CES 2025: Touted as the world’s first UWB smart lock
At the start of last year, Silicon Valley smart home specialist Xthings took the covers off of the Ultraloq Bolt Matter Fingerprint Edition, touted as one of the world’s first smart Wi-Fi deadbolts compatible with Matter, and also the first Matter-over-Thread smart lock to feature a fingerprint reader.
And now, over at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, the Union City brand is back with another first: the Bolt Mission UWB+NFC – the first smart lock to support ultra-wideband (UWB) technology.
Like the tech found in car keys, UWB will, we’re informed, offer a more reliable, hands-free unlocking experience compared to existing methods that rely on Bluetooth, GPS, or Wi-Fi.
Ultra-wideband is a wireless protocol that operates at high frequencies, allowing devices to communicate and track precise location over short distances.
This enables the lock to accurately detect when an authorized user approaches, unlocking automatically and securely. And the lock can also detect if the user is the outside side of the door, so it won’t just unlock the door every time somebody walks through the hallway, near the door, for example.
Ultraloq claims this makes the Bolt Mission more efficient than previous auto-unlock methods, which can often be laggy or inconsistent.
The Ultraloq Bolt Mission also supports NFC unlocking, with compatibility for Android devices at launch.
Along with its next-gen features, the lock also offers NFC tap-to-unlock (Android only, for now), and more traditional entry options, including a keypad for PIN codes and a key slot for manual use.
The smart lock integrates with major smart home platforms such as Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings.
Although Apple recently announced support for hands-free UWB unlocking in HomeKit, the first version of the Bolt Mission will not be compatible with that functionality.
A later version, expected later in the year, will support both the Matter and Aliro standards, enabling integration with Apple’s Home Key.
It will cost $399 and will go on sale in Q1 of this year.
The Bolt Fingerprint Matter is now on sale and costs $199.
For clarity, Ultraloq used to come under the U-tec banner but is now a direct brand in the Xthings family.
