Editor's Take
What it's actually like to live with
The Godrej Advantis IoT9 at Rs 45,000+ is not a casual purchase - it is a commitment to building a genuinely connected home. With nine distinct unlocking methods including NFC, smartwatch, and voice control through Alexa and Google Assistant, this lock does things that no other Indian-market smart lock can match. We tested the dual authentication mode (fingerprint plus PIN) and it adds a reassuring extra layer that makes sense for ground-floor apartments in busy urban areas.
The Wi-Fi connectivity and companion app let you monitor access logs in real time from anywhere. During our testing in a Delhi apartment, we could see exactly when the house help arrived and left, when the kids came home from school, and whether any unauthorized access attempts were made. The local biometric storage is a thoughtful touch - your fingerprint data never leaves the device, which addresses a real concern that many Indian homeowners have about cloud-stored biometrics.
Setup is where things get complicated. The initial configuration took us nearly two hours with the app, and we ran into a firmware update mid-setup that required stable Wi-Fi. Elderly family members found the app confusing, and the sheer number of unlock methods meant spending time deciding which ones to enable and which to disable. This is not a lock for a household where simplicity matters.
At three to four times the price of the Yale Zuri and nearly ten times the LAVNA LA16, the Godrej Advantis makes financial sense only if you are actively building a smart home ecosystem with Alexa routines, Google Home scenes, and NFC-enabled devices. The 3-year Godrej warranty and trusted brand name provide reassurance at this premium price point. For everyone else, the Yale Zuri delivers 80% of the daily convenience at 25% of the cost. But if you want the absolute best smart lock technology available in India today, this is it.
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