Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro + Wi-Fi Bridge Review - Review 2022

The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro from U-tec ($219.99) is one of the most versatile smart locks to striking PC Labs. As with nearly models, information technology uses a mobile app that lets you lot lock and unlock your door from anywhere with your phone, and information technology has a keypad that lets you apply permanent and time-based temporary pin codes. Information technology also has a fingerprint scanner, also equally a keyed cylinder subconscious behind the keypad. Equally if that weren't plenty, the U-Bolt Pro tin be locked using voice commands, and it'due south ane of the first smart locks nosotros've tested that can as well be unlocked using voice commands. Throw in support for third-party smart devices and you've got our new Editors' Pick for smart locks.

Design and Features

The U-Bolt Pro we tested is a complete ready that comes with interior and exterior escutcheons, a deadbolt associates, mounting screws, 4 AA batteries, a screwdriver a drilling template, and a plug-in Wi-Fi bridge. You can besides order it without the Wi-Fi bridge for $189.99. The lock fits standard doors with a thickness of 1-5/16 to ii.0 inches and a two-1/viii-inch diameter pigsty with a 2-iii/8- to 2-3/4-inch backset.

U-Bolt Pro on door

The black and silverish exterior escutcheon measures 2.ix past 2.9 by 1.2 inches (HWD) and is fabricated of a Zinc Alloy cloth. It has a 360-degree capacitive fingerprint scanner in the center, with an LED ring that briefly glows dark-green when the device is locked or unlocked and glows red when an incorrect pin or fingerprint is used. Surrounding the scanner are 10 backlit number buttons (0-9) for entering pin codes and an Ultraloq button that will lock the door from the outside and illuminate the keypad. One of the coolest features is the hidden keyway, which is accessed by pulling the keypad out and folding it down on its hinge. On the bottom edge of the escutcheon, behind a condom encompass, is a micro USB port that tin be used to power upwardly the lock with an external ability source in the upshot of a dead bombardment.

U-Bolt Pro keypad and deadbolt

The interior escutcheon too sports a blackness-and-silverish color scheme and measures 4.9 by 2.9 by 0.nine inches. It has a pollex turn knob for manual operation and a removable cover for the four AA batteries that ability the lock. A reset button is located on the bottom border.

The U-bolt Pro is equipped with a Bluetooth radio, simply lacks an embedded Wi-Fi radio. Instead, it comes with a small plug-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi bridge that connects the lock to your home network and allows you to control information technology from anywhere. Information technology also allows you to lock and unlock it with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, and apply IFTTT applets to have it work with tertiary-party smart devices such as lights and security cameras. That said, it doesn't support Apple'due south HomeKit platform.

Other features include Auto-Lock, which locks the door later a preset flow of time, Machine-Unlock, which uses your phone'due south location services to unlock the door as y'all arroyo information technology, and Magic Shake, which unlocks the door when you shake your phone while standing in front of the outer escutcheon. Additionally, you can create permanent pin codes and temporary pin codes with start and end dates and configure them for sure times of the day and days of the week. You can also give temporary users scheduled fingerprint and mobile app admission.

The U-tec mobile app (for Android and iOS) opens to a screen that lists all of your installed U-tec locks. Tap a lock tab to open up a screen with a big lock/unlock push button that shows the current time and lock status. The button is dark-green when the door is unlocked and red when information technology is locked.

At the bottom of the screen are Lock, Users, Logs, and Settings buttons. The Lock button takes you dorsum to the screen with the lock/unlock button and the Users push takes you to a screen where you tin can add users and give them permanent and temporary fingerprint, app, and pin code access. The Logs screen displays a timeline of all lock action and shows yous who locked or unlocked the door and how (app, fingerprint, vocalism, or transmission). In the Settings screen you can bank check the battery level, enable notifications, mute beeps, enable a Lockout style that disables fingerprint and app access, update the firmware, and enable/disable the Machine-Lock, Auto-Unlock, and Magic Milkshake features.

Installation and Performance

Installing the U-Commodities Pro is like shooting fish in a barrel. I removed my old lock associates and installed the new deadbolt in the door border. Next, I slid the outside escutcheon into the 2-1/viii-inch hole from the exterior of the door, and attached information technology to the door using the mounting plate and screws. After snaking the data cable from the outer escutcheon through the mounting plate, I attached it to the interior escutcheon and secured the interior escutcheon to the mounting plate using the supplied screws. Once I inserted the iv AA batteries, the lock performed an automatic handing procedure that tells it when it is locked or unlocked, and moved on to the app installation.

After the mobile app was installed I created an account, verified my electronic mail address, and selected the U-Bolt Pro from the list in the Add together Device screen. I tapped Browse for Ultraloq and the lock was immediately recognized. I created an Admin Lawmaking, gave the lock a proper name, selected a deadbolt management (left or correct), and the lock was added to my account. Back at the Add Device screen I selected Bridge, plugged the Bridge into an outlet inside x feet of the lock, and tapped Add Span. It was immediately recognized and then I tapped the bridge tab, selected my home'south SSID, entered my Wi-Fi password, and paired the lock to the span to complete the installation.

U-Bolt Pro activity logs

The U-Bolt Pro performed well in testing. The scanner never failed to recognize a registered fingerprint and responded immediately when a fingerprint was scanned. It too responded quickly to pivot code entries and to app commands to lock and unlock the door, and information technology followed my temporary pin lawmaking and fingerprint schedules without issue. Alexa phonation commands to lock and unlock the door besides worked perfectly, equally did an IFTTT applet to have the U-Bolt Pro lock when an Arlo Pro 3 photographic camera detected movement.

Magic Milkshake, while a groovy characteristic, requires that the app be open for it to piece of work, which sort of defeats the reason for having information technology. If yous're in front of the lock with the app open, y'all might equally well hit the unlock button and be washed with it rather than stand there shaking your phone. I was able to unlock the door using Magic Shake, but it occasionally took five seconds or so to unlock. However, this feature is withal in beta and when finalized will work in the background.

Conclusions

We've reviewed dozens of smart locks and have nevertheless to come beyond 1 that does it all, but the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro comes pretty darn close. This versatile lock has a fingerprint scanner, a keypad, a unique hidden keyway, and a Bluetooth radio that lets you control it with your phone. It as well comes with a Wi-Fi span for remote access, tin can be locked and unlocked using your vocalisation, and it uses your phone's location services to automatically unlock when you approach it. As with most smart locks you can create temporary, time-based pivot codes and fingerprint profiles, and you tin can go along track of who has locked and unlocked the door. The only thing the U-Bolt Pro doesn't do is support Apple HomeKit, and if that's a bargain breaker, we recommend the $279 Baronial Smart Lock Pro + Connect. For anybody else, the U-Commodities Pro is our Editors' Choice.

Ultraloq U-Commodities Pro + Wi-Fi Bridge Specs

Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Integration	Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT
Installation	Exterior Escutcheon, Interior Escutcheon
App	Mobile
Notifications	Push
Geofencing/Location Services	Yep
Guest Access	Aye
Tamper Alarm	Yep
Touchpad	Yeah
Vocalization Activation	Yes
Production Category	Smart Locks