Lockly Vision Elite review

It’s large, bulky and features a style that screams “I am a high-tech door lock,” however, this price of $499 Lockly Vision Elite packs lots of functionality inside its large frame. It’s a Smart lock that also functions as a the video doorbell in one package, it’s designed for people who would like both items but don’t need the area or configuration to put two big devices at their front door.

However, the idea of incorporating the doorbell’s video in a security lock is likely to result in some compromises. While it’s a great intelligent lock it’s an acceptable video doorbellmostly due to the fact that the motion detection is sporadic and it doesn’t have people or detection of packages. Furthermore, although Lockly comes with a warning that tells visitors to push that button to unlock the door nobody is likely to call the doorbell.

The Vision Elite is a full deadbolt replacement lock with an astonishing array of options. Alongside the camera built-in and a built-in sensor for doors that will tell the door is open. There are not less than five different ways to lock your door that include a keypad with integrated functionality and a fingerprint reader the Lockly smartphone application; voice control with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant and, obviously, a traditional key.

It’s not equipped with NFC communication that can be used to support Apple Home Key (it does not support HomeKit in any way) There’s also no auto-unlocking feature when you enter however there’s many options available.

You can make and share digital keys using the app, however the person who is using them must download the Lockly application in order to use the keys. If they’re not interested in the hassle, and you’re not at home, you could create the “offline” keycode for them and remove the key at any time.

Keypads also have the Lockly describes as “PIN Genie” technology. It has three numbers in each touchpoint. This means it is impossible to anyone who is looking at your back to figure out the code. It is also possible to switch it to random mode , so the buttons are changed every time. This can make it more difficult to enter your code however, since you need to look for the appropriate numbers each time.

A camera for the doorbell is mounted over the keypad. If a person hits the button for the doorbell (situated beneath the keypad) the lock sounds the loud “ding dong,” and the app alerts the user. From this screen, you can see the live feed and operate the door’s lock from the same screen, which is a feature that only a handful of video doorbells have. Ring can offer this feature with it’s live doorbells and some smart locks. Apple HomeKit is able to do this however only if your smart lock as well as the the video doorbells are HomeKit-compatible.

There’s no membership fee to view video recorded by the doorbell camera as the footage is saved locally on the hub. Ring, Nest, and Arlo cost between $3 and six dollars per month for access to the recorded footage. This hub needs been connected to the router via the Ethernet cable, is able to store as much as 91 hours worth of videos on the 32GB of expandable storage. It also functions as a WiFi bridge for out-of-home control as well as intelligent home automation. It is compatible alongside Amazon Alexa and Google Home but it is not compatible with Apple HomeKit. Lockly states that it is looking into plans to offer support for Matter.

While it’s a good intelligent lock certainly not an excellent video doorbell. It’s only okay. It’s stuffed inside a door lock, isn’t really that shocking. It’s also one of the top combination of a video doorbell and lock available today The alternative is the lock’s predecessor, called the Lockly Vision. I test it several years in the past and was disappointed by the features for the doorbell back then.

The model that we have is superiorand has a significantly improved camera (1080p HD) and an aspect ratio that is portrait to give top-to-bottom viewing that is able to accommodate both the packages and the people. The audio is clear and full-duplex, just like it’s a phone call but not a walkie-talkie. Additionally, there’s also the night vision feature infrared.

In addition, Lockly added motion detection which records the time someone approaches your door, but doesn’t push the button. (The older version recorded when someone touched the button.) This means that even if the driver of your delivery gets up and goes and you do not receive the motion notification that the app will send, you’ll nevertheless receive a video recording of the incident.

This is the most entertaining video doorbell/lock combo you can buy today

However, there’s no people or package detection, which is a feature that is found on other doorbells with video, so you’ll need to check each time you receive a notification. This problem is made worse by the Lockly software that is extremely slow. Videos took around 10 minutes to play in the application.

Software-wise there are other problems. Motion detection and motion-activated recording did not perform initially for me. Lockly suggested changing the notification for motion detection in application to a zero-second Motion Duration (it’s set at the default of 5 seconds) This was working for a short time but after which recording was stopped. It is possible to set it up to record video every time an individual unlocks the door using fingerprint or by code it worked, and it did.

The video recording stops after 30 seconds, and is followed by a retriggering time of 10 seconds after which it will not start recording again. This is done to preserve the battery, but I’d like to be able to record more often if I wanted. While it can support two-way audio, it only records the audio of the person who is using it but not yours.

Another issue is that there’s no choice to have an indoor doorbell. The doorbell itself ring in the home very loudly however it was difficult to ignore even if I was in the upstairs. It isn’t possible to join it with the Alexa or Google Home speaker to amplify the sound, neither can you alter the tone it emits.

This is a minor issue, but it’s a good choice for a basic doorbell. The app is able to open quickly in response to an alert and then takes you directly to real-time feed from your front door. If you don’t answer a call and the call is not answered, the video will be saved in your app’s history (although the app will not store it, and it may not be immediately).

Battery life is a major issue for door locks and I’d guess that one with the motion and video camera sensor to be able to drain the battery quite quickly. I didn’t see the battery go through in the two weeks of testing and the solar panel built-in located on the key cover can help charge the battery however it’s a tiny device and would require a lot of sunshine to have any difference. I love the fact the fact that it Lockly Vision Elite utilizes rechargeable batteries, and comes with an additional battery in the box and that both batteries can be charged using an USB-C connection that’s included.

There’s no excuse for being in the middle of a battery run-out however, if you do, make use of a 9V battery to revive it from the outside for long enough to allow you to use the keypad as well as the fingerprint scanner (assuming that you do not have the keys).