I am honestly dumbfounded by how something so important as a door lock can be so bad.
I have many of the problems everyone else has, which have been reported here ad nauseum, but something happened today that is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Today the keypad/fingerprint reader totally failed. It was unresponsive to key presses or fingers. Just dead. Fortunately, the lock was still responsive to the app so I was able to unlock the door that way. But if my dog walker was trying to get in to feed my dog, she would not be able to get in and my dog would have starved today. The batteries were replaced about a week ago so that is not the problem here.
This is totally totally totally unacceptable. I think when you have a device as crucial as a door lock you expect some level of reliability which U-tec is unable to deliver. I have countless IOT devices and I never worry about any of them working as much as I worry about this lock. Meanwhile, instead of fixing the inherent problems with this thing (and probably other products), U-tec is building new devices which will inevitably have the same issues that U-tec won’t or can’t address.
I really wanted this to work but it’s just too buggy and the problems existed long before I bought it so they aren’t ever going away. I just ordered a new lock, not sure if I’m allowed to say what the brand is but it is a name brand, under $80 and has every feature that this lock has. And probably more, like the scheduling features so many have asked for but never get.
Sorry to see this. My lock kept running out of battery every 2 months and after months w support they supplied a new lock. Same results. Then they said to update the firmware and it has been solid. Knock on wood.
See if they will replace, because it sounds like a defective keypad. Nest and Schlage are solid replacements that I’ve seen at friends and family. Just unfortunate you have to experience this and try to get a resolution. Good luck!
We own 14 of the deadbolt locks for our motel, Sleep Woodstock Motel in Woodstock, VT, and they work brilliantly. We add and remove codes all the time and get great battery life. We did a lot of research and testing and decided these are the best for us.
We also own an inn/motel. We purchased 25 locks for our Autumn Creek Branson in Branson, MO. We have been very pleased so far.
We installed batteries in April, and so far have not replaced ANY, even though these rooms get constant use.
I had exactly the same issue all the way over here in Australia (fingerprint reader stopped working after about 3 months). UTech sent me a completely new lock, no questions asked and it’s been great ever since (around 6 months)! Same
batteries in use too for 6 months and no issues there either.
We even have the Bluetooth to wifi bridge which allows Google home to auto-lock the door every night or on command.
I’ve had similar issues. I find there are times it won’t accept my fingerprint due to contamination on keypad or on my thumb. I have found that humidity in the air will affect activating the keypad also. I have found that if you press locking switch to light up the key pad and/or hold the digit on the reader longer it will engage unlocking. Use the second digit you have on file if that doesn’t work use the keypad to enter your digital access. An occasional cleaning of the keypad with an alcohol wipe can improve its performance. If all else fails find the access key that you’ve hidden out in the lock box. Don’t be so one-dimensional with the lock.
Please share the name! I’m on my third replacement and having issues. I need something to replace this with. I’d love to spend less money and hopefully have fewer headaches!
OK, since a moderator indicated it’s OK to mention the replacement lock I ordered, it is the Wyze deadbolt. Link to amazon.
It’s a fraction of the price and I can’t identify any features it is missing. I have not had a chance to install it yet so I don’t know if it has more flexible guest user scheduling. I’m surprised so many renters have used so many ubolts with the scheduling limitation which makes it impossible to set a start and end time. For example start access Friday at 3pm and stop access Sunday at 10am.
One thing I neglected to mention in my original post is that the lock did not permanently die. I pulled a battery and put it back in which restored functionality. However, it happened again today (which is twice within a week) so I plan to install the Wyze today because this is too much.
The caveat is that I do not love Wyze products. I have several of their cameras and they are not without issue. Ordinarily, I avoid their products if there are good alternatives, but after my frustrations with Yale/August and Ubolt locks, I am willing to give Wyze a chance.
If you are wondering, the issue with Yale/August is connectivity. They are flaky in that department but the hardware does not ever malfunction (several years experience) so you can rely on them. I am also and Android user and their tech support has flat-out told me that their iPhone app is better. At one point they tried to get me to “find a friend” with an iPhone to resolve an issue I was having. No thank you.
To their credit, u-tec offered to replace the keypad portion of my lock but it would require me to remove the entire thing to identify which version of the lock I have (they ought to be able to figure this out from the serial number). Not a problem since I’m taking the whole thing off anyway, but would be a headache if I wasn’t planning to do that. I might end up using this on another door where I’m less dependent on it.
I started this thread by asking how this lock can be so bad?
Wyze answered this question by showing me how much WORSE a lock can be. Honestly, the worst yet and it didn’t take me more than ten minutes to figure that out. Yikes!
I may just go back to my Yale/August lock or give an off-brand smart lock that I have a chance. Wyze is not the solution to anyone’s problems.
EDIT: Wyze makes two very different locks, one is a deadbolt replacement (what I got) and the other is a retrofit device that goes over an existing deadbolt. Their features are very different but because they are on the same page the reviews are mixed together and I’m now realizing that some of the features I want do not exist on the model I got. But still, it has absolutely atrocious connectivity and to give a user access that person needs a Wyze account which is a ridiculous requirement. Among other issues.
No offense to your choice whatsoever but the Wyze lock looks to be worse than the ULTRALOQ one.
At least with the ULTRALOQ series, I have a choice to have the WiFi module built-in, whereas with the Wyze series Wi-Fi connection and remote unlock is not available for their deadbolt model.
No wonder they are so much cheaper than ULTRALOQ.
On the flip side, at least on the iOS platform, the Wyze app looks to be a lot more polished than the U-tec app.
I loathe using the U-tec app as it feels so clunky.
Just try this. Go to Settings > WiFi. Do this a few times, and I guarantee you that you will see different results every time, even though your lock has a solid WiFi connection.
You are absolutely right. I really got my features mixed up between the Wyze “Bolt” and “Lock” models. This happens to people a lot when two (or more) very different products share the same page. I don’t usually make this mistake but I really did this time. Their Bolt lock doesn’t come close to meeting my needs. In hindsight, I actually think it is a good lock for the price, given the features that it actually does have. Except I think it is insane that any user you add is required to have a Wyze account.
The one good thing I will say about Wyze is that their fingerprint reader is easily the best I have ever used on a lock.
So the Wyze I tried doesn’t make me feel any better about this u-bolt lock. They are going to send me a replacement keypad which hopefully won’t have problems like my original one did. But auto-unlock is the thing that put this ahead of other options for me and I won’t ever be happy with this lock until that feature works reliably.
Imagine asking your plumber to setup a Wyze account, and they will start charging you for the time it takes to do so. LOL!
I would be interested to know how the fingerprint scanner fares when you attempt to use it after washing your hands (i.e. not fully dry hands). That would be the ultimate test!
I find that I need to rub my finger on the jumper a few times before the ULTRALOQ recognises the scan.
I just tried it and it did not go well. I had to really get my finger and the sensor dry before it would work again. But with dry hands the fingerprint reader on the Wyze is a winner.
