One popular smart-home device lets you toss the tacky key ring and gain access to your house through your smartphone. There’s no shortage of these solutions on the market, but many of them are clunkier than your dumb lock. The Friday Lock, however, aims to be a bit more inconspicuous, and two years after being successfully crowdfunded on Indiegogo, it’s finally shipping.
The smart lock, which is quite similar to August’s product, comes in several interchangeable styles including wood, steel, and porcelain. Size matters from an aesthetics standpoint, and this lock’s small dimensions (2.7 inches wide by 1.87 inches high) won’t overpower your front door, as some other smart locks can. It operates off of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, allowing you fidget-free entry upon arrival to your abode.
Compatible with Apple HomeKit and Thread, the device is installed on the inside of the door, so passersby won’t even know it’s there. Unscrew your deadbolt, insert the baseplate, then attach the Friday lock. If your phone loses juice, you can still unlock the door via the web. The same is true if you lose your phone. Since the device mounts over most single-cylinder deadbolts, your traditional key will still work when you need a plan B.
If someone attempts to gain entry or tinker with your lock, Friday instantly transmits an alert to your phone. You can also allow temporary or permanent entry to friends and cancel such settings at any time.
Early Indiegogo backers have begun receiving their locks, and if you’re interested in getting one yourself, you can order one from Friday’s website for $249. It’s still an extremely new product, however, so user experiences have been a bit mixed. While some have applauded the lock’s “amazing quality,” others have commented about Bluetooth connectivity issues, and trouble with installation.
But hey, now that the lock is shipping, you can make that judgment call for yourself.
Article originally published in April 2015. Updated on 05-03-2017 by Lulu Chang: Added news of Friday’s initial shipment and availability.
