Improve Auto Unlock

[Bruce4]

I think I should have been more clear… When I wrote about “adding wifi” it was intended to say:

…I sensed that people with built-in wifi seemed to have more problems with AU than people like me. This observation made me wonder if Utec had [designed the built-in wifi lock by] just add [ing a] wifi [channel] to my non-wifi lock [and then] funneling…

The wifi locks, I believe, were second generation and I was thinking it might have been an engineering shortcut (or necessity?) to put the WiFi onto the existing BT bus without letting the BT bus interrupt. That approach would have the same effect as (in my lock) the bridge communication over BT not being interrupted by the phone’s attempt to (auto)unlock.

[Gary1]

Fair enough. Sorry, I did misunderstand.

[Ed1]

I’m a little late to the party. I have the Ultaloq Bolt NFC for a couple months now. The auto unlock worked intermittently the first few weeks. Was very inconsistent. Past few weeks it hasn’t worked at all. I read thru all the comments here to troubleshoot.

My lock, with built in Wi-Fi, is on my guest 2.4ghz network. Yesterday, I shut off my router, as I read here to test, to see if that would allow the BT to send that unlock command but it did not work.

Any other ideas? Thanks!!

[Bruce4]

From your post it looks like you’ve understood how autounlock [appears] to work so all I can suggest at this point is a) put your phone on airplane mode but turn BT back on and then, b) with the door locked, go maybe 200 ft away, open your app, and then return to maybe 20 ft away, and finally c) try to unlock the door with the app. If it doesn’t unlock, go stand next to the door and try again.

Since AU is, as far as I can tell, strictly an app function, these steps will test whether the app is currently capable of finding the lock’s BT channel when you “return home”. If you can’t unlock the door this way, then there is a BT communication issue between your phone/app and the lock… and you need to work with U-tec to figure out if it’s that app (do you have the latest version) or the lock (do you have the latest firmware? or is it a hardware problem).

After doing this test, delete the app (and any “data”) and redownload it. All of your “data”, as far as I know, is stored on U-tec’s servers, so you shouldn’t have to re-enter anything (NOTE: “shouldn’t”), Reconfirm that AU is set up and that you have allowed the app to send you notifications (I forgot to ask above… have you been getting notifications when you leave and reenter the geofence?). Now leave the geofence (if you go several thousand yards away and don’t get a notification that you are “away”, look at Settings/AutoUnlock - it should show enabled and if so, click on “enabled” and at the top of the page it should show “Back Mode” as “away”. If not, you can go further away or just try clicking on “away”). Once you are sure the phone thinks you are away, return home (again you should get a notification, if you don’t, check “Back Mode” again), if the AU works, great (you should have received notification that you unlocked the door), if not, put your phone in airplane mode with BT enabled and see if you can use the phone to unlock the door.

Post here after trying these things. (BTW, I assume after it stopped unlocking you did check that the AU settings were still in place and correct - I had to ask, sorry)

[Ed1]

thanks much for the detailed response! I do get the Away and Welcome Back messages- quickly followed by “Unfortunately, there was a communication error and Auto Unlock failed to open front door. Ultraloq will not try to unlock Front Door again until you leave and go back” upon my return.

Yes, all settings are set to auto unlock. I did toggle this setting on / off a couple times to no avail. I do have the latest version installed. I’m using a Pixel 8 Pro (Android) and I have a Deco mesh router.
I’ll give your suggestion a try. I really appreciate your help!

[Bruce4]

Hi Ed - From that error message it seems pretty clear that the problem is indeed making the BT connection. I have an iPhone so can’t comment on your app, but, as you realize, the router is not going to be the source of the problem since it is a BT command that is not getting through.

