My adventure with SwitchBot Lock started ages ago. It was a positive one, despite the 15-minute installation turning into a 4-hour journey, thanks to my 40-year-old door causing problems when retrofitting a smart lock. Months later, I delivered on the promise of getting the SwitchBot Lock fitted in about 20 minutes. I moved to a flat, with a modern door and compatible lock. I have been using it for a keyless entry ever since. SwitchBot Lock Pro is in my hands now – let’s see how long it takes to go PRO!
SwitchBot Lock Pro
SwitchBot Lock had some problems. Some of them surfaced in the garage door installation, however, it was the only smart lock I could think of, which would make the 40-year-old setup work. After smooth installation, I came across just one problem: the door opened to the inside, and I had no way to trigger the included magnet as my door frame was too far from the SwitchBot Lock. Other than that, the lock worked like a charm.
Sure, it looks like a symbiote attached to the lock on the inside and the design could be classed as dated by some but the ease of keyless entry was winning each time. I trusted it enough, to leave my keys behind.
SwitchBot Lock Pro looks stunning. The re-design works in its favour even if the lock still hugs your traditional lock in a symbiotic way. The circular knob that doubles as a button (a nice accessibility feature) feels smart, and the shroud keeps the turning mechanism out of sight. At its core – it’s still a tiny robot that latches to your existing lock and turns the key/knob on your behalf.
New are the batteries, as SwitchBot Lock Pro uses a magazine loaded with 4 AA batteries that are hidden under a nicely designed magnetic cover. If you want to go more PRO, SwitchBot also offers rechargeable USB-C LiPo power packs (region-locked for now) that you can use instead of AA batteries. You are expected to get 9 months on AA batteries and up to 12 months on rechargeable packs.
It came bundled with a new SwitchBot Hub (optional, if you want to open the door remotely, instead of the Bluetooth range) which opens the lock to the Matter ecosystem if the SwitchBot app isn’t enough and a Keypad Touch. You can save a little money and get the version without the fingerprint sensor.
You can buy everything starting from £139 for the SwitchBot Lock Pro, and save a bit when buying bundles! My recommendation is to go with the bundle that comes with SwitchBot Keypad Touch and Matter Hub. if you do it early – there is a great deal to save you money too!
Shazam/Unlock!
There are 15 ways to unlock the door lock for you – and the number of them depends on the bundle attached to your door. I have a Keypad Touch and SwitchBot Hub 2 alongside to play – and SwitchBot Lock Pro is compatible with previous generation SwitchBot devices too. Upgrading to Pro is as simple as removing the old SwitchBot Lock and linking SwitchBot Lock Pro.
Daily, I use a combination of an NFC tag, which doubles as my local Hackspace key, a fingerprint and I have a PIN in case I lose my fingers in a horrible accident on the way back home. One time, I felt very cool, when I had to open the door remotely to a contractor scheduled to do some work on the boiler. You can use voice assistants, schedules or if everything else fails, the actual physical key for your door.
Advanced options allow you to set multiple users, assign one-time and temporary access to fingerprints, PINs and cards and give you options to manage who has access and when.
Installation – 2 min*
Before you commit, check the SwitchBot page for compatible doors/locks. Considering that with some work I was able to fit the original SwitchBot lock on a very old door – your chances of of getting this installed are big.
There are 2 mounting plates and to fit it to my lock, I need plate A. This plate uses 3 grub screws to clamp to the barrel of the lock and hold SwitchBot Lock Pro in place. I like the solution, as it works quickly and takes 2 min to install on my door. *Or at least would be 2 min if not for the finicky screws on the sides, that I kept on dropping, and setting up the camera equipment to get it all filmed for YouTube.
The last step was to add the bloody magnet, which felt like it was miles away from SwitchBot Lock Pro and I wouldn’t be able to detect ajar doors again – but to my surprise, this worked like a charm and I could lock the door and detect when they are not closed! Handy as my door has a self-close mechanism with a nasty habit of not shutting the door completely. Now my door auto-locks as soon as SwitchBot Lock Pro detects that the door is closed.
Your installing hassle, strongly depends on the lock and plates you have installed on your door. SwitchBot Lock Pro comes with the most popular brackets for each region to help you with that.
Set-up
Pairing is also straightforward. A couple of steps walk through the complete installation and calibration process. I had to remove my old lock from the app to pair the existing keypad with SwitchBot Lock Pro. That was the only inconvenience I came across. I could unpair it via the app, but as the lock is not going to be used for now, I deleted it instead.
It’s worth noting that SwitchBot Lock Pro has support for night latching locks too. If your lock requires you to turn the key from the outside to open it again, SwitchBot has got you covered.
SwitchBot app
If you already have an army of small robots from SwitchBot, adding SwitchBot Lock Pro enables you to link the door unlock action to trigger other devices. I have SwitchBot Curtain 3 which could close as I leave the house and open as I get back home. Don’t forget that SwitchBot had also unique door contact sensors capable of detecting which way you go through the door.
SwitchBot Lock Pro interface looks more modern and while the options for the most part are the same, the app allows you to personalise the built-in button, expose the lock to Alexa and Google Home via skills or through Matter integration – and for anyone wanting more – SwitchBot also provides you with access to SwitchBot API. What started as a silly idea of small robots clicking buttons for you – turned into a rich ecosystem supporting smart vacuums, different window fixture openers and sensors.
The best part of this is that you can outfit your house or a flat without using a single screw – as I’m renting right now, it makes all the difference.
What makes SwitchBot Lock Pro, PRO
Apart from looks, SwitchBot Lock Pro is quicker to open the door and feels stronger. I can feel the difference in SwitchBot Lock Pro speed. It doesn’t “save” me any time, but the action of unlocking the door is as fast as using the key right now. It handles my lock without hesitation while the previous one had to put some elbow grease to fully open my lock. The extra cover over the moving parts, assures no tiny fingers will ever get tangled in there. SwitchBot Lock Pro simply feels Pro!
The inclusion of the configurable button is nice too. You can decide how you want to use it (lock/unlock/toggle) and pick between single and double tap to activate. It’s a great way to open the door when your hands are busy with the bin run or otherwise.
Overall SwitchBot Lock Pro is a great upgrade to your existing dull lock and a tempting bump up in spec if you already have SwitchBot Lock installed on your door.
Shop for Switchbot
Get Switchbot devices in the following stores:
Final thoughts
SwitchBot Lock Pro fixed the issues I had with the original lock. It’s smart, looks modern and feels even more compatible with modern locks than before. It’s faster, works with Matter and gives you the flexibility to manage the security of your household. Most importantly, I trust it once again to go outside without a key in my pocket. It’s a 10/10 for anyone who rents! So if that’s you – and you fancy security improvements – get one for yourself. If you have any questions leave it in this Reddit thread.
🆓📈 – See the transparency note for details.
