ULTRALOQ Bolt SE Smart Lock Built-in Wi-Fi Matter Over Thread Works with Apple Home Alexa Google 7-in-1 Keyless

This is a great little smart lock. My only issue with it was with the installation, as for whatever reason if the bolt does not go all the way you get a doorlock jammed error, and the remote functions of the door are halted until it gets "unjammed". Basically you need to make sure your the hole in the door frame has at least 1" depth or you will keep getting the door jammed error message and will be only able to open the door locally. Not only that but while the door is the jammed state you keep getting an annoying beep that will make you fix the thing really fast. With the bad stated, all other functions are really nice. You can add users remotely and provide them access with a code or through the app, which is very neat. Those users can be main users or temporary ones. The main users will have access 24/7, while with the temporary ones you can assign particular times at which they are allowed to open the door. Very nice. The title of this review makes a reference to the Schlage smart doorlock because I bought one of those a few years ago, and while it served me well, it doesn't come close to the features of this unit. For once, you cannot add users remotely. Actually, there are actually no users in my version of that doorlock. You simply provide codes and cannot eliminate access to those codes as you wish, which leaves that smart doorlock with way fewer use cases than this UltraLock. Connecting to the wifi dongle was fast and I made sure to create a Wifi network with 2.4Ghz only. I was once a network engineer (I actually wrote that I am a network engineer and went back and used the past tense because it's been a while since I was in that profession) but I am quite sure mostly any apt technology user will be able to install it. The physical installation is as easy as any other traditional, non-smart door lock. If you can manage to install a doorlock you will be able to install this one because it is the same. As for usability and functionality, The users haven’t had any complaints. My mother and sister bought units for them because they liked this so much. Some reviewers have mentioned issues with the fingerprint reader. Often I have to put my finger twice before it recognizes it. Nothing more. For me, it works perfectly as moving the finger a bit is nothing to me, because the doorlock lets you know immediately that it failed to recognize the fingerprint and you immediately are allowed to put the finger again for a second read that almost always final. Before I was able to setup my fingerprints at my mother's house I used the app to open the door and it was also a breeze. Work perfectly, no problems at all. The firgerprint is faster and more convenient obviously and will be the preferred option for those users with unrestricted access to the house. You can also set passcodes to users and there is a neat functionality that adds security and it is that you can type phantom numbers in the code and the doorlock picks the correct numbers and authorizes access. When I say phantom numbers is that if for instance your access code is 12345, you can type xxx12345yyy (with xxx and yyy being any 0 to 9 digits) and the doorlock will recognize the proper access code and will open. This is useful and a very good security practice as peakers and potential intruders will have a harder time figuring out your passcode, as would those potential intruders trying to figure out your codes based on the wear of the buttons (the most used numbers are likely to show more wear than those not used). What else? I think this it. As you can see, the product is not perfect but it is close, and it doesn’t warrant to deduct a star because it is way better than a 4 out of 5 stars product. If I could give the product a 4.8 stars rating, a solid 95. Highest recommendation as you will be able to let people in to your house from anywhere, and will also be able to stop allowing them to come in. This is golden to those with homes or apartments being rented for short term stays and those living alone who need to grant access to personnel for whatever reason. Only being able to add users and give them specific times to get in is just way too cool of a feature. Great job. Read more

