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amazon Lockly Vision Doorbell Camera Smart Lock reviews
Lockly Vision is a unique smart lock equipped with a built-in shaped doorbell. It offers multiple ways to lock and unlock your door, and it lets you see and talk to anyone outside before unlocking it, but it lacks night vision and motion detection.
We tested the smart lock and the video doorbell scores, but the Lockly Vision ($399.99) is the first device we’ve come across that combines the two. Packed with features, this unique padlock includes a built-in 720p camera, touchscreen keypad, fingerprint scanner, cylinder with a key, doorbell, and MicroSD slot (card included) ) to store the recorded video. It requires a Wi-Fi hub (also included) to connect to your home network and works with Alexa and Google voice commands. Still, it doesn’t support Apple HomeKit or interact with smart devices demonstrated otherwise with IFTTT apps and video doorbells that lack night vision and motion detection that holds it back. We like where Lockly is going here, but it’s better to buy your security devices a la carte in the end.
Design and Features
Lockly Vision is a complete lock assembly that comes with internal and external locking pins, stoppers and shields, mounting plates and spacers, mounting hardware of various types, door sensors and magnets, key sets, cards trigger, and 8 AA batteries. It also comes with installation, usage, and quick-start instructions, as well as a small hub that connects the dongle to your home network.
At first glance, the Satin Nickel Lockly Vision looks a lot like the Lockly Secure Plus we reviewed in 2018. It has a 2.5-inch (diagonal) capacitive touchscreen, a biometric 3D fingerprint reader, and a button hidden behind the protective round metal. This model is equipped with a 720p video camera with a 150-degree field of view built into the top bezel and the doorbell button placed below the touchscreen. Oddly enough, the camera doesn’t support night vision, which means you might not be able to see who’s at your door in the dark unless you turn on the porch light. The camera also lacks the motion detection you get with other video doorbells like the $100 Ring and our Editors’ Choice, the $100 RemoBell S.
At 7.0 x 2.8 x 1.4 inches (HWD), the Vision’s Exterior is slightly larger than the Secure Plus. There’s a speaker on the right side just below the fingerprint scanner and a microphone above the touchscreen. The bottom edge is a pair of terminals for locking jumpers with a 9-volt battery if the AA dies and a reset button.
The escutcheon inside is also a bit larger. It measures 7.7 x 3.1 x 2.0 inches and has a thumbwheel for manual locking and unlocking, as well as a Privacy button to disable the external keyboard and fingerprint scanner. There is a removable top cover that shields the battery compartment, program button and reset button. As with Secure Plus, you can program the key using the keypad to add an access code and send a fingerprint. You can also use it to enable the Auto-Lock feature, which automatically locks the door after being unlocked for a predetermined amount of time (between five and 300 seconds).
The Vision Lock is powered by eight AA batteries (included) and has a Bluetooth radio for close-range connectivity to your phone, but it lacks built-in Wi-Fi. Instead, it uses the included hub to connect to your home’s Wi-Fi. The hub measures 0.5 x 4.4 x 3.9 inches and features a single 2.5-inch antenna, one LAN port, one power port, and two status LEDs (for power and internet).
You can unlock Vision with your phone (mobile app) with your voice using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, or you can use the fingerprint scanner, trackpad, or keys click. When you swipe your hand on the touch screen, there will be an Enter button and four round buttons containing numbers. To unlock the door, tap each button containing your code number (in the correct sequence) and then tap the enter button. To prevent anyone from stealing your access code, the touch screen uses Pin Genie technology similar to the Secure Plus lock, constantly changing the order of numbers on the keypad. Making it virtually impossible for anyone to steal your code by peeking over your shoulder or by looking for fingerprint smudges.
The doorbell will sound and send an alert to your phone whenever the button is pressed, and it will record a video of the event and store it on the included microSD card. You will also receive a push alert when the lock is activated (locked or unlocked) or when the unlock attempt fails.
Vision uses the same mobile app as Lockly Secure Plus. It opens the My Properties screen with tabs for each installed key. When you tap the Vision tab, it opens the Controls screen with the video panel at the top and a circle at the bottom. The video panel shows a blurred image of the last captured event and has an eyeball icon in the center of the image. Tap the icon to go live. When the door is open, the circle is red, and when it’s closed, the circle is blue. Below the circle is a text that tells you whether the door is open or closed and locked or unlocked, as well as the current date and time. There is also a battery indicator in the upper right corner.
There are four buttons placed along the bottom edge of the screen. The Controls button returns you to the Controls screen, and the Log button opens a screen where you can view a list of all lock and doorbell events. Doorbell events include a video thumbnail that you can play by tapping the arrow and lock/unlock events to tell you who used the lock and what method. Use the Access button to add a new user. Here you can generate permanent or temporary access codes, register fingerprints, and generate offline access codes that you can share verbally or via email.
The Settings button:
- Edit the key name.
- Clear SD card data.
- Configure push notifications.
- Change master access codes.
- Enable/disable sounds.
- Disable touch screen access.
- Set the Auto-Lock timer to automatically lock the door after being unlocked for a certain amount of time.
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Settings and Performance
As with the Secure Plus, the Vision lock is fairly easy to install but requires a few extra steps to install the hub. The installation guide provides detailed instructions and comes with drill samples for the new door. I started by removing all my existing locking hardware and installing a new locking latch mechanism. Next, I threaded the tailpiece attached to the outside guard through the hole in the door latch, threaded the data cable through the hole, and attached the outside guard to the inside mounting plate using the supplied bolts. After attaching the two data cables to the inside rail and securing the inside rail to the bracket plate, I attached the door sensor and magnet, installed the battery, and completed the physical lock installation.
The Vision Connect Center must not be more than 50 feet from the lock. Following the instructions, I connected it to my router, powered it on, and waited a few seconds for the LEDs to start flashing red and yellow. I downloaded the mobile app, created an account, tap Add a new device, and followed the instructions to scan the QR code at the bottom of the hub. I entered the Activation Code located on the included activation card, clicked Connect, generated the admin code, and named the key to complete the installation.
Vision’s smart lock performance was excellent in testing. The fingerprint scanner never recognized my fingerprints and the touchscreen keyboard was always responsive. The AutoLock feature also works as advertised, and the lock has no trouble responding to Alexa voice commands to lock and unlock the door. In addition, the lock is very quiet, and the push alerts come in immediately.
The performance of the doorbell camera has been mixed. On the plus side, it always records video and sends push and ring alerts to my phone when a button is pressed, and daytime video is crisp and colorful. Two-way audio is loud and clear. However, the video at night appeared grainy, even when my porch lights were lit. In total darkness, it was almost impossible to identify who was at my doorstep.
Conclusion
Smart Lock’s Lockly Vision doorbell camera offers multiple ways to lock and unlock your door, and Lockly’s Pin Genie technology helps keep your access code secret. That said, the Vision is as brief as a video doorbell due to its lack of night vision and motion detection capabilities. If you require multiple access methods as well as a doorbell with night vision and motion sensors, you’ll have to use two separate devices, at least for now. We recommend pairing the $220 Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro, a smart lock that offers fingerprint scanning, voice control, traditional keypad, and keypress, with RemoBell S, a wired video doorbell, a high-resolution camera, sharp night vision, and motion detection. Both devices provide interoperability with other smart devices.
Advantages
Built-in doorbell camera
Fingerprint scanner, touchpad, and keyboard access
Voice control
Quiet activity
Pin Genie touch screen protection code
Video storage
Defect
Expensive
No night vision or motion detection
Lack of HomeKit and IFTTT support