If this can finally manage user fingerprints via homekit then I'm ripping out all 8 of my Ubolt Pro Zwaves.
Ah, yes, HomeKit over Wi-Fi...just in time for Matter over Wi-Fi that could also work with HomeKit.
I wonder what the battery life of this will be with built-in Wi-Fi and four AAs [EDIT: 8 AAs?!]. Thread seems
like it would be a better choice for lower power, but maybe they were able to figure something out. They say one year, but I think that's what the ill-fated crowdfunded (v2?) Lockitron, also Wi-Fi, said back in the day, and it was maybe weeks. Often these devices would have used Bluetooth plus a Wi-Fi bridge to get this.
I'm not impressed with their Z-Wave model, so my expectations are low here, but maybe they'll have something impressive to show. Just trying not to get my hopes hi before the reviews come in!
It actually uses 8 AAs
Hard pass on this one for me -- way too many options (things to go wrong) and it's pretty darn ugly to boot.
If I was going to add a new lock, I think I might go with the Aqara U100. I don't like locks with keys, since it's often a fairly easy way in, without kicking the door in. The one downside of this lock for me personally. It's supposed to also have Matter support with the Aqara hub.
A year+ ago I replased August ZWave Lock with Ultraloq ZWave Lock. No matter what I tried I could not make August working with HE7. So far Ultraloq works very reliably (now with HE8). Occasionally it fails but failure rate is acceptable (WAF is high enough).
In my case I am using Active RFID fobs to auto unlock and auto open the apartment door.
August is permanently on my do not buy list. Garbage products.
I guess my concern isn't reliability so much as the feature set. The Z-Wave implementation is half-baked:
- Lock codes (or fingerprints corresponding to those codes, etc.) are not sent over Z-Wave, just lock/unlock events
- So, the lock is not useful for user-based automations
- There is no way to put the device in inclusion or exclusion mode (at least nothing that is documented) without using the manufacturer's app, so:
- if the manufacturer disappears, so does your ability to use this device via Z-Wave
- this device very much opposed to other locks, Z-Wave devices in general, and perhaps even the spirit of Z-Wave itself
- The original firmware did not expose the built-in contact sensor, though I heard that's been addressed with a firmware update (also only possible from their app AFAIK) -- I just left it off my install and figured out other ways to do this.
Since I am using RFID lock/unlock is all what I need.
I swear, I saw an instruction (unfortunately didn't download it, stupid me) how to do this without the app, just by pressing buttons.
My door is a metal with metal frame. My only option is to use regular Door Sensor.
But all these things is just my very specific case.
That would be news to me. Before I threw my Ubolt Pro in the trash I asked their support that question and they explicitly told me it could not be done with buttons, and one had to use the app.
Now that was likely a 1st level support person, and they are notoriously unreliable on "out there" questions, so there is that.
The included contact sensor sucks anyways, but you definitely don't need the app to update the zwave firmware.
That being said I do find it interesting to hear about people throwing their locks/welcome in the trash because they had to use the app for some portion of the config. That's very interesting to me because that's 95% of modern locks. Anything with advanced features like fingerprint is going to require an app.
I'm just hoping that Utec actually exposes full user management over homekit this time. Not holding my breath.
My Zwave locks work fine, but I do find it frustrating that it I cannot trigger automations based on who unlocks. This would definitely be useful for disarming the alarm, but mobile presence always does it before people get to the front door anyhow.
I won't buy any lock that REQUIRES an app for core functions. Period. Hard stop, I consider pairing/commissioning a core function, I also consider lock code usage reporting a core function for a smart lock too. These are two things the Ubolt completely fails on.
Others may have softer stances on that, I'm not saying my opinion is the only correct one.
I also won't resell a used device that fundamentally doesn't work "right", that is just a personal integrity decision I've made. I'm not sticking someone else with a wonky device intentionally. Thus trashing the Ubolt instead of reselling it (even though I hate doing so as it is very wasteful).
Note that when smart locks supporting Matter come out we will likely have the same issues. Matter only requires REALLY basic functionality for locks to be "Matter compatible" - battery, lock/unlock. It supports reporting more than that, but it is not required.
So it will be caveat emptor again even with Matter locks.
I can sort of see where you're coming from, but at the same time there are likely tens of thousands of happy customers of this exact product that would have gladly used yours, without it becoming e-waste.
With that logic, we should all run to the store and set fire to literally every smart device on the shelf.
I do agree that homekit or matter will not fix this issue. Locks cover/should be sending the fingerprint ID as it stands today. Unfortunately to get the level of integration that we all crave, it's likely going to be some custom API app/driver over Wi-Fi... Which will require the manufacturer app to get working, or at a minimum, require 'other' apps/steps to set up.
