SwitchBot Lock Review - PCMag

Some smart locks regenerate your existent assembly entirely, but the SwitchBot Lock ($99.99) is overmuch little intrusive, making it a bully acceptable for rentals and different homes wherever you can't power retired the existing hardware. This unique, battery-powered fastener installs implicit your interior thumb-turn knob and contains a Bluetooth vigor that enables a transportation to your phone. It's elemental to instal and offers wide compatibility, though we don't similar that you person to wage other for a hub ($39) to person notifications, alteration third-party integrations, and usage dependable commands. We besides recovered that its adhesive tin perchance harm overgarment finishes connected doors. Our Editors’ Choice winner, the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi ($249), is simply a batch much expensive, but it's a implicit solution with much unlock options (such arsenic an embedded fingerprint scanner), built-in Wi-Fi, and impermanent entree scheduling. But if you can't (or simply don't privation to) regenerate your existing lock, the SwitchBot is simply a utile alternative.

A Versatile Design and Lots of Add-Ons

The SwitchBot Lock is an interior instrumentality that attaches to the thumb-turn knob of your existing lock. It works with astir Kwikset, Schlage, Baldwin, and Emtek deadbolt models that person an interior thumb-turn knob, arsenic good arsenic Jimmy-Proof deadbolt locks. A list of compatible products(Opens successful a caller window) is disposable connected the institution website.

The SwitchBot has a matte achromatic decorativeness and measures 4.4 by 2.3 by 2.9 inches (HWD). The beforehand has a thumb-turn knob with a brushed metallic grip and an LED indicator. The airy concisely glows greenish erstwhile the doorway is locked oregon unlocked, turns reddish erstwhile the artillery is debased oregon determination is an error, flashes bluish dilatory during the pairing process oregon a firmware update, and alternates betwixt reddish and bluish erstwhile either the pairing process oregon a firmware update fails.

(Credit: SwitchBot)

In the box, you get the lock, a tiny screwdriver, 3 thumb-turn adapters successful antithetic sizes, a magnet that tells the fastener if the doorway is ajar, a spare quadrate of double-sided installation tape, 4 spare basal screws, a bedewed hitch for cleaning the installation surface, and a idiosyncratic guide. The bundle besides includes a brace of circular NFC tags that you tin programme to fastener and unlock your doorway erstwhile you spot your telephone adjacent to them.

The apical of the fastener has a removable screen that hides the artillery compartment. It comes with 2 CR123A batteries that should past for up to six months earlier needing a replacement. Also nether the removable screen is an adjustable portion basal with 4 screws (two connected each side) that clasp it successful place. The basal allows you to set the extent of the fastener to guarantee a due acceptable implicit your existing assembly.

Below the artillery compartment connected the backmost is simply a motorized spindle that holds the thumb-turn adapter. The institution says the centrifugal tin grip up to 50,000 fastener cycles (or the equivalent of astir 10 years) based connected an mean usage complaint of 10 times per day. Under the hood is simply a Bluetooth 5.0 vigor that enables a transportation with the SwitchBot mobile app. 

You request to acquisition a SwitchBot Hub Mini ($39) to person fastener and unlock notifications, arsenic good arsenic to power the portion with Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri dependable commands. The hub besides allows the fastener to enactment with IFTTT applets, the Apple Watch, the SmartThings location automation platform, and different SwitchBot astute plugs, information cameras, lights, and question sensors. You tin besides adhd a SwitchBot KeyPad ($29.99) oregon SwitchBot Keypad Touch ($59.99) for further unlock methods.

This exemplary offers an Auto-Lock option, but you can’t delegate impermanent entree to different users similar you tin with astir competitors specified arsenic the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi Lock and the Bosma Aegis Smart Lock.

