Smart-lock suppliers at the CEDIA Expo focused on integrating their door locks with other home systems, in part by incorporating Thread wireless meshnetwork technology and Nest’s Thread communications protocol on top of Thread.
During the show, Poly-Control expanded integration of its Danalock door lock to include Nest, ZigBee and Harmony products, and both Poly-Control and Yale said they plan to integrate Thread and Weave into smart locks.
Yale and Rabbit Electronics combined keypad-equipped locks with wireless for remote control and monitoring from afar.
Here’s what the companies showed:
LockState: The supplier of smart locks and Wi- Fi-enabled home-automation products trotted out its $529 RemoteLock 6i Wi-Fi door lock with numeric keypad. Via Wi-Fi, users can monitor and control the lock from remote locations via phone or computer. Users can also remotely change security codes to grant access to different people on different days or weeks. The latter feature is suited for people who rent out their homes to vacationers through services such as Airbnb or who rent out their vacation homes through real-estate agents, the company said.
The 6i began shipping in October. A 99-cent monthly subscription fee is required to connect to LockState’s portal for monitoring and control.
Poly-Control: The company’s Danalock got a complete makeover with version V2, which connects to more wireless home-automation devices than before. The lock adds ZigBee wireless technology and Nest and Harmony integration. The lock also adds notifications, informing parents that their kids arrived home from school on time.
The Bluetooth-only version of the V2 is $179, and a $199 version pairs Bluetooth with either Z-Wave or ZigBee to integrate with home-automation products incorporating those mesh-network technologies.
The ZigBee-equipped version will be upgradable to add Thread technology on top of the ZigBee radio. Thread was developed by a Nest-led group. Poly-Control also plans to add the Nest-developed Weave protocol on top of Thread. Weave is a communications protocol adopted by Nest, which is enlisting other companies to add Thread and Weave to their home-automation products.
The locks will be available to consumers by the end of November direct from Poly-Control at Danalock.com and through Amazon and select resellers.
Like its predecessor, the V2 replaces a deadbolt’s thumb turn on the inside of the door, enabling consumers to keep their existing deadbolt and outside key lock. Via Bluetooth, the lock automatically unlocks when the user is within a user-programmable range up of five to 25 feet. Poly-Control also added geo location to speed up the auto unlock feature.
Another new V2 feature will be available with a soon-to-be-released app that turns old smartphones and tablets into a bridge that delivers remote monitoring and control, as well as notifications, without the separate purchase of other-brand hubs. The mobile device must offer Bluetooth BLE and Wi-Fi.
Yale: The company unveiled two Yale Real Living-branded Wi-Fi smart locks, the Wi-Fi-only Linus (price to be announced) and the $224 Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth Assure, both with touchscreen keypads.
The Assure door lock is expected to hit as-yet unspecified retailers in the first quarter; Linus is due at an as-yet unspecified later date. Neither includes a traditional keyhole, leaving no exposed cylinder to pick or bump.
Linus will be Yale’s entry-level smart lock, a keyless model with opened by entering a four- to eight-digit code that can be individually assigned to up to a dozen users; codes can be emailed to visiting family members, guests or workers on a timed temporary or permanent basis and revoked at any time.
Like most smart locks, Linus can provide alerts when the door is open or closed as well as a history of comings and goings by lock users.
Linus will pair with Nest’s family of smart products and will use Nest’s new Weave protocol. When the lock is paired with a Nest Protect smoke detector, for example, Linus will tell a Nest Learning Thermostat to switch to Home or Away settings depending on when the homeowner enters or leaves their home. Linus will also turn a Nest Cam off when someone is inside the home and turn it on when the person leaves.
The Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Assure can be opened via touchscreen dial pad and features all of Linus’ passcode and entry-tracking capabilities. Assure owners can email digital “keys” to others. Assure will include five assignable keys; additional keys will available via the Apple App Store or Google Play for $1.99 each, whether temporary or permanent.
The smart lock can also be opened via Bluetooth with a “twist & go” gesture — turning the smartphone 90 degrees to mimic a turning lock. When the phone is twisted at a distance, the lock requires a touch to unlock within a specified period of time. For instance, users can twist-and-go as they leave their car, then touch the lock to open it if their hands are full of groceries.
ZigBee or Z-Wave-compatibility can be added to the Assure via a $70 module.