A perfect example of what you're missing out on is the Aqara FP2. It's easily the most important home automation device released in over a decade. I can't emphasize that enough. One little sensor replaced a dozen in my common area. Replaces about 6 in my bedroom. As cliche as it is to say, it's revolutionary/game-changing. Unfortunately you'll never use one because it requires initial setup in the app before you hand over to homekit.on hass, then further setup to route to hubitat.
I know others feel like you, and it's not a dig, just a bit of sadness that everyone with this mindset will miss out so incredibly on mind-blowing tech. I can't fathom not having Home Assistant, WebCore, Hubitat, Hue, Node Red, etc which are all different apps. Anything I can do to get local-only use of my equipment, I'm totally game for. Set it and forget it.
EDIT: I'll preface the comments below by saying I'm glad it works for you. Seriously, it is a great device... when it works for people.
I have an FP2 (got it for testing - I actually have 7 different mmWave sensors by various manufacturers and homemade ones of different mmWave frequencies). The FP2 sucks (for my uses). I get "ghost" presence detections regularly - even on the current firmware. No amount of positioning it to not see the ceiling fan, adjusting zones, or sensitivity to make my cats not trigger it has fixed this.
That said, what I have found that works well for my specific use cases in the mmWave side of things is the https://www.athom.tech/blank-1/human-presence-sensor .
It is kind of clever in that you can set it up that the PIR sensor trigger is required before it will start using the mmWave sensor for presence detection - thus eliminating the occasional ghost issues one sees/can see using mmWave alone. On the other hand it is a lot dumber in configurability versus the FP2 - no settable zones, etc, so positioning it can be tough.
Anyway each to their own.
Thanks for the idea. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner, but I took my mmwave sensor out of my Garage Motion Zone, and added it to “additional motion sensors to prevent turning off if active” in my garage ML instance. Now I just need to spring for another mmwave to cover the rest of the garage.
Ah so you're okay with using external apps and configurations, just not the manufacturer app? ESPHome is it's own entire rodeo
I'll check it out. So far my FP2 with latest firmware has been rock solid. I even have fans in the rooms and it's able to ignore them 99% of the time.
Since you refuse manufacturer apps, you might not have been aware that the FP2 has had roughly 3 critical firmware updates on the last 4 months. Also, since you don't use the app, you may not have interference zones configured. In that case, yes, tons of ghost alerts.
Mostly just FYI for anyone curious about the FP2. I've also got FP1, Tuya, EP1, EPL(just arrived today) and so far the FP2 is king, minus needing the app to define the zones.
It's just mind blowing that now I only need one sensor for my dining room, kitchen, and living room. That's it. Eliminated the need for 2x motion sensors in each space, plus couch presence detection, etc. Presence without zones is not very useful for me, unless it's a very simple space. Like maybe a closet, or hallway.
ESPhome is open source, and I can re-code, change. or extend it at any time regardless what the maintainers do with it. And without cloud dependence.
That said, I will use vendor apps sometimes if it is something I want to tinker with or test (like the FP2). I tend not to use anything 'in production' or really important like a perimeter security device that is cloud/app dependent though.
I am using the Aqara app for that device (see note above), and my device is up to date. The current app and firmware DO NOT resolve all of my ghosting issues. On mine the detection area the "ghost" triggers is different every time/random, setting interference zones did nothing to help that.
99% of the time isn't even remotely good enough for my use. My fans run basically 24/7 year round. 99% = not working right 3.65 days of the year. I literally see "ghost events" every day, multiple times a day (which would still be much >99%). In a room no person or pet has been in for hours. Maybe I just have large dust particles.
Anyway, obviously the FP2 works great for you. It works great for some, and not for others. Is what it is.
I likely am just more tolerant of the lights staying on longer than you... And/or using secondary indicators like TV power, etc, for presence detection. And that's fine too.
I get by great with a single motion sensor in each room plus reasonable (to me) off delays on the lights. My electricity is $0.09/kwh. Leaving an LED light or two on for a few extra minutes is meaningless to me.
FYI these locks are available for purchase now. I'm not going to pull the trigger until I hear about people changing lock codes or getting per-user unlock triggers.
Using Hubitat? Not going to happen. This device is not Hubitat-compatible.
Nope, but you can connect via home assistant, which many of us run in tandem.
So you’re asking whether it will work with HA’s HomeKit Controller component. Seems to me that question is more likely to be answered on the HA community forum.