[Ed1]

I tested it out as you recommended and the lock did unlock at 20’ - on airplane mode - with only BT on. i haven’t uninstalled the app yet - a bit nervous on the losing all the data

[Ed1]

hey again Bruce- i finally got around to unistalling and reinstalling the app. yes, all my data and settings were retained. However, it did not auto unlock. i did receive messages that i was “away” and it would auto unlock upon my return, etc but upon my return it did not. i then put the phone in airplane mode, with BT still on and i could NOT unlock the door. i received a message stating ‘no network available’. i then looked for the bolt under my BT settings and when i tried to pair i received a error message “couldn’t pair with Bolt-NFC-W because of an incorrect PIN or passkey”. Interestingly, when i went to pair there were TWO Bolts listed - the above and one as well as a Bolt-NFC-W-H. i only have the one bolt lock. the latter now appears in my BT settings under Saved Devices, but when i select “connect” nothing happens. i’m frustrated and confused! appreciate your insight into this!

[Bruce4]

Hi Ed - the series of activities I suggested was intended to diagnose why your autounlock didn’t work. Obviously, we determined that the problem is the inability of your phone to communicate with the lock over BT.

Given what you wrote, I would delete all locks from your BT list and start the pairing anew. I don’t know what that process is for your lock/phone combination but I’m sure you know how. In fact, it would be even better if you have a second phone in your household that has never been paired with the lock… that would a truely “clean” pairing.

BTW, on an iPhone (and I expect all phones) the lock does NOT show up on my list of BT devices, never mind connected/disconnected, unless the app is running. See the two screenshots, one with the app closed, one with it open.

[Ed1]

Thanks Bruce, the Bluetooth was working with my first test a week ago. Then I redid the auto lock set up and now it’s not connected. I deleted the lock in my BT settings on my phone and pulled the batteries out of the lock but I still can’t get it to pair.

[Bruce4]

Removing the batteries does not reset the lock’s firmware (otherwise you would be resetting the lock every time you changed batteries!). We’ve gone from the phone not sending the unlock command over BT by autounlock, to the phone not being paired at all. But reinstalling the software should not have affected that - I have switched back and forth between beta versions of the software and released versions with no problem.

This is complicated by you having seen two (at least one-time) paired locks in your BT device list.

How do you pair your phone to your lock? (that is what are the steps - I have a different lock and different phone)

[Ed1]

when i first tested it i did have bluetooth but the fix still didn’t work. tho i did have BT connection. However, then after that didn’t work i selected under Auto Unlock, “reconfigure auto unlock”. that did not work either. but after that is when i completely lost the BT connection. i googled for directions as to how to reconnect BT and came up with the following:
These are the steps I found online which I did to no avail.
Standing right next to the lock (within 1–2 feet) with BT and Location Services both on, on my phone.
Reboot the Lock (instructions said: “This resets temporary pairing problems” by removing a battery for 10s then putting it back in.
Open the Ultraloq app to the lock in the device list. Then pull down to refresh the connection.
Then that didn’t work so I tapped the three-dot menu and selected “Settings”. Then I tapped “Firmware Version” — which the directions stated that this triggers a Bluetooth connection attempt in the background.
But none of it worked. I guess what’s next is removing the lock completely from the app and starting over from scratch.

[Su1]

Hi to all of you having issues with the auto unlock feature not working properly. I too started having issues just recently with this feature. I use an Android phone. This may not work for Apple users i’m afraid. I updated the lock firmware recently to

Lock Firmware: 01.44.0023

Bluetooth firmware: 00.06.0050

I am also a Beta tester for the U Home app. Initially, I thought the updated firmware had caused the issue, but based on my non scientific testing, I soon realised that it was the app version that was the culprit.

As usual, I get the notifications of being away & on return the auto unlock will happen, but it never did. Not long after, the dreaded communication error message.

What I did to get auto unlock working again was to uninstall the app & install an older version of the app. I used version 3.2.8.20 ( Nov 4, 2024). This worked successfully for on the few occasions I used it. However, I noticed that last night, the app had updated itself to the latest version again ( I have my play store set to not auto update). Upon checking all permissions of the app, I found one permission that says it can download files without notification. Not sure if this is the culprit for the auto update or was it my fiddly fingers messing up during updating my apps in playstore. I am now running version 3.2.8.22 & will test this later today.

