WELOCK Touch41 - I Was Wrong About Smart Locks... 

We have the Aqara lock on our house, and it has worked very well for us. My wife and I both mainly use our fingerprints with it without issue. But it also comes with a key as a backup option. The only thing I wish the Aqara lock had was the ability to set a timer where it auto-locks after being untouched.

Looking at the thumbnail for this vid, I was thinking what does a French onion seller have to do with locks?

I have an Aqara U100 lock. it comes with 2 keys, 2 NFC tags that are beautiful. I can use NFC on my phone to unlock it, or my finger. My favourite way to unlock it is using the HomeKit key that's stored on my phone and watch. So I use my watch to unlock the door most of the time. It feels so futuristic.

Genuine question - I wonder how insurance companies view locks such as this? I wonder if they'd pay out if the house was burgled and these were fitted!

Lack of a failsafe would worry me, perhaps review the new Nuki 4 Pro, fits on the inside and can be set to automatically unlock when it connects to your Bluetooth when you approach, and can still use your key in an emergency, from the outside it's a normal lock so no-one knows its smart

I’ve had the Yale Conexis L1 for 3 years. Never missed a beat. Fully Home assistant compatible with the zigbee module installed. Lock opens automatically when I drive up to the house. Nice review though Stu👍🏻

This looks like a great option for my side door

Nice review. This definitely isn’t the lock for me, I would only buy from a trusted, known and established brand. But I do like this style of Smart Lock. The Euro profile and multipoint locking system that’s prevalent in the UK doesn’t lend itself well to smart locks and nobody so far has really created one that allows a completely automated system anyway, so I like the way that it basically just becomes a smart key other than the smart lock. This is good because if you accidentally activated the lock to unlock it then forgot it would lock itself again when it timed out. Whereas most smart locks will remain unlocked, if that makes sense. I hope the likes of Yale develop something along these lines although their track record was software hasn’t been great. As for backup options when the batteries are flat, I guess this isn’t a massive concern unless you only have one door, as you could carry a key for a back, but it should also be noted that the iPhone 15 does reverse charging now so you could just leave a cheap USB to USB micro cable stashed somewhere - if you have an iPhone 15 of course (I don’t know what android phones have this feature but maybe some do?). Also, I have been trained in making entry to properties (legally), And the euro profile barrels have been prone to Lock snapping attacks due to an inherent design flaw (which I’m not going to explain for obvious reasons). This actually prevents that type of attack almost impossible however the one thing does concern me is the way it works I saw in this video. The Lock handle spins freely which means there must be some kind of grip mechanism inside those kind of mechanisms are quite easy to overcome and it might just involve putting a large amount of pressure on the Lock, so I would like to see some more before I ever trusted in that respect.

It's just too noticeable. I'd be concerned that it attracts far too much attention and would more likely be subject to attack. Noone needs yet another gateway connected to their network. Maybe it could be integrated to Home Assistant via Bluetooth.

So, correct me if I'm wrong but. You take the allen keys and take the cover of. You take the second allen key to pull the lockntowards you. then it exposes the steel bar that needs to be turned, so you turn that with a plier and the door is open...

Smartbot, whose products you have reviewed in the past, do a much better looking smart lock. Review that one Stu.

Do any motorised smart locks work with the upvc doors where you have to lift the handle to engage the locking mechanism? Guess this one is fine as it just enables the "key"

Interesting video as usual. I have a Yale smart lock on my garage back door. It uses AA batteries. Problem is I live in Norway and the month of -25 C was not good for those batteries. They are inside but my garage is not insulated- so on the house it would be fine. Just haven’t added to the house yet - which is stupid because I have a Tesla and don’t have any other keys or wallet - only the house key and my phone! Hmmm you remind me to do something this summer.

Great review … Take it the company hasn’t given you any insight on whether the lock will ever be matter or HomeKit compatible?

Wonder if the scanner still functions as well when it's wet? Rains a fair bit here so I have images of me getting more and more frustrated trying to get in my house as it rains lol. Also would the mini usb port for charging also allow for a laptop or something to be plugged in to hack the lock? Maybe I've just been watching too many movies lol. We must keep our basements secure...

I use the SwitchBot lock and it has a few more features than this one plus it integrates with Home Assistant. It also allows you to use the normal key if anything should go wrong with the smart lock.

You had me at insert mechanism lol

“the front one can’t just be pulled off” had me laughing probably more than it should have. Great review, I agree about the physical key.

Not keen on the top thumb scanner. Rain, ice, snow possible issues? Having to remember to turn it down is the resolution to this, I guess. I'd keep my Aqara U100

But can it unlock the lock if the lock is already locked or unlocked by someone els that locked or unlocked the door ?

Tech seems fine but looks poorly designed as far as ergonomics and weather-resistance, not to mention aesthetics

It should automatically turn the key when door closed. Faulty design IMHO. I had a burglar taking advantage of it in the past. If I shut the door, I want to have it locked at the same time. Period.

It’s as ugly as sin. I think it’s overpriced. It needs to work with all ecosystems. It only suits one particular type of cylinder which is not what I have. However… it’s insanely exciting that somebody has figured out that smart barrel locks are needed, as well as smart deadlocks. This is the first smart lock I’ve seen that could work on my glass sliding doors (the handle is possibly a bit bulky) and that is awesome! Hopefully some other manufacturers see this and realise there’s a market for barrel locks, and refine it and improve it so it can work with Matter. If someone gets it right I’ll be snapping up 2 in a heartbeat. This is a very good start, just not quite there yet.

A USB-C port would’ve been better so that you can power it from your phone.

As long as rocks and windows exist, someone hacking your door shouldn't be something you worry about. :)

I'd go one more level on the analogue requirement - EVERY smart lock that has a key, SHOULD have the ability to either re-key or replace the lock cylinder. Some smart locks do NOT have the ability to order multiples with the same key profile, and even have a custom cylinder that is not easily replaceable with an industry-standard unit. This is a major security concern on what is supposed to be the first line of defense for most homes.

In like flynn

Still dont trust smart locks. After about two years I activated my fingerprint to allow me to unlock my Smart Phone, several weeks later the fingerprint system stopped working, and it has been showing an error message stating the finger print mode is broken. Lucky I still had the PIN activated. As I have most of the Aqara products their lock might be good choice, just that two of the curtain units and six of the radiator valves I have from Aqara, have failed. All of these are mechanical devices rather than electronic which all work fine. So trusting another mechanical product which might stop me getting inside is off putting.

Never truly trusted a smart lock, it's just something i can't quite put my finger on why ? ....................................

who is this Arthur Ritus bloke?

WOW that's an ugly lock.

You’ve exposed your lock QR code me thinks…