The Danalock smart lock from Poly-Control is getting a complete makeover.
The company will go to the CEDIA Expo with a Danalock V2 smart lock that connects to more wireless home-automation devices than before, adding ZigBee wireless technology and Nest and Harmony integration. Also for the first time, the lock can be remotely monitored and controlled even without connecting other-brand home-automation hubs. 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 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.
Once homeowners get inside the house, they can manually turn the cylinder or press a button on the cylinder to lock the door.
Feature enhancements: One 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.
With the lock’s Nest integration, a consumer’s smartphone will use Wi-Fi to change a Nest thermostat’s status to home or away when the lock is locked or unlocked via Bluetooth.
The ZigBee-equipped version of the door lock will be upgradable to add Thread technology on top of the ZigBee radio. Thread was developed by a Nest-led group of companies to add new capabilities to a wireless home-automation system. 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 Weave to their home-automation products.
Poly-Control also added geo location to speed up the auto unlock feature. The Danalock app causes a user’s smartphone to search for the lock as soon as the phone is within 100 to 200 yards of the house, speeding up the automatic unlock process when the user is within Bluetooth range.
Another new feature is a timer that can be set to change how quickly the door will relock after someone has entered or exited the house.
A new lock-state sensor and app widget automate the installation process. The new model is designed to fit any U.S. deadbolt lock without modification.
Poly-Control entered the U.S. market last year after having marketed Z-Wave door locks in Europe for about six years and Bluetooth door locks for 3.5 years. The company got its start 10 years ago as a commercial and residential integrator that had been making its own wired door locks.