NOTE: Everytime you install the app, you have to setup auto unlock feature again. To get older versions of the app, you can google U Home APK & pick your preferred website. I used

https://apkpure.com/u-home/com.utec.utec/versions

A good indication that would show if the auto unlock feature would work is when you’re close to the lock, you open the app & select the the intended lock, you should see that the connection is via bluetooth. If it’s showing connection via wifi when you’re next to your lock, then it’s most likely the auto unlock feature will fail.

From my little understanding, it points to an issue with the latest version/versions not being able to prioritize bluetooth over wifi when in vicinity of the lock. As I see it, if my app cannot connect to the lock via bluetooth when i’m within auto unlock range, then the feature will not work. I have seen this 1st hand when I was trying to figure out why the auto unlock was not working on recent app versions.

As I would approach my door, I would launch the app, see that it’s connected to wifi, then I would open the bluetooth settings & see attempts to connect to the lock via bluetooth but fail. I guess you cannot be connected via wifi & BT at the same time.

Support need to look at how earlier apps worked in handoff from wifi to BT & update the app to follow the same.

Sorry this was long winded but hope it helps some of you out there. Give it a go & share the results.

[Bruce4]

Hi - As I’ve posted here several times, and as you’ve discovered for yourself, the AutoUnlock feature is in the app, not in the lock. As you also have figured out, it does require that the phone make a BT connection with the lock when you approach the lock and that BT connection requires that the lock give up any other BT connection or any WiFi connection.

I improved my AU success by putting my lock on my router’s IoT’s channel (the Internet of Things channel is totally isolated from the other channels, meaning your phone will not talk to your lock within your home WiFi network - instead, it will communicate with it indirectly, the same way it does when you are away from home).

Other tests for interested parties - turn off cellular data on your phone and test AU. In your router, pause your connection to your lock and test AU.

Note: my version of the lock does NOT have built-in Wifi, so I have a bridge that converts WiFi to/from the router into BT to/from my lock. Also I have an iPhone 13.

[Su1]

Hi Bruce4,

I have read your posts & from others as well. And that is why I decided to give rolling back my app version to an earlier build (around the time it worked almost flawlessly). Granted, it does not work with IOS devices (unless there is a way to sideload apps on IOS). So this is a workaround for Android users i’m afraid.

I am not sure my phone gives up any existing BT connection to communicate with my Lock. My watch is always connected. Again, this is only my observation.

Just to share my rudimentary findings, running version 3.2.8.22 of U Home (Android), Auto Unlock works consistently. So far failed 1 out of 7 times due to the app’s geo-location update not registering me in “Back” mode quick enough. I find this version of the app is not consistent in it’s notification of “Away” & “Back” mode but still works. So far, the most consistent notification of “Away” & “Back” mode was the latest update but sadly doesn’t work at all for the actual “auto Unlock”.

I will now move up to the next version & test. If anyone is interested for me to share my findings, then let me know as I do not want to hijack this thread.

Please accept my apologies if I have detracted from the main topic of this thread. Was not my intention.

[Bruce4]

No apologies needed. I was really confirming for new readers that what you described (app being responsible for AU; lack of BT connection being the source of failure) was correct.

I’m glad rolling back the app works for you… but I expect it will not be the cure for many other Android users since the flaky AU has been a problem for a long time; not having the statistics, I don’t know how many Android users were affected at what app rev. Anyway, it was good that you were able to map your AU issues to the app update.

[Dave7]

I’ve opened a ticket (507342) regarding my Auto-Unlock issues with my U-Bolt lock. Basically it totally fails to work for me. I’ve tried not using the bridge, using the bridge (bridge is paired), using older versions of the app, removing and re-adding the lock, rebooting the phone (Pixel 7a) and nothing seems to help. Looking at community posts it seems this is a common problem. Right now I don’t even get notifications when I go “away” and return - at least with older versions (like 3.0.0.2) I got those. Any suggestions before I return this thing to Amazon? At least I didn’t drill any holes in my door yet….

Thanks!

[Su1]

Thank you Bruce4. I shall continue testing & share my findings.

