The SwitchBot Lock Pro … it just got easier!

Have you ever wished your home could be smarter and more convenient without all the hassle? SwitchBot has been making smart home tech accessible for everyone, not just the gadget geeks like myself. Whether it’s a button-pushing device or smart curtains, they’ve truly simplified your smart home setup, even without a hub. And now they’re taking it up a notch with the new SwitchBot Lock Pro. This smart lock is perfect for renters and tech novices alike. Are you ready to take a look at one of the easiest smart locks to install on your home? Well, then stick around as we take a deep dive into the brand new SwitchBot Lock Pro.

Hello neighbors, I’m Ryan The Tech Guy, and welcome to This Smart House. Today we’re going to be exploring the latest in SwitchBot’s accessible smart home technology—the SwitchBot Lock Pro. This product is a dream for those who are just stepping into the world of smart home technology. Its straightforward setup offers a wealth of features and access options, plus even greater compatibility with locks all over the world. In today’s video, I’ll detail the lock’s features, explore some optional accessories, talk about the key differences from the previous version of the lock, and give you my honest opinion on who would benefit from this product the most.

But first, a big thanks goes out to SwitchBot for sending over the lock and accessories and for sponsoring today’s video. They’ve been a fantastic partner to the channel for the last few years. They even sent me a really cool gift box to kick off 2024 with some awesome goodies. Now let’s dive into what the SwitchBot Lock Pro has to offer.

Now, just as before, this is actually a replacement for your deadbolt lock, not a lever lock, so you’ll have to have an existing deadbolt in place to use one of these locks. They do have a great compatibility chart, and the new Pro version has a ton of new compatible locks that you can work with, so check out the link I have down below to the compatibility page for the Lock Pro.

Before we jump into all the solid features of the new Lock Pro, if you want to check out a comparison chart between the original SwitchBot Lock and the Lock Pro, or you just want a summary of today’s video, head over to today’s video post on my website. I got it down here below and in the description.

Now, when comparing the Lock Pro with the predecessor, the SwitchBot Lock, the first thing you’re going to notice is a big change in the build quality. The original lock was all plastic and had this kind of open mechanism on it, whereas the new SwitchBot Lock Pro is actually fully self-contained and actually clips completely over the existing lock hardware. The Lock Pro also boasts a more robust and sleek design, featuring a sturdy frame and more modern aesthetic, along with an aluminum alloy outside for more durability. In addition, it also offers a new mounting method which is much more secure, which we’ll take a look at here in the next section.

But the original lock actually just used a small bit of 3M adhesive to hold it to your door. I also like the fact that it’s more self-contained. It doesn’t have this omnidirectional mechanism here, which had a tendency to sometimes get bound, or if you have little ones in the house, they would always find a way to either stick something in here or potentially get their finger stuck. Where now, it’s fully self-contained because you actually remove the indoor mechanism.

Now, talking about the features, we actually need to discuss three different ways of setting up this lock. You can actually set it up in standalone mode with no hub, where you just communicate with the physical buttons and your app. You can also pair it with a keypad or keypad touch. And finally, you can pair it with one of SwitchBot hubs, including their new SwitchBot Mini, either the original Hub Mini, the Hub 2, or the new version of the Hub Mini, which actually has Matter support.

Now, just as a note, this is an entirely different hardware revision, so you cannot actually upgrade your old Mini to Matter support. So if you want Matter support, you either need to get this version or the Hub 2. So depending on which method you choose to use to set this lock up with, you gain access to up to 15 different ways of unlocking it. Now, this is an increase from the seven ways that you could unlock the original lock. So let’s take a look at these different unlock methods on the Pro.

So as I mentioned a second ago, you can set these up in three different ways. To start off with, if you set this up in standalone mode, meaning you’re only using your phone and the physical buttons, you can unlock it via Bluetooth in the app, with home sharing also in the app, where you can share a secure connection to the device with somebody else. If they’re in your home, they can use Bluetooth then to unlock it. You can also use an Apple Watch if you’re using the SwitchBot Apple Watch app, and finally, your original physical key.

Now, we’ll talk about it in the installation section, but the one advantage of these locks is that the outside section of your original deadbolt stays completely intact. That way, you can use the original key that you have and you don’t have to worry about rekeying a different lock.

