It used to be that you only had a few choices when selecting great smart home products. However, the last few years have put several fantastic new companies on the map. One of those companies is Bosma. Until recently, its product line included smart doorbells, intrusion sensors, and smart lighting. Now, the company’s newest product, an interior-only smart door lock called the Aegis—yes, like Zeus’ famous shield—aims to provide both homeowners and renters with the convenience of a smart lock.

But can this new device secure its place among significant competitors like August and Wyze? We're answering that question, along with a few others in this full Bosma Aegis smart lock review.

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Meet the Bosma Aegis

The best way to describe Aegis is to call it an upgrade to your current door lock. The thing that makes the Aegis different is that it will allow you to retain your keys. It does this by replacing only the inner portion of your existing deadbolt. This setup is similar to both the August Smart Lock and the Wyze Lock, which are Aegis’ two most prominent competitors.

For those familiar with the August Smart Lock, the design of the Aegis is eerily similar. It uses a similar mounting plate, a similar rotational design, a matching set of plastic inserts for the deadbolt’s cam bar, and even similar packaging. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. A broader selection of the same products often improves both quality and choice from a consumer perspective.

Additionally, Aegis offers built-in door detection, which can alert you if your door has been left open. Aegis does this without the use of stick-on magnets or additional sensors. For security, Aegis sends all data via AES 128-bit encryption. This extra level of protection keeps would-be data sniffers from potentially accessing information that could lead to a break-in.

The Aegis also supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Home. So, if you’re looking to control your smart lock with your voice, the possibility is there. Currently, the Aegis is for sale on Bosma’s website for $119 by itself and $249 if you bundle the lock with the Bosma Sentry video doorbell.

Who Is the Aegis For?

Because the Aegis doesn’t require permanent alteration of the door lock, this product is great for renters and homeowners alike. The device is also great for those with a mix of tech-savvy and non-techie folks living in their home.

If, for example, a family member would prefer to operate the Aegis lock using a standard key, they can. Meanwhile, those smart home users who would rather have the flexibility of an app can choose to forgo the keys altogether.

And, if you’d like to use biometrics with the Aegis, Bosma also manufactures the Sentry Video Doorbell that recognizes fingerprints to operate the smart lock without the need for a phone. We weren’t able to test the doorbell, but it looks promising.

However, if you’re looking for a smart lock that works with Apple HomeKit, the Aegis does not currently offer support. That may change in a future release, but for now, Aegis is limited to Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Related: Smart Home Products to Install When Moving to a New Home

What’s in the Box?

Inside the Bosma Aegis’ upscale packaging, there is the lock itself, the Bosma Gateway, four AA batteries, a set of three adapters, a length of painter’s tape, and an instruction guide. While I don’t usually comment on an item’s presentation, I feel it is essential to acknowledge the aesthetic appeal of Aegis’s packaging. To me, it just looks like a classy product.

Assembly and Installation

The Aegis smart lock is effortless to install. I had this lock set up and configured in less than ten minutes. The installation is as simple as applying the strip of included painter’s tape over the deadbolt’s front portion, removing the supporting screws from the back of the deadbolt, and installing the mounting bracket. Choose the adapter that works best for the cam bar, slide the lock portion on, and slide down the wings to secure.

It’s a surprisingly simple installation, and this is great for those who aren’t super handy. When getting the lock together, the only trouble I had was that I didn’t realize the battery compartment’s cover was magnetic at first.

Initially, I thought that the tabs inside the body of the lock were what fastened the cover to the assembly, and I tried to press-fit the cover together. After struggling for a few moments, I rotated the cover, and it magnetically snapped into place. While this wasn’t much of an issue, I think that Bosma might want to add a note about magnetic cover attachment in its instructions for the unit.

Once installed, you must connect the Aegis to the included Gateway device. This process is simple and consists of plugging the device into a power outlet, holding down a button until the light on the Gateway blinks, and then activating the lock. Again, this was straightforward.

Bosma also offers an app that is necessary to calibrate the lock. This application walks the user through calibration, and Bosma has taken every step to ensure that this process is foolproof. Anyone should feel confident that they can install this lock without any trouble.

Related: How to Install A Smart Door Lock

Testing the Aegis

After installing the Aegis, I spent a week testing the smart lock to see how it performed under ideal and less-than-ideal situations. I first tried the app’s lock and unlock functions from different locations in my house. As long as the wireless network was up, the lock functioned perfectly every time. I even tried rapidly locking and unlocking the Aegis to see if I could confuse it and cause it to jam. I could not get this to happen even after about a half-hour of constant locking and unlocking.

