I switched to a Wi-Fi-enabled smart lock with facial recognition - and can't go back

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• As portion of its Zeno Series, Lockly's Visage astute fastener is disposable present for $349.
• The Lockly Visage comes with facial ID support, automatic unlocking erstwhile you're near, and Apple Home Kit compatibility.
• The Lockly app tin beryllium much user-friendly, arsenic it's hard to find definite settings, and it's pricier than astir locks.

I've ever been drawn to Lockly due to the fact that of its PIN Genie exertion -- a strategy that displays a unsocial rotating keypad layout that changes the fig of positions each clip you usage it. 

This helps forestall intruders from guessing your codification by watching your manus movements oregon the smudge patterns connected your lock.

Also: This 2K video doorbell gave maine akin features arsenic a Ring but with nary subscription fees

Lockly has since upgraded its lineup with the Lockly Visage, alongside Zeno Series companions, the Lockly Vision, Lockly Secure Pro Zeno, and Lockly PIN Genie Pro Zeno. All the latest Zeno Series locks person unsocial features: the Visage supports facial biometric ID, the Vision has an integrated 2K solution video doorbell, the new-generation Secure Pro features a sleeker look, and the PIN Genie is simply a much affordable alternate with Home Key support. 

As I've utilized the Lockly Visage, my superior absorption has been connected its standout feature: the quality to unlock via facial recognition. Many of america usage facial IDs connected our smartphones, tablets, and different devices, truthful having it connected a astute fastener sounds similar a tenable adjacent step. That said, I inactive felt somewhat uneasy astir my doorway unlocking conscionable by getting a glimpse of my face.

I wondered however the fastener could usage my facial biometric information and however casual it would beryllium to unlock my doorway with a photo, for example. This would beryllium a information nightmare, not lone erstwhile you see intruders but besides successful home unit and stalking situations, wherever the perpetrator would already person entree to galore photos of a imaginable victim. 

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After installing the Lockly Visage, I dove into mounting up and investigating the facial designation feature. Setup was a breeze, arsenic the fastener scans your look similar an iPhone erstwhile you archetypal acceptable up Face ID. Now, each clip I attack the lock, it automatically unlocks earlier I adjacent person clip to rise my manus to unfastened it with my Apple Watch.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

I tried unlocking the fastener with photos, utilizing prints and an iPhone, and had nary luck. Lockly says it leverages "binocular facial recognition," which uses 2 cameras to scan a person's look successful 3D, making it harder for idiosyncratic to fool the strategy with photos oregon videos. The strategy besides uses radar detection to observe question erstwhile idiosyncratic approaches the lock, careless of the visibility. 

Also: I invested successful a subscription-less video doorbell, and it's paying disconnected for my astute home

The Lockly Visage is casual to install, though I recovered it had a batch of heavy wiring that didn't look to acceptable anyplace wrong the housing. To debar jamming the wiring, I had to way it astir the deadbolt mechanism. Setting up with the Lockly app was precise easy, and the app has had respective updates since I began utilizing this fastener that person made it much user-friendly.

Installing the Lockly Visage Smart Lock is comparatively easy.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

You tin edit and adhd antithetic fingerprints, facial biometric data, oregon cardinal codes for aggregate users, which the app didn't initially allow. This was a spot annoying, arsenic I similar to adhd antithetic codes and fingerprints for my kids and don't privation to make a abstracted Lockly relationship for each. As a workaround, I added my older kids arsenic alternate introduction methods nether my idiosyncratic account.

Also: This is the video doorbell I urge to astir Ring users - particularly astatine its merchantability price

Thankfully, Lockly updated the app aft my archetypal reappraisal truthful that I could adhd antithetic users to my home, including codes and fingerprints for circumstantial users. Adding these codes and fingerprints has made it easier for my guests to travel and spell arsenic they please, which makes them consciousness much astatine location during their clip here.

The Lockly Visage Smart Lock's facial biometric seizure system.

Maria Diaz/ZDNET

Before the Lockly, I utilized the Aqara U100 astute lock connected my beforehand doorway for a year. But the Lockly Visage replaced it, and I'm not looking back. Compared to the Aqara U100, which is fractional the price, the Lockly Visage feels sturdier, with an exterior metallic operation compared to the Aqara's integrative one. However, the Visage's deadbolt mechanics doesn't prosecute and disengage arsenic smoothly arsenic the U100's and has an outer strategy to observe doorway closures.

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While the U100 uses an interior gyroscope to observe erstwhile a doorway is closed by its movement, the Lockly Visage uses 2 sensors that observe a closed doorway erstwhile they're lined up. One sensor is connected to the fastener beneath it, portion the different is installed connected the doorway frame. This isn't arsenic convenient oregon visually pleasing arsenic the U100's deficiency of outer sensors, but it works and is precise accurate.

Still, the Lockly Visage blows the Aqara U100 retired of the h2o successful performance. It's incredibly close astatine speechmaking fingerprints, much truthful than immoderate different fingerprint fastener I've tested, and its facial designation is consistently reliable. This astute fastener has ne'er fixed maine an contented I've had to troubleshoot.

ZDNET's buying advice

Aside from an initially annoying app experience, the Lockly Visage Zeno Series is simply a top-performing astute fastener that supports aggregate unlocking methods, including facial recognition, Apple Home Key, fingerprints, and cardinal codes, remotely done the app and with a carnal key.

The fastener is costly astatine $349, but it apt volition beryllium the lone astute fastener you bargain for galore years. Unlike astir astute locks connected the market, it doesn't usage disposable batteries but operates with a removable and rechargeable Lockly artillery pack. Each Lockly Visage comes with 2 rechargeable batteries, truthful you tin support 1 afloat charged and swap it retired erstwhile the artillery depletes.

This communicative was primitively published connected September 5, 2024, and was updated connected June 29, 2025.