Now, if you upgrade and use one of the three hubs, you get all the features as before, plus you get remote unlock either via the app or a SwitchBot button. So you can do this outside your house via the app, or you can use one of the Bluetooth buttons to unlock it in a different part of the house. You also get access to voice commands via Google or Alexa. You get your widget unlocks, which is also via the app on your home screen. And of course, you can use Matter with the compatible Matter Mini Hub or the Hub 2. You can set this lock up with a variety of smart home systems like Home Assistant, Google Assistant, or Home.

Now, finally, you can also add in the fingerprint keypad. So if you do decide to upgrade and add the hub and the fingerprint keypad, then you get again all the same features that you had with the hub and standalone mode. Plus, you get fingerprint unlock, passcode unlock, NFC tags which can be scanned right here on the front, and then you can set up some interesting features like timed passcodes, where passcodes will only work during a certain part of the time, timed fingerprints, very similar but for the fingerprint, and one-time passcodes. And if you’re upgrading from the existing lock, you can actually use the original keypad without the fingerprint reader on here as well; you just won’t get access to the fingerprint options.

So, one quick note is it currently does not support Apple Home Key. So if you are an iPhone or Watch user, you cannot use the Home Key feature with this lock. That’s kind of disappointing, but it makes sense because you can use the lock in different configurations, and you may not have an outdoor section for it to scan.

So, moving on to the other features of the lock. The Lock Pro actually uses four AA batteries, unlike the original lock that used the CR123A batteries. This is nice because you probably have a pile of these in a junk drawer somewhere, and you’ll get up to nine months of life with those AA batteries. Now, if you don’t want to use disposable batteries, coming out next month is the optional rechargeable battery pack that’ll give you 12 months of battery life. I haven’t had a chance to take a look at this yet, but it’ll be a nice feature to place in here so you don’t have to worry about constantly switching out batteries.

Now, using the included magnet, you can set up auto-relock so when the door is actually shut, it’ll automatically relock the door. This is nice for your kids if they forget to lock the door when they come in. Now, one nice feature that they added to the lock itself is a button here on the thumb turn. If you press this button, it’ll automatically lock or optionally unlock the door, making it easier to ensure that your door is locked and easier for the elderly or young kids to be able to lock the door. This is nice because the only option on the original lock was to actually physically turn the thumb turn or go into the app.

Another nice feature is their low battery unlock or emergency unlock. So if the onboard battery gets too low, it’ll use a small reserve battery supply to slowly unlock the door over 30 seconds. This can be used about five times, so if you do ignore all the low battery alarms, you won’t get yourself locked out. And of course, you can always use the key to bypass if the lock is dead.

Now, if you do have a hub attached to your lock, you gain some additional app features like door logs to be able to see who came in and out, open door alarms, door left ajar alarms, and of course, low battery. Now, the lock does use AES 128 encryption for device-to-device communications, so you shouldn’t have to worry about sophisticated hackers getting into your house. It’s obviously much easier to just break a window.

Now, when it comes to smart home integrations, just like any other SwitchBot product, you can integrate with a ton of different platforms, especially if you’re using the hub. So if you set up the SwitchBot Hub, you can then set up some quick automations like if the door gets unlocked, it turns on a light or opens a curtain. In addition, on Home Assistant, you can actually set up the cloud integration or the Homebridge integration, which has a ton of really cool features and allows you to do a lot more than some of the built-in integrations with home assistants. Now, unlike other SwitchBot products, you can’t control it via Bluetooth in Home Assistant. This is probably for security reasons.

Now, if you

found any value out of today’s video, please make sure to give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing to the channel for more great reviews and smart home tutorials. Now let’s look at how quick and easy it is to set up this lock.

So next up, let’s talk about the ease of installation of the SwitchBot Lock Pro. Now, SwitchBot’s actually changed the way that this lock interfaces versus the original lock. Originally, you actually placed this over an existing inside thumb turn and then used this omnidirectional joint to line everything up. That was, of course, actually pretty easy to set up. The only real problem was fitting this thing on your door. Now, for the new version, they’ve actually decided to go kind of halfway between a traditional deadbolt replacement lock and something like this. All you really have to do is remove the inside thumb turn and plate for your existing lock. They offer quite a few different options for different styles of locks, but I’m going to be talking about the standard North American deadbolt.

