Bluetooth-only smart lock keeps the costs down
Wyze is back with another wallet-friendly device: the Wyze Lock Bolt has gone live and costs just $69.99 (well, $79.99 once you’ve paid the shipping).
“Why so cheap?” I hear you cry. And your cries are warranted, given that the August WiFi Smart Lock costs $250 and the new Apple Home Key friendly Schlage Encode Plus Smart WiFi Deadbolt is $300.
Well, it’s because Wyze’s new smart door lock isn’t all that smart. There’s no Wi-Fi, no cellular, heck there isn’t even any Zigbee or Z-Wave going on.
It’s smartness comes from being able to connect via Bluetooth with the Wyze app on your smartphone (iOS or Android).
It, therefore, requires you to be within Bluetooth range of the lock to operate it using the app and that lack of internet connectivity means no remote access for guests.
However, that doesn’t mean that your friends and family will be locked out should you not be home, you can create one-time passwords in the app to share for temporary access and, for regular callers, you can also store up to 20 permanent access codes and up to 50 fingerprints.
Some would argue (especially given Wyze’s recent news) that the lack of internet/cloud access is a good thing for extra security.
My take is that the easiest features of a smart lock are all present and correct – local app access, codes, fingerprints – it’s just a shame you won’t be able to add lock/unlock states into smart home routines and automations.
Still, at less than $70 (well, $80), you can’t really quibble.
The Wyze Lock Bolt is battery powered (4 x AA) and the budget smart home specialist says it’s good for 12 months between changes. There’s emergency USB-C power on board should you accidentally let the juice run dry.
Fingerprint recognition is stated at just 0.5 seconds and Wyze says it takes just 20 minutes to install and replace your existing deadbolt.
The Wyze Lock Bolt also features an auto-lock (20 minute by default) timer for if you forget to lock up.
It’s on sale now, direct from Wyze.
