My wife puts up with a lot from me.
“What’s in the box?” she’ll ask when yet another package arrives.
“A new deadbolt for the front door. I’m reviewing it,” I answer.
“Of course you are,” she says. “I was just getting used to the old one.”
Being married to a gadget reviewer means she gets to test some of these things with me whether she likes it or not.
This week we’re reviewing the Wyze Lock Bolt ($69.99, wyze.com), a smart deadbolt for your exterior doors.
I’ve reviewed half a dozen smart deadbolts over the past few years, and whenever I get a new one to try, I know I’m going to get some grief about it.
We tend to find the good and bad together.
Wyze Lock Bolt
One advantage of reviewing so many deadbolts is you get to know which features are useful and which are not.
The Lock Bolt can be unlocked three ways — by inputting a code on the backlit keypad, by your fingerprint or in the Wyze app.
My last deadbolt from Eufy was my first with a fingerprint reader to unlock the door, and I can’t tell you how useful I find it.
Fingerprint unlocking has become a must-have for me.
On the other hand, many smart deadbolts also have a key to unlock as a backup. I’ve never had to resort to using the key (so far), so I wasn’t shocked to learn the Lock Bolt does not have any type of key.
Bluetooth or Wi-Fi?
Many smart deadbolts connect to your home’s Wi-Fi network, which is handy for unlocking the door from afar through an app or integrating with Alexa or Google Home or Apple Homekit. Home automation integrations are handy for things like turning on lights when the door is unlocked.
Some users are leery of putting their home’s deadbolt on the internet and available to hackers.
Wyze gives users a choice by making two smart deadbolts.
It makes the Wyze Lock smart deadbolt, which uses Wi-Fi but doesn’t have a fingerprint reader.
Now it has the Lock Bolt, which has a fingerprint reader but uses Bluetooth for interacting with the app.
There is no internet interaction with the Lock Bolt. All door codes and fingerprints are stored locally, inside the lock.
Lock setup is done through the app. You can create up to 20 users, give them codes to unlock the door and set up their fingerprints. You can also set schedules for each user, so you can limit the hours their codes will work.
Perhaps you only want the dog sitter’s code to work for one weekend or you want the housekeeper’s code to work on Monday mornings.
Because the Lock Bolt is Bluetooth-only, any adjustments must be made when you are within 30 feet of the lock.
Installation
You’ll initiate the installation from the Wyze app on your phone or tablet.
As I said, I’ve reviewed more than a few smart deadbolts, so installation took me about 15 minutes, start to finish.
If you’ve never replaced a deadbolt, you’ll want to watch the Wyze Lock Bolt installation video on YouTube.
The key is to make sure the bolt and strike plate in your door jamb are lined up and that the bolt engages smoothly.
If your door is difficult to lock, you may need to make some adjustments to the strike plate while you’re installing the new lock.
The motor in the Lock Bolt is strong and quiet and it engages quickly.
Wyze app
Once installed, the Wyze app is where you’ll configure the lock to your liking.
In the app, you’ll set up users, assign unlock codes for each user and capture fingerprints.
Setting up fingerprints for each user is simple. Tell the app you want to capture a fingerprint and you’ll need the user to touch their finger to the reader on the lock. They’ll lift and press their finger about 10 times.
You can store multiple fingerprints for each user. I scanned both my index fingers and my thumbs.
You can see a log of all door lock activity, including which user used the lock and which method they used (keypad, fingerprint, app). You can even see failed attempts.
Another thing the app can do is generate one-time use codes. If you need to let someone in while you’re away, you can use the app to generate a code that will work once. You don’t have to be within Bluetooth range to generate the codes, which is nice.
You can also share the device with other Wyze users (like other members of your family). They can create their own access codes and set their fingerprints, but they can’t add other users or set or delete codes for other users.
The app includes an Auto Locking feature. You can set it to automatically lock itself after a preset amount of time. I have it set to lock after being open for one minute.
You can also lock the door manually by pressing a lock button on the keypad.
Other features
The Lock Bolt runs on four AA batteries, which Wyze says will last up to one year.
There is a battery status light on the front panel, below the keyboard. The light will flash red when the batteries are running low.
What happens if the batteries die? How do you unlock the door?
There is a way to provide external power, but you’ll need a bit of preparation to use it.
On the bottom of the front panel, you’ll find a USB-C port under a rubber cover. You can plug an external battery pack via USB-C and it will power the lock while you unlock it.
Of course, this means you’ll need to buy an external battery, like the kind you’d use to charge your phone.
I guess instead of a hide-a-key, you’ll need to keep a small external battery and USB-C cable handy. I have one in the emergency kit in my car for phone emergencies, but now it can double as a spare battery for the Lock Bolt.
The lock itself is made of metal. It’s IPX5 weatherproof and is only available in black.
One other cool feature is Anti-Peep, which lets users add random numbers before or after the entry code to confuse anyone who might be trying to watch you enter the code.
If your code is 3345, you can enter 1123345900 and the door will unlock. The lock knows to start watching for the code once you start using the keypad and it can recognize the correct code amid other random numbers.
Not sure how often I’d use this feature, but if you’re unlocking the door in front of a stranger, you can’t be too careful.
Overall
I really like the Wyze Lock Bolt. It has all the features I’m looking for in a smart deadbolt: multiple users, fingerprints to unlock, backlit keypad and a quick and quiet operation. I’ve had it installed for a month or so, and it has worked flawlessly.
And what did my wife think, you may ask? She says she had an overall positive experience with the Lock Bolt. She’s usually in a rush when she’s leaving for work, so she was glad to have a dedicated lock button on the keypad and she likes having so many unlock options without needing a key.
The lack of a physical key as a backup my worry some people, but I’ve been using smart deadbolts of many brands for a few years, and I’ve never needed to use the key.
For $70, this lock is hard to beat.
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to set up, fingerprint unlocking and solid, backlit buttons
Cons: Using a USB-C battery pack as emergency unlock is a bit of a pain.
Bottom line: This lock checks all the boxes for me. It is a solid performer.
