The Wyze Lock Bolt is the latest low-priced product from the budget smart home gadget manufacturer Wyze Labs. Equipped with both a fingerprint reader and a numeric keypad, Wyze intends to offer the new smart lock for just $69.99, plus shipping. Wyze Cam Plus subscribers will have the opportunity to buy the lock for $10 less than that.
Available now directly from Wyze, the Bluetooth lock can be opened in less than one second, according to the manufacturer. It also has an auto-lock feature that will re-engage the bolt after a user-defined time. Being a Bluetooth device, however, will limit its ability to be incorporated into a broader smart home ecosystem, and the absence of a door-position sensor means its bolt can be thrown whether the door is open or closed.
The $70 Wyze Lock Bolt is outfitted with a fingerprint reader and a backlit numeric keypad. Should its four AA batteries die while you’re out and about, you can use a mobile battery and a USB-C cable to charge it enough to recognize your PIN.
Wyze Labs
Despite those shortcomings, $70 is an extremely attractive price for a quality smart lock—especially one with an integrated fingerprint reader. For those who prefer using PIN codes to unlock their door, the Wyze Lock Bolt has an “anti-peep” feature that allows you to add random numbers before or after your PIN so that an onlooker won’t be able to learn it.
Wyze says its app will maintain a log of each time the lock is locked and unlocked, who used it, and how they used it. Should the lock’s four AA batteries die while you’re out (the company estimates a set will last 10 to 12 months), you can plug in a USB-C cable connected to a portable charger (not included) to give it enough juice to use your PIN to unlock it.
We’ll publish an in-depth Wyze Lock Bolt review as soon as we can spend some quality time evaluating it. Stay tuned.
Author: Michael Brown, Executive Editor, TechHive
Michael is TechHive's lead editor, with 30+ years of experience covering smart homes, home networking, and home audio/home theater. He holds a BA in Multimedia Journalism, authored the book Desktop Video Production, and was awarded Best Online Review by the Computer Press Association. Michael built a smart home in 2007 and used it as a real-world product-testing lab. Now living in the Pacific Northwest, he is converting his 1890 Victorian bungalow into a modern smart home. Michael has worked at CNET, PCWorld, Electronic Musician, and Maximum PC. As a freelancer, he contributed to New Media, Camcorder, MacWeek, and more.