I have been missing my keyless entry since I moved out of my tiny apartment. Installed then, SwitchBot Lock Pro was so reliable that I found myself leaving keys behind, never worrying about being locked out. The house I purchased a couple of months ago is mostly devoid of automation, and I hate jingling keys in my pocket when I’m going running or cycling. All are valid reasons to try the new SwitchBot Lock Ultra.
Let’s automate my lock!
Review Summary
SwitchBot Lock Ultra is the most reliable smart lock I’ve had in my hands so far. With exciting unlock options like face unlock, you can enter your property without keys or fear of being locked out. It’s an Ultra solution for all your locking needs.
Pros:
- face unlock
- quiet and fast mode
- very reliable
Cons:
- not all locks are compatible
- expensive
4.5/5
Get yours from SwitchBot Store, AmazonUK or AmazonUS.
SwitchBot Lock Ultra and SwitchBot Keypad Vision
The first time I tried making my entry smarter, I retrofitted some ZigBee sensors inside my door to give me lock-state notifications. This wouldn’t lock the door, but the project kept me from leaving the door unlocked. It served me well, but I always wanted to leave the keys behind. Thanks to the release of two new devices from SwitchBot, I can retrofit my door lock and never worry about my keys again. All I need to carry with me is my memory, my fingertips or my face!
Why do I want one?
There are many reasons to get a smart lock. Apart from being a smart add-on to your SwitchBot and Matter-enabled home (yes, SwitchBot Lock Ultra supports Matter), guest management and keyless entry are probably the strongest arguments for getting one. I trust it enough to leave keys behind. My trusted friends have backup keys, and I can retrieve them in the unlikely event of a lockout. The reality is that I’m more likely to lose my keys somewhere than have a SwitchBot lock fail on me.
Trusting someone with access while you are away also becomes easier as each unlock can be monitored, access set to work in specific times or X number of times, and there is no awkward “give my keys back” once you are back. It’s also a less committed way of sharing access with a new love interest without the gesture feeling rushed.
Lastly, not looking for keys in your pockets, leaving the autolock in charge of closing the door behind you and bringing 2 bags of Tesco shopping at once without juggling everything to find which pocket has your keys is another convenient reason to upgrade the lock.
SwitchBot Lock Ultra
A lot of thought got put through to the 3rd generation of the SwitchBot Lock. It looks sleeker, works faster and quieter, but the biggest changes are actually on the inside. One of the biggest concerns of each smart lock owner is the threat of locking yourself out. After all, if you have to take your house keys with you all the time, is there really a point to this?
SwitchBot recognises this and redesigned the SwitchBot Lock Ultra with extra features in mind:
- faster turning
- removable USB-C compatible battery magazine
- secondary battery capable of 500 unlocks
- emergency unlock boost
- certified to work in harsh conditions
All this to let you trust the lock no matter what. This works well, as I don’t have to worry about charging my lock, and not having it in use. The removable magazine means I don’t have to keep spare batteries or remove the lock to charge it, and it’s operable while the spare battery is getting charged up.
The only interactive feature of the lock is the big round knob that has a status ring light around it and a configurable button. A very nicely designed box comes with 2 mounting systems, 8 knob adapters and bits to install the lock in place, change the look of its faceplate and cover to hide the gap between the door and the lock.
The new feature is Bluetooth/Geofencing unlock – an added ability to unlock SwitchBot Lock Ultra without the need for a keypad at all. This will work better for houses than apartments. Despite having a bit of drive in front of my house, I decided to predominantly use the face unlock.
SwitchBot Keypad Vision
SwitchBot already have two Keypads in its lineup. These are completely optional, as the lock can be operated from the phone, but having one on the door is extremely convenient. As the product name suggests, with SwitchBot Keypad Vision, I get one more way to unlock the door – face unlock!
SwitchBot Locks can be used with all three versions of the keypad; therefore, the unlocking methods available for use are: pin, NFC card, fingerprint and now face unlock. I tested previous methods while reviewing SwitchBot Lock Pro, so I’ll focus mostly on the face unlock.
It’s wider than the previous generation Keypad, and it resembles a ikey storage box. Apart from face unlock and unlock options from previous Keypads, SwitchBot Keypad Vision is also equipped with a button (yes, you can use it as a doorbell or map in-app automations to it) and a speaker that provides voice feedback. The back of the keypad holds a tamper sensor, and the bottom of it has a USB-C port for charging.