To start off, this is my 5th smartlock. From cheap to expensive, so I have extensive use knowledge, comparisons against competitors, and integration experience (smart integrated house). This lock is replacing a Kwikset Kevo and it's hands down a better lock. It's cheaper and the version I bought included the bridge (with the Kevo the bridge was an additional cost of around $100). I would say, with what I wanted, it's a perfect lock. This lock is for the garage interior door (standard sized door including the deadbolt cutout) and the objective behind a smart lock here is to assist with opening the door when hands are full and/or without a key/app in hand or opened. We solely use this door for entry/exit and it's behind garage doors for decreased accessibility to the public. The Kevo worked perfectly for this at first but as phones upgraded and security increased, the reliability of the blue tooth connectivity became less and less reliable and forced us to open the app to unlock the door at almost every use, defeating the purpose of a "hands-free" lock. Other locks performed nearly identical in regards to blue tooth connectivity as the Kevo, likely due to infrequent updates and wide ranges of phone models. This lock has great features, much more in comparison, and has 3 methods of preference. Biometrics, PIN, and geo-based auto-unlock. Biometrics seem to work flawlessly provided you set it up properly. I've used them about 40 times at the time of writing this review without one issue. PIN code works exactly as it should and does not require comment on this tried and true method (other than the PIN hide feature if you're paranoid someone is watching). Finally, the Auto-Unlock geofencing. This has worked perfectly so far. I put the target in the middle of my house, even though the actual lock is near the house edge. I did this to ensure that my house and backyard is covered in the radius so if I'm in either, it would keep the mode to back and not unlock if I leave the radius in my yard and re-enter causing the lock to unlock. It works like this, once you've entered the radius, it will unlock and set your mode to "Back". Once you leave the radius, it changes your mode to "Away", and the next time you re-enter the radius it will switch to back and unlock. This ensures it's not unlocking once you're in your house and are within the radius. This is intelligently designed and I'm confident that it's working as intended. You can also set to receive notifications once the auto-unlock feature is triggered so you'd know if your distance from the lock is triggering an unlock. I had someone assist in testing the range and it's pretty accurate. The lowest setting is 300m but will go up to 600m and 1000m. I do not use the auto-lock setup, but plan to once all the users of the door have PINs and fingerprints added, as it's time based but it is a good option as long as you have a PIN and/or fingerprint setup (so you wouldn't get locked out if you forgot your phone inside). The included bridge runs on the 2.4ghz band (pretty standard for smart home appliances due to its range and compatibility) and should be within 10-15ft of the lock. Mine has a full signal at about 12ft with a couch blocking the line of sight. I do not use Alexa or other smarthome companions for home security devices so I cannot describe it's integration features/skills but I imagine it's like the other security devices and only allows you to lock and not unlock. The only improvement I'd suggest is the nob on the interior mechanism. It's black on black and you can't easily see if it's unlocked or not. I plan to resolve this by dremeling a notch and painting the groove white to see its position. All-in-all, I'm very happy with this lock and if ever phone security is interfering with the auto-unlock feature, the biometrics and/or PIN can be used for an easier access method. I would recommend this every time someone wants to use a smartlock. SUPPLEMENTAL REVIEW - 7 Oct 2021 Everything is still working perfectly. Batteries were swapped 1 time over the year, so that's excellent. In comparison, my other locks required multiple changes over the year. No issues with it doing/not doing what was expected. Due to COVID, I did turn off the geo-fencing since we work from home now. The auto-lock is set to 10 minutes but we all have PIN and bio settings, no locked out people. Issuing codes to others is easy and it works without issue. Still 5 stars Read more

First, I purchased this lock in November of 2024, but just got around to installing it at our beach place about a month ago. I have three other, different model U-Bolts on various doors at our primary home - they have all worked well for almost a year. Installation was simple and quick. The lock functions well except for the fingerprint function, which was also a bust on the other "print capable" locks that I have. I don't use that feature, so don't really care. This is the first U-bolt I have had with the WiFi bridge as opposed to built-in WiFi, and I have found it to be practically useless. I was initially ablr to get the bridge paired to the lock and access the lock via WiFi; however, this lasted for about a day, and has been completely useless since then. I have restarted the lock (removed and reinserted batteries), restarted the bridge, repeated both in reverse order as well as simultaneously, unpaired and repaired the bridge, yada, yada, yada. None of this has helped. The app insists that the bridge is paired, but always times out when I attempt to activate the lock remotely to cycle it or program a new access code for a guest or family member. All works well for programming/activation when I am in BT range, but I live 300 miles away, so a bit too far for BT. Should have bought the built in WiFi version that I already knew worked, but this one was cheaper. Live and learn. Beware the bridge! Update: U-Tec Customer Service responded to my review, upgraded the bridge firmware remotely, fixed whatever was causing the problem, and made my lock functional. This all occurred without my making any direct contact with them, and in just three days time. I am now very happy with the lock, and quite impressed with CS. Read more