Gadgets: Smart locks

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The Nuki smart lock boasts high-quality hardware, seamless integration capabilities and a stylish design, as described by the company. The innovative lock is new to the U.S. market after having established itself as the top-selling smart lock in Europe.

Add that its installation is among the easiest I've seen for a smart lock, which is critical. Smart lock installation might sound complicated in itself, but trust me, this one is a breeze. Once you have your hardware, the instructions are straightforward.

It mounts on the inside of your door, right on top of the existing cylinder hole that held the back end of the deadbolt lock. With this inside replacement, your key and lock remain the same; you're adding hardware and advanced technology to open it. Replacing just the inside of your existing deadbolt avoids you having to drill any new holes.

Thus, you'll still have the traditional opening with a key, but also the digital entry. The two screw installation takes just minutes.

Once installed and connected to your home Wi-Fi, your door key can officially be a thing of the past. The lock can be opened in a second with the Nuki app, an Apple Watch or by adding an accessory keypad. The app offers endless information and features, including the ability to share remote keys with family and friends. If you're inside and want to lock or unlock, all it takes is the press of a button.

Nuki Premium is an add-on ($5.90 per month) that unlocks even more features, including remote access to control the lock from anywhere. Premium also adds real-time notifications and battery level warnings before a USB-C charge is needed. The immediate replacement guarantee gets you a replacement in the event the Nuki lock is defective. Premium also adds features for rental homes, including automated access management to support your vacation rental business.

Nuki currently has a special offer: If you activate the Premium service before the end of September, it will be free for the entire lifetime of the connected smart lock.

If you prefer a keypad, the Nuki Keypad 2 can be added to unlock your door with a code or fingerprint. Up to 20 different fingerprints and 200 codes with individual access rights can be added. The Keypad 2 is dust-proof and waterproof, and withstands temperatures between -4°F and 158°F.

Before you purchase the lock, Nuki has a handy page on their site to make sure the lock can be installed in your door. The internal rechargeable battery is rated to last up to 12 months when connected via Thread or Bluetooth, and up to 6 months when using built-in Wi-Fi. A full charge takes about 2 hours.

https://nuki.io/en-us Nuki Smart Lock $159, Keypad 2 $159. A combo set with the lock and keypad 2 is $229.

With the Lockly Visage smart lock, all you have to do is look at it to unlock it.

The lock is part of Lockly's Zeno Series, their first with facial recognition technology. Once you face it, it will be unlocked in under one second when you're within about 3 feet. It's also Apple Home compatible with Home Key accessibility.

With the built-in Apple compatibility technology, once programmed, you'll be able to unlock it with just a tap of your iPhone or Apple Watch, or request it from Siri to unlock. The lock is equipped with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features, as well as a hack-proof digital keypad.

For those seeking peace of mind, there is also a keyhole for traditional key use. It can be rekeyed without changing the entire lock to match the key with others in your home.

I'm familiar with Lockly locks since it's what's on my front door, and the keypad is something that sells the lock alone. Besides facial recognition (which works perfectly), you can also open the lock with fingerprint recognition in as fast as 0.2 seconds or a stored code. It can generate up to 999 unique access codes with specific permissions tailored to the users' required access.

With the keypads' numeric keypad, the codes are shuffled for an extra layer of security. Your code remains the same; it's the numbers on the digital display that are shuffled, so they are never in the same place with the same sequence. The personal identification number Genie rotating digital keypad prevents password guessing. If you have wandering eyes watching you input the code, the numbers have been shuffled the very next time anyone approaches the keypad, preventing someone from performing the same sequence and trying to guess your PIN.

The weatherproof deadbolt lock features an attractive design with a matte black finish and voice assistant connections. It can be controlled by anyone with access from anywhere in the world. Other features include digital sharing of access codes, creating schedules with limitations, checking status through the Lockly app, and receiving real-time notifications.

Installation is straightforward. It is rated to last up to 8 months before the pair of environmentally friendly, rechargeable lithium batteries needs recharging.

https://lockly.com/products/lockly-visage-zeno-series $349