[Su1]

Hi Dave7,

Could you maybe try version 3.2.8.22? We are using Android but we have different locks though. Mine is with wifi built in & yours uses the bridge. The bridge I believe connects to the lock via BT & I wonder if that is the reason why? The bridge probably doesn’t release the BT connection for your phone to get a BT connection to your lock (or it’s too slow to respond)

If you do try that version of the app,

1. uninstall the current app & do a fresh install of the app.

2. Then setup the AU function again & give it a go. Make sure you allow all permissions to the app. Go to the playstore to where the U Home app is & disable auto-update.

3. From your pic, I take it you’re not using the door sensor (yet), so ensure Auto lock is set to a reasonable time.

Do a few test with it. If it still doesn’t work & you have an option to return, then swap it for a wifi version & hopefully, it could solve your issue.

Good luck & share your findings.

[Bruce4]

Hi Dave - As you’ve probably read in this thread, AU is in the app, not the lock. The only thing the lock needs to do is shake hands (BlueTooth, that is) with your phone when you get close to your lock.

You are reporting 2 problems as I see it. 1) the app is no longer >reporting< when you exit and re-enter the geofence, and 2) the app is not communicating over BT with the lock to send the unlock command.

Looking at 2) first, on my iPhone there is no communication over BT with the lock unless the app is open - in fact, the lock does not even show on my list of BT devices until I open the app. The other time that there is BT comms is when the App knows I’ve re-entered the geofence. [When you enable AU you are instructing the app to keep active even when not opened on your phone. Exiting the geofence sets the app to look for your return. When it senses you’ve re-entered the geofence, it starts trying to make a BT connection with your lock. When you are close enough to establish the BT connection, the app sends the unlock command, just as it would if you had opened the app and clicked the button.]

This leads us to 1). If the problem is that the app is not sensing you leaving and returning, then you would not expect it to try to send a BT unlock command. On the other hand, if it’s just not notify you, then you have a problem with it not establishing the BT comms OR failing to send the unlock command when the comm link is established.

I suggest you test 2) first, just because it’s quick.

Since you have a bridge unplug it for now (your lock can only connect using BT to one thing at a time… so if the bridge is talking to it, your phone can’t). The steps below check how well your phone can connect to your lock via BT.

1. Standing outside, near the lock, can you control it from the app? If so, your BT connection is working. Open your phone’s settings and check to see that the phone is listed in your BT list as connected. If you can’t control you lock here. Then that’s the first problem to fix (maybe rolling back your app, as Su1 has suggested).

2. Now close your app and walk a few hundred feet away. Check your BT list again - presumably you will either not see the phone listed or it will be listed as not connected. Open your app and you should NOT be able to control your phone. If you can control your phone, walk further away.

3. Walk back toward your lock. When you are maybe 10 feet away, check to see if you can control your phone. If your lock is not connected, give it a minute or so and check again. If it still doesn’t connect, walk closer. At some point, you will be back at step 1). If it takes getting this close, then maybe you need to replace your lock batteries, but in any case, you’ve proved that the phone and app can unlock the door over BT.

Now looking at 1) - I assume you have AU properly enabled and that you’ve given the lock access to location services all the time. Also, check that you’ve given the app permission to send you notifications.

1. still with the bridge unplugged, stand by the lock (locked) and open the app. select the lock settings icon and then select AutoUnlock. I assume it will look pretty much like my page (see image below). The map should show your current location and all the “enable” or “activate” switches should be on.

2. as at the top of the image, the Away Mode should show “back” selected. Select “Away” - almost instantly (if your app is properly able to read your location from the GPS) the app will reselect Back and your lock should unlock. If the app doesn’t reselect Back, that indicates the app-GPS functionality is not working. Try rolling back to earlier version of app. If it switches but doesn’t AU, it’s also an app issue, so also try rolling back. (NOTE: before rolling back you can always try a clean reinstall of the current app.)

3. if it does not switch back to “Back”, select “back” manually and I expect it will unlock the door. If it doesn’t, that’s a second problem in the app.