So, like other smart deadbolt replacements on the market, you actually remove the inside thumb turn and plate and replace it with a plate that comes in the box. You can then use the included screws to secure that in place and hold the existing outdoor plate into place. This will give you access to the stud that actually rotates the deadbolt. And on that note, they include a number of different adapters to fit your specific type of lock. They’ve got a traditional squared type of fitting with a keyhole, they’ve got a flat, and they’ve got a rectangular version. Now, SwitchBot says if these don’t fit your specific lock, reach out to their support department and they might be able to 3D print you one to fit your specific lock. Now, I hope they actually release the STL file so people can make these on their own. It would be especially nice if you happen to lose one of these.

So once you have the plate and the hexagonal adapter in place, then we just need to make sure we line up the inserts on both sides to where we place the screws with the corresponding holes on the plate. Once that’s snapped into place, then it’s a great opportunity to go ahead and test your lock by spinning the inside thumb turn. Once you’re sure everything’s lined up, you can go ahead and install the four screws that are included in the box.

Also included in the box is a magnet to determine when the door is open or closed. Now, make sure you follow the instructions in the app to make sure this lines up in the correct location so your door can be sensed whether it’s open or closed by the lock. So now we can head over into the app and actually finish calibrating and setting up the lock.

So as we finished up covering all the features and installation process of the SwitchBot Lock Pro, let’s discuss its affordability. Now, the Lock Pro is currently priced at $119 for those of you interested in additional functionality. They’ve got combo deals that are available, so you can get the Lock Pro with the Keypad Touch for $169.99. And if you want to go for the complete kit, you can add on the new Hub Mini Matter version for a grand total of $199 for all three. Now, of course, there are going to be deals coming up as this is a new product just coming out, so please check the pinned comment below and the description for any updated deals that I receive. And if you are interested in picking up the rechargeable dual power pack, it’s releasing later on this month and it’s priced at just $19.99.

So now let’s take a look at who should potentially buy one of these locks. Now, the nice thing about the Lock Pro is its really standout feature is its flexibility. If you just want a straightforward smart lock controlled with your phone, the Lock Pro by itself is sufficient. Then, if you want to add some extended capabilities, you just have to add the keypad or a hub. This product is especially beneficial for those who rent because of its easy installation and easy removal. You shouldn’t have to do any damage to your door to get this installed. Plus, from the outside, it looks just like a regular lock.

So when I compare this to other locks, like the Aqara U100 that requires a complete deadbolt replacement and also a Zigbee hub for any of the smart features, I think the SwitchBot offers a less invasive installation and it’s a little bit more discreet. Plus, you have the flexibility of putting the keypad pretty much anywhere you want, so you could hide it or put it in a more convenient location than necessarily having it on the deadbolt.

Now, looking on the other hand, if you are looking for a more capable lock like one that has a built-in camera or doorbell, there are other products on the market that give you that capability. If you’re in the market for a smaller, sleek, and more compact solution, or if you’re deeply invested in another ecosystem like Z-Wave or Zigbee, then the SwitchBot might not align with your needs. However, with its Matter support, the SwitchBot Lock Pro can integrate seamlessly into almost any modern smart home setup.

So all in all, I think it’s a solid lock, especially for those who want to quickly and easily get into the smart home world. Adding a smart lock is a big boon for most families. It allows you to give easier access for your kids if they’re coming home on their own, or if you’ve got family members like grandparents coming over, it allows them to get into the house more easily. Plus, if you add the hub, you can then monitor the lock and see when people come over and when they leave.

So if you’d like to pick up the lock or any of the combos, I would appreciate it if you use the links down in the description. This goes to help the channel and lets SwitchBot know that you got solid information from this video. Another big thank you to SwitchBot for sending over the lock and for sponsoring today’s video.

Now, if you do have any questions about the SwitchBot Lock or its compatibility, please feel free to leave them down in the comments below. I try to answer every comment that pops up, or if you need more in-depth help, you can join our Discord server. It’s free, and I promise the folks there are friendly.

Now, if you’re in the market for shopping for locks, I’ve got a dedicated playlist about all the locks I’ve reviewed right over here. Or if you want to see more about SwitchBot products, I’ve got a dedicated playlist right there. Thank you for making it this far, and I’ll see you on the next video.