Best Smart Lock and Video Doorbell Pairs for the Front Door (2026): What Our Installers Fit Together
Most of our smart lock calls come with a doorbell in the same box, so this guide treats them as a pair. The lock decision is about your door: thickness, backset, and whether the latch already binds. The doorbell decision is about your wiring: a 16 to 24 volt transformer or a battery. These are the pairs we install most and the checks that avoid a second visit.
A smart lock that was installed on a door that drags will fail inside a year, and a wired doorbell on a 10 volt transformer will reboot every time someone presses it. Both are five-minute checks before you buy. Here is what our installers fit most often across California, and the checklist we run at the door before anything is unboxed.
Quick Comparison
| Pick | Best For | Approx Price |
|---|---|---|
| Best Lock Overall | Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt | Premium tier |
| Best Lock, Slim Interior | Yale Assure Lock 2 with WiFi | Premium tier |
| Best Lock + Camera | eufy Security Video Smart Lock E330 | Premium tier |
| Best Doorbell, Wired or Battery | Ring Battery Doorbell Pro | Mid tier |
Our Picks
Pick the Lock by the Door, Not the App
Every lock on this page works with phones. What decides the install is the door:
- Thickness: 1 3/8 to 1 3/4 inches is standard and every lock fits. Thicker doors need an extension kit.
- Backset: the distance from the door edge to the center of the deadbolt hole, 2 3/8 or 2 3/4 inches. The latches ship adjustable, but check.
- Bore: a standard 2 1/8 inch hole. Older doors with a 1 1/2 inch bore need to be drilled out.
- Does the deadbolt throw smoothly with the door closed and nobody pushing on it? If you have to pull the door to lock it, a smart lock motor will strain and fail. The strike plate gets adjusted first.
Pick the Doorbell by the Wiring
Find the transformer (near the panel, in a closet, in the attic) and read the label. Wired video doorbells want 16 to 24 volts AC and usually 10 VA or more; many older homes have 10 volt, 5 VA units that run a chime and nothing else. Options: replace the transformer (an easy job for us at the panel or a plug-in version), or buy a battery doorbell and skip the wiring entirely. No existing doorbell at all means battery, or a plug-in transformer and a new wire run.
Measure and Check Before You Buy
- Door thickness, backset and bore (above)
- Deadbolt throws freely with the door closed
- Transformer voltage and VA rating on the label
- WiFi signal strength at the door, on your phone, with the door closed. Locks and doorbells live at the edge of the house where the router is weakest. A mesh node near the entry fixes most issues.
- Existing doorbell button mounting: flat trim or angled siding. Wedge kits exist for both.
- HOA rules on exterior cameras and visible devices
- Mechanical key backup: some locks have none. Decide if that is fine for your household.
Install Difficulty, From the Crew
A smart deadbolt on a door that already closes well is 30 to 45 minutes: remove the old deadbolt, fit the new latch and strike, mount the exterior and interior assemblies, pair, calibrate, test ten times. Doors that drag add strike-plate work or hinge adjustment. A wired doorbell on a good transformer is 20 minutes; a transformer swap at the panel adds 30 to 45. The eufy video lock is the longest because it is both devices and a base station.
Smart lock and doorbell installs are billed at our general handyman rate, $95 per hour, and most lock-plus-doorbell pairs are done inside the first hour and a half. See general handyman services, book online, or send a quote request with photos.
Need help with this in California?
Zomg The Handyman installs smart locks and video doorbells across all of California. Insured, background-checked, 4.9 rated. $95 per hour general handyman rate.
Book Smart Lock Installation →Frequently Asked Questions
Will a smart lock fit my door?
If the door is 1 3/8 to 1 3/4 inches thick with a standard 2 1/8 inch bore and a 2 3/8 or 2 3/4 inch backset, yes. Thicker doors need the extension kit; small bores need drilling.
Why does my wired video doorbell keep rebooting?
Almost always the transformer. Wired doorbells need 16 to 24 volts AC and about 10 VA or more. Replace the transformer or switch to a battery doorbell.
Do smart locks work without WiFi?
The keypad and key work. Remote unlock, codes sent from your phone and notifications need WiFi reaching the door.
How much does smart lock installation cost?
Our general handyman rate is $95 per hour and a lock-plus-doorbell pair is typically done in an hour to an hour and a half, including transformer checks.
Should I get a lock with a camera built in?
If you want one device and one app, the eufy E330 does both. If you want the camera higher or angled differently than the lock, buy them separately.
Our service areas: General Repairs in Los Angeles · General Repairs in San Diego · General Repairs in Irvine
Complete the Job
Need a Pro in California?
Insured, background-checked handymen. 4.9☆ rated. Same-day available.
Book Online Now →