SwitchBot Lock App Experience

The fastener relies connected the SwitchBot mobile app (available for Android and iOS). It opens to a My Home surface with panels for each of your SwitchBot devices. The fastener sheet displays the device's sanction and its presumption (locked oregon unlocked). Tap the sheet to spot a ample circular fastener that lets you fastener and unlock the doorway remotely. Below the fastener are artillery level and Bluetooth awesome indicators. A Log fastener connected the bottommost lets you presumption each fastener activities with clip and day information. 

(Credit: PCMag)

Press the cogwheel icon successful the precocious close country to alteration notifications (if you person the hub), disable strategy sounds and the LED indicator, configure Auto-Lock and door-ajar settings, calibrate the lock, and link to the SwitchBot cloud. This conception besides lets you acceptable up the NFC tags and update the lock’s firmware. 

Straightforward Setup, But Avoid Painted Doors

The SwitchBot Lock is precise casual to install, but I wouldn’t urge doing truthful connected a painted door, arsenic I tried to bash initially. For reference, my beforehand doorway is painted and uses a single-bolt Jimmy-Proof lock.

Per the written instructions, I removed the artillery screen and the 4 screws that unafraid the portion basal to the lock. I snapped connected the due thumb-turn adapter, placed the fastener implicit my existing lock’s thumb-turn, and adjusted the portion basal truthful that the adapter covered the thumb-turn. I made definite to permission a tiny spread (around 0.04 inch) betwixt the adapter and the basal of the thumb-turn. I replaced the 4 screws and ensured the fastener operated smoothly portion holding the SwitchBot Lock successful spot by hand. Next, I cleaned the country wherever I intended to instal the fastener with the included wipe, fto it dry, and removed the integrative covering from the double-sided tape. I aligned the fastener with the thumb-turn, pressed it to the door, and held it determination for 2 minutes.

The fastener seemed unafraid astatine archetypal but, with conscionable a small spot of pressure, it peeled disconnected the doorway and took a just magnitude of overgarment on with it. With the other double-sided portion successful the box, I reinstalled the instrumentality connected a bare wood door. It held to that aboveground without issue.

(Credit: SwitchBot)

After securing the lock, I downloaded the mobile app, tapped Get Started, and selected the positive fastener successful the precocious close country of the location screen. The app instructed maine to make an relationship and past participate a verification codification it sent to my email address. Next, I returned to the location screen, tapped the positive fastener again, and chose Lock from the database of SwitchBot devices. I removed the artillery tab connected the fastener and tapped Next erstwhile the LED began to flash blue. I named the lock, tapped the SwitchBot Lock Is Installed enactment (at this constituent you tin ticker an installation tutorial), and attached the magnet to the doorway framework utilizing double-sided tape. I followed the on-screen calibration instructions to implicit the installation.

The institution besides sent on a Hub Mini for testing, which was painless to install. I simply plugged it successful utilizing the included USB powerfulness cable, tapped the positive fastener successful the app, and selected the Hub Mini from the list. All I had to bash to decorativeness the transportation process was property the fastener connected the apical of the hub for 3 seconds and participate my Wi-Fi web credentials.

The SwitchBot Lock worked good successful my tests. The centrifugal operated smoothly and quietly, and the fastener responded rapidly to app commands. The Auto-Lock diagnostic worked arsenic intended, arsenic did Alexa dependable commands and routines. Additionally, I had nary occupation locking and unlocking the doorway with NFC tags.

A Good Way to Make Your Existing Lock Smart

If you privation to adhd astute features to your modular doorway fastener without replacing immoderate components, the SwitchBot Lock is casual to instal and works with astir immoderate thumb-turn model. That makes it peculiarly utile for rental properties, which mightiness person strict rules astir specified changes. You mightiness privation to enactment distant from the SwitchBot if your doorway is painted, however, arsenic its adhesive doesn't enactment good connected that benignant of surface. Moreover, if you privation to get presumption notifications, usage dependable commands, oregon brace it with different third-party astute devices, you person to wage other for the SwitchBot Hub Mini. If you don't caput starting caller with a implicit fastener assembly, the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi offers built-in Wi-Fi and galore unlock methods, but it costs more.