Next up, I tried to see what would happen if I “broke into” my home while the Aegis was active. One of Aegis’ key features is its “door-breaking” detection. This detection alerts the homeowner if someone is attempting to force the door open. I installed the Aegis on my back door, just so the neighbors wouldn’t think I was crazy, and subsequently tried to breach the door by kicking it a few times.

Once the Aegis registered the impact, I received an alert to my phone, and a siren sounded from inside the door. Bosma claims this siren is 80Db, though testing the alarm up close found the sound between 68Db and 76Db. Aegis’ siren also only lasted a few seconds, but it was loud enough to hear on the opposite side of the door when closed.

While this siren alone might be enough to deter would-be thieves, I think the more critical element is the notification that I received. If I had been out running errands and gotten this notification, I could have easily contacted the police. I think this is a remarkable feature, and I appreciate Aegis’s added security, without any extra equipment to purchase.

Next up, I wanted to see how Bosma’s offering performed when faced with a common issue in New England—door swell. The problem with swelling doors is that they often don’t close completely. Instead, there will be slight friction between the deadbolt and the strike plate on the door frame. I pushed and pulled my back door to emulate this condition until the deadbolt would not move smoothly past the strike plate.

As I feared, the Aegis motor engaged, extended the deadbolt slightly, and jammed after being unable to push quickly past the strike plate. To remedy this condition, I pressed against the door until the deadbolt could clear the strike plate, manually locked the door, and then tried to unlock it. At this point, the Aegis got a bit cranky, but once the strike plate was clear, the deadbolt slid into place.

This test wasn’t the most scientific, but it is worth mentioning. If your doors are prone to swelling, then this smart lock might not be the best choice for your home. On the other hand, if your front door doesn’t stick and has plenty of clearance, Aegis works excellent.

Finally, I wanted to see how this lock would work with Amazon Alexa integration. For that, you have to download the Bosma skill in the Alexa app. After setting the skill up and setting a passcode, I could lock and unlock the Aegis by asking Alexa to do so. Additionally, passcode integration ensures that no one outside your home can gain access by invoking your smart assistant.

Download: Bosma Skill for Amazon Alexa (Free)

What Do We Love About the Aegis?

I think there is a lot to love about the Aegis, but the primary draw is using this lock for different applications. If you’re a renter and don’t want everyone knowing that you have a smart lock, Aegis will fit the bill perfectly. Its removable nature also means that it’s easy to swap out when you move. That means you can take it with you, from home to home, without any loss of function.

The included Gateway is also a nice feature for operating this lock remotely. That means if you want to give access to friends or family while you’re away, then you can do so with just a few taps on your screen.

Aegis has also got to be one of the most straightforward smart home products I’ve ever installed in my smart home. I wish some of the other products that I’ve purchased over the years were this simple to get up and running. If you can use a screwdriver, you can add Aegis to your home in a matter of minutes.

What’s Not to Love?

There are only a few minor complaints I have about this smart lock. The first is the position of the lock when closed. On the outside of the hexagonal shell of the Aegis, there is a Bosma logo. In a perfect world, that logo would be parallel to the ground when installed. However, because of some play in the lock shell, I find that the unit turns a bit past the parallel mark when the deadbolt extends.

This issue also results in the Bosma logo on the lock’s rear button sitting slightly off-level when my door locks. Bosma has addressed this issue by stating that end users can rotate the mounting plate of the Aegis by around 20 degrees either toward or away from the edge of the door. In my case, adjusting the bracket didn’t help. It’s a minor issue, but if you’re the type of person where everything has to be perfectly aligned, then this might be a problem for you.

Secondly, I wish there were a way to disable the chime this lock makes when you open and close the door. Again this is a minor gripe, but I would prefer the lock not to play music, or at the very least to have some type of volume reduction option.

Aside from these two minor issues, I feel that the Aegis smart lock is a fantastic value. If all of Bosma’s products are this high-quality, then the company has a very bright future ahead in the smart home industry.

Related: The Best Smart Doorbells For Your Home

Can You Repair the Aegis Smart Lock?

Unfortunately, no. You cannot repair this smart lock. However, Bosma does offer a one-year warranty against any kind of manufacturer defects. This warranty seems to be in line with other smart lock manufacturers.

Should You Buy the Aegis Smart Lock?

Overall, we really like the Aegis smart lock by Bosma. It’s a great product at a reasonable price. While it might not be for everyone, we’re confident that most smart homeowners will be satisfied by Aegis’s performance and quality. It’s an excellent option for anyone who isn’t looking to break the bank and for those stealthy smart home ninjas hoping to recover every penny of their security deposit.