This is how I started opening my house with my mobile

The bone Mobile phones have become the keys to our digital lives. In addition, they are also starting to be real keys to devices such as cars and are also used as identification elements in businesses, or to show one’s driving license.

With the rise of home automation to make our daily lives more comfortable, but also safer Thanks to cameras and alarm systems, cell phones have also become increasingly important for accessing homes. Smart locks are the best example of this.

Nuki, one of the most important companies in the sector, recently presented the lock Nuki Smart Lock Pro (279 dollars), a device that allows you to intelligently open and close the door of your home, although it is also used for many other things. We spent a few weeks using it daily and here are our impressions.

Lock Compatibility

The first thing you need to know is that this type of smart locks can be installed on virtually any lock. But there is something important to keep in mind. The ideal is install it in a double clutch lock. That is to say a lock which allows you to open the door from the outside when there is a key inside.

This is very important because The lock requires always leaving a key inside. The device moves it based on our commands. If the lock is not double clutch, it cannot be opened from the outside with the key. This is only necessary if the lock fails or runs out of battery.

In my case I had a normal cylinder, so I had to change it to test the lock. This wasn’t something I did because it was mandatory, but because I’ve been wanting to change the lock for a while, and this was the perfect excuse. In the event that a buyer has a double clutch lock, or does not fear opening from the outside, This will not be a problem, nor necessary. Another aspect to consider is the size of the key. Most keys fit perfectly into the Nuki Smart Lock Pro, but there are very large models that require cutting. The cut part is the one used to manipulate the handle when holding it with your hand, and it is neither complicated nor problematic. Of course, in the vast majority of cases this will not be necessary.

Easy to install

This is the first smart lock I’ve reviewed and I wrongly thought the installation would be very complex.. Nothing could be further from reality. In the purchase box itself you can see that there are not many items, which indicates that it is not something difficult to do. You have the possibility to use a support with 3M adhesive or one with screws. You choose the one you prefer, based on our lock, door or our preference. When it is clear which one is used, it is placed in the lock and the key is inserted.

This is when you need to put the lock on and secure it to the support. The last thing to do is to insert the battery, which must have been previously charged using a standard USB-C charger. Once the application is installed on the mobile, which we will talk about below, the lock must be calibratedand choose if you have a door with an exterior handle, handle, etc., so that the opening is perfect.

More features than expected

The main novelty of this lock is that it is the first compatible with Matter, so it does not need an additional communication hub. In this way, can be used directly in applications such as Alexa or Google Home in an integrated manner.

Logically, from the app you can open and close the door, including the partial turn needed to imitate the movement of a handle. The app always asks for a double check to open the door, so that this is not done by mistake by clicking on the mobile screen. Furthermore, You can also open the lock from the device itself, by having a button with two activators. It can be pressed quickly or for a long time, and its action is configurable from the application.

From this app you can also check if the lock is open or not., as well as the battery level, the quality of the Wi-Fi connection (necessary to open it when the cell phone is not nearby), etc. The entire setup process is simple, although there are many options available. One of these functions is open the door remotely, for example when someone needs to enter the house but we forgot to leave them a key to do so. You can also give access to a person with their mobile phone, by creating virtual keys that can have a limited duration.

Of course, it is possible to open the lock from your mobile, but also the clock. Nuki offers an app for Wear OS that makes using this feature even more convenient. However, the cell phone connects to the lock via Bluetooth, so thanks to the proximity it is able to open and close it automatically if we want.

One of the improvements of this model compared to the previous one is autonomy. It has 30% more, reaching 6 months depending on the company. This varies based on usage, WiFi signal quality, and other settings, but six months is similar to what other security devices, such as cameras, offer.

Additionally, it has a USB-C port that charges the battery comfortably and not particularly slowly, but since this is something that is done every six months, it doesn’t seem like fast charging is the key. This, yes, For safety reasons, it warns the user when 20% battery remains, more than a month before the power outage..

Should I buy it?

There Nuki Smart Pro is a high-end device. It is an easy-to-install smart lock, with great autonomy and a multitude of functions. Of course, it’s not cheap. The 279 dollars it costs may put off some users, but these are products that cannot be found for a few dozen dollars either. And we wouldn’t trust him if that were the case, would we?

Whether it’s worth buying or not depends on the type of user. This system is very practical for people who have no idea and leave their keys inside the house, for families who want their children to be able to enter or leave the house but don’t want to give them their own key, for users who must give access to housekeepers, caregivers or other workers are punctual, but they prefer not to part with a key, for fear of a copy being made, etc.

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