5/1/2026

Translation: machine translated

The manufacturer-independent Aliro standard is intended to eliminate the proprietary chaos of smart locks. This will also make it easier to enter the world of smart locks.

Smarthome is on everyone's lips - and yet it is still in its infancy. This can be seen, for example, in the fact that cross-manufacturer standards and protocols such as Matter are only just becoming established. In some places, there are still none at all, such as in the area of smart door locks. Up to now, every manufacturer has been cooking their own soup here: locks have only worked with suitable manufacturer apps and certainly not across platforms.

But that will change soon: The 2023 first announced open smart lock standard Aliro is waiting in the wings. Several websites, such as Ubos, report that Aliro 1.0 has been finalised and the certification process has been completed.

You can find out more about Aliro on the CSA website.

Vendor-independent and open to all

Aliro is a protocol that allows mobile devices and wearables to be used as keys for smart locks. The aim: to open doors hands-free across all manufacturers - without opening an app, entering a code via a keypad or scanning your fingerprint. With an Aliro-certified system, it doesn't matter whether your guests use an Apple or Android smartphone, and no manufacturer apps are required to use digital keys.

With Aliro, you can also combine smart locks from different manufacturers and use a different product on the front door than on the cellar door, for example. This lowers the inhibition threshold for switching to smart lock systems because you don't have to make a final commitment to one platform.

The CSA cooperates with Apple, Google and Samsung

Aliro is backed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), an organisation that develops smart home protocols and standards across manufacturers. The CSA is also responsible for Zigbee and Matter.

For the development of Aliro, it has teamed up with industry giants that have an interest in improving accessibility and increasing the spread of smart lock systems. These include Apple, Google, Samsung and Qualcomm. According to the company, almost 200 companies are involved in total.

NFC and UWB mechanisms to be standardised

Aliro defines a standardised protocol for the use of NFC (Near Field Communication), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) and UWB (Ultra-Wideband). With NFC, you can open a door by tapping your smartphone, as you may already be familiar with from contactless payment.

UWB is a wireless technology that allows the lock to determine the position of an authorised device to within a few centimetres. This allows you to determine the exact distance at which the door should be opened: Real, meaningful «hands-free unlocking» is possible with UWB. The door stays closed when someone is walking around with their smartphone nearby - and opens when you are standing right in front of it with full shopping bags.

UWB already works in Apple Home Key, but there were no standardised definitions for Android. Aliro is now integrating Apple's UWB features into the open standard, making them available to Android users too.

The first devices are expected in the course of the year

The standard is to be used in the private sector as well as in companies, hotels and access systems. It is expected that major smart lock manufacturers such as Yale, Nuki and Aqara will involve Aliro in future product development. Unfortunately, many existing smart door locks will not be able to retrofit the standard because NFC and UWB modules need to be installed. The first Aliro-certified products are expected in the course of 2026. Compliance with security standards is a prerequisite for Aliro certification.

Debora Pape

Editor

Debora.Pape@galaxus.de

Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.

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