(Review) We.Lock SOHO Smart Door: Smart Lock! a leak

In a high-tech world like ours, does it make sense to use things from the past, such as the key to our house door, to enter our house? always depends on price not true? Well that’s where We.Castlea company that has focused on producing smart locks of all kinds at reasonable prices.

In our hands is one of their most popular and best-sold products, the We.Lock SOHO smart door lock. Let’s see what it’s worth?

(Review) We.Lock Smart Door Lock: Smart Lock!

So, first of all, let’s talk a little about We.Lock, a Chinese company that has invested heavily in the smart lock market, and which actually already has an extremely interesting amount of sales and an international presence.

By the way, the product range on his website showcases much of this focus, as there are solutions for all types of users, from those who just want a simple yet secure lock for their home door to the most consumer oriented. a professional market such as hotels, hostels or of course AirBnB.

Can you imagine that you have a house that is for rent and you constantly have to hand out keys and therefore run the risk of someone copying them without even knowing it? This type of lock solves many problems!

Having said all that, today we are going to talk about SOHO Smart Lock PCB10EBL01, which is one of the best selling products in Europe because it can work via PIN, APP or RFID. Interestingly, the same lock can be found in other stores, such as Amazon, under other names, because We.Lock also works as an OEM, supplying products for other brands.

Installation and final result

Well, this type of lock is designed for regular doors with a thickness of 55mm to 105mm. The cylinder itself consists of two pre-assembled parts. In the box we also find tools for assembly and maintenance, a silicone protector and three RFID keys. (This works with 3 AAA batteries which are not included).

Installation is exactly the same as any other traditional lock. In fact, everything is considered to be working “normally”. The only thing that changes, in the end, is how this thing opens without a key.

Configuration and features

To set everything up and understand how the product works, you need to install the We.Lock app. We have a few images and small simple steps to add a lock to the application and thus manage it.

However, it is initially recommended to change the Admin PIN, which is set to 123456. After this step, you can define up to 9 additional PINs, 20 RFID cards, and 20 unique profiles. All access rights can be revoked exactly as they were granted.

So you don’t have to worry about codes, you can just carry the RFID tag with you on your keychain. This is the Mifare Classic type (13.56 MHz). There are 3 pieces in the box, but you can buy more at a ridiculous price. (It is not necessary to buy directly from the manufacturer).

Through the application, available for Android and iOS, you can close or open the lock. But in order for everything to work, you need to create an account and register the lock with its unique code present on the cylinder. (This is a security feature).

Design and build quality

What makes something like this beautiful? Good question because it’s very controversial and depends on personal preference. To me, it’s a sober design that doesn’t stand out in any way. The keyboard has good feedback, and the screen is more than enough to see what’s going on, so you can’t go wrong with the code. The good news is that the keyboard has its own backlight, which always comes to the rescue.

However, in terms of materials, the handles are made of stainless steel and the lock cylinder is made of brass. We have lighting everywhere, and unlocking can be confirmed with a notification sound. (Fortunately, it can be turned off).

How it works?

When the lock is opened, a small motor drives a pin that moves the screw responsible for opening. After 10 seconds, the pin moves back again and the handle rotates freely again. From a security point of view, it is not possible to manipulate the lock with a magnet. When closed, it cannot be opened, at least not easily.

Autonomy

As we said above, this works with batteries. But … This is for life! Two months of use meant 5% consumption. That is, we have here, according to the manufacturer, 1 year of autonomy, if we open the lock 10 times a day. However, if you are afraid to stay outside, the app notifies the user when the battery drops below 20%.

If everything fails, how is it?

The lock has a microUSB port, behind a QR code. If you run out of battery and don’t have batteries handy, you can connect the power supply to the USB port and then open it through the app.

Conclusion

Interesting castle at a reasonable price.

Pros:

• good construction
• Opens and closes quickly
• Various opening/closing options
• temporary PIN
• Emergency battery via USB

Minuses:

• Complicated and ugly app
• It doesn’t have integration with Google Home, Apple HomeKit, or Alexa.