All keys in the SwitchBot Keypad Vision have a highlight, so typing your code at night isn’t problematic, and PIN access allows secure input where any sequence containing your PIN unlocks the door (useful for using PIN next to bystanders).
In the SwitchBot app, you can set the sensitivity of the face unlock and create all unlock options: from permanent PIN and fingerprints to single-use codes and authentication working only on selected days. This option is very welcome, especially since I can grant access to my friends and neighbours to water my plants without the awkwardness of claiming the house key back upon return.
Bear in mind that to open the lock remotely, you’ll have to pair it with the SwitchBot Hub.
Incredibly fast installation
I would strongly recommend that you read the compatibility guide from SwitchBot to make you aware of lock compatibilities. I was unlucky! My lock was not supported (can’t use my key if one is inserted already), and to add the insult to injury, the face plate of my handle plate was rounded, making it impossible to fit the lock. A trip to B&Q and £91 later, I ended up with a highly rated lock and a compatible flat face handle assembly matching my door. That’s the worst-case scenario, and I did not hold back on security and bought an expensive lock.
Even with re-fitting the handle, the whole installation took about 30 minutes. Most of that time I spent messing about with my new lock and handle, as SwitchBot Lock Ultra is so well designed, you can install it in about 5 min!. To increase compatibility with various locks, it offers 3 installation brackets:
- 3M tape – this will work with most flat plate profiles. It sticks the base plate around the lock and provides a secure fit.
- 3-way grub screw – best for locks that stick out 4-5mm from the cover plate – as the base plate uses 3 grub screw to latch to the lock and keep it in place.
- key latch – if your lock can be unlocked from outside while the key is inserted from the other side, you can use that plate to get hold of the key and make the SwitchBot Lock Ultra twist the key for you.
Once the base plate is installed, the SwitchBot Lock Ultra can be mounted to the door in about 30 seconds. Auto calibration steps guide you through the setup process, and 2 minutes later, I was able to use my brand-new lock. There is a choice of 4 different face plate designs for the lock, and you can cover up the gap left under the lock with a skirting piece, but due to the “fancy” door design, I couldn’t fit mine.
“Look good” to unlock
I cannot understate how convenient the face unlock is. Several times a week, I get back home with my hands occupied with tools, shopping bags and other items. To unlock my door now, I all I have to do is look at the general direction of the lock, wait 2-3 seconds for the lock to unlock, and I can enter my house without looking for keys.
It’s not the fastest lock I’ve had the pleasure to test (that title belongs to Aqara Lock), but at no point did I feel that the process was slower and more complex than using a key. As a previous SwitchBot Lock user, I’m completely satisfied with how it works so far. A quiet mode can be set for night time operation, reducing noise to whisper quiet motor operation at the expense of speed. Perfect setting for sneaking in late at night without waking anyone inside.
This voice feedback led to a funny situation where the courier rang my EZVIZ doorbell, and then was instructed by the face detection voice prompts to proceed to listen to given by the lock commands to position his head closer to the lock. At this point, I was pretty sure if the lock told my courier to do 3 suqats, he would obey it too! I disabled the voice feedback to avoid these situations in the future.
SwitchBot Matter, Alexa and other integrations
Switchbot has a pretty decent app that you can use to command all your SwitchBot devices without a hub (via Bluetooth), but for the best results, add the lock to one of your Matter-enabled hubs. This way, you can set up automations, link your lock with Alexa, Google Home, HomeKit or even with Home Assistant (for now via cloud, the direct integration with Home Assistant is coming up).
Shop for Switchbot
Get Switchbot devices in the following stores:
Final thoughts
It looks like the SwitchBot Lock Ultra is to stay on my door. At launch, you can grab it from £159.99 (depending on the combo selected), which is not the easiest price tag to swallow, but considering the convenience, security and peace of mind that it offers, you could be swayed to spend extra to keep your house convenient to access, safe and smart. Now we need the vision kit to act as a video doorbell, and we have a really cool little gadget to add to the point of entry. Let me know your thoughts in this Reddit thread.
🆓📈💵 – See the transparency note for details.
