Device by device, Wyze is steadily putting downward price pressure on the smart home market. By any measure, the company has been successful at doing just that, with its most popular product being the Wyze Cam. Add a smart deadbolt, which will sell for only $89, to that list.
The company announced its latest smart device on its website late Tuesday. The timing is bizarre: The Smart Lock debuts just a day after the busiest online shopping day of the year, and well before CES, when we usually see announcements like this. Only a small number of Wyze Locks will be made available through its early access program, with shipping not expected to begin until after Christmas. An official launch is set for sometime in February, the company says.
The Wyze Lock has all the smart features you expect, including Alexa, Google Assistant, and Zigbee support, with voice unlocking via Alexa and Google Assistant coming sometime in early 2020. Like other Wyze products, you’ll be able to control the lock through the Wyze app itself.
There are a few key features that make the Wyze Lock attractive. It requires no subscription to use and has built-in door position detection. Other features include automatic unlocking when you approach the door and easy installation, with Wyze claiming it takes just 15 minutes to install. The entire lock runs on four AA batteries, which last about three months with regular use.
You’ll need a preexisting deadbolt to use the lock, as the device itself replaces the back of your current lock. This is likely to keep the cost of the lock down: At $89, it beats any other competing lock out there by at least $10.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are both supported for connectivity to both the app and your wireless network. While the included Wi-Fi-enabled Wyze Lock Gateway is required to lock and unlock the smart lock remotely, the lock can be operated via Bluetooth when power is out. The company also plans to offer a companion keypad when it officially debuts in February, however we haven’t heard of any pricing as of yet.
While not announced, we’d also expect the lock to support third-party platforms like IFTTT, enabling you to integrate the smart lock into the rest of your smart home. While we have not yet gotten a unit to test, we hope to have one to test in the current months. If it’s anything like the rest of Wyze’s products, we don’t expect to be disappointed.
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