There are tons of gadgets that have been crafted with the goal of making our everyday lives easier [1], and one smart device that's become popular in recent years is the smart lock. Designed to eradicate the need for a physical key, smart locks come in various forms and have been created as a newer, more efficient way to enter your home and to keep it safe. And the U-Bolt Smart Lock [2] ($170, originally $240) might just be the coolest one yet.
The U-Bolt Smart Lock lets people access their homes in four unique ways — by fingerprint, numeric code, smartphone app, or physical key. It also comes with an auto lock and unlock feature, lets you share a code or an eKey for specific periods of time (think vacation rentals [3]), and also keeps a log of who has entered your home and when, all viewable directly on your smartphone.
You can purchase the U-Bolt Smart Lock on Amazon [4] with or without expert setup (which comes in at an extra $109).
U-Bolt Smart Lock - Fingerprint Unlock
Easily the coolest and most innovative part of the U-Bolt Smart Lock [6] ($170, originally $240) is the fingerprint unlock feature. Use your smartphone to log your fingerprints, and then simply touch the center of the plate to gain access to your home.
U-Bolt Smart Lock - Smartphone Unlock
Already have your smartphone out and ready to use? Or just can't use your fingerprint because you just grabbed a snack? No worries! You can use your smart phone to unlock your U-Bolt Smart Lock [7] ($170, originally $240) by simply going to the app that goes hand in hand with the smart device and unlocking it that way.
U-Bolt Smart Lock - Numeric Code Unlock
Have you ever wanted to pretend to be a spy and enter a supersecret password to gain entry into your destination? No, just me? Well if you did, or if you don't have access to your smartphone or fingerprint, you could use a numeric code to unlock your U-Bolt Smart Lock [8] ($170, originally $240). Described as an "anti-peep keypad," users can type in any number of random digits and still gain access as long as the correct password is embedded in the longer set of numbers.
U-Bolt Smart Lock - Physical Key Unlock
And last but not least is the old fashioned way to unlock your U-Bolt Smart Lock [9] ($170, originally $240) — with a physical key. Simply pull down the black plate and insert your key if all else fails.