Replace an internal door tubular latch with WELOCK Touch43 - a smart
door lock with 3 unlocking/locking modes: fingerprint, RFID
contactless and bluetooth (via app)!
WELOCK Touch43 comes with two door handles attached permanently to
hardened metal backplates. The external knob (larger one) contains a
small LCD screen (displays time and date), fingerprint sensor, clicky
physical button, battery compartment and micro USB charging port.
The
external knob is actually made of plastic reinforced with a metal casing
to protect it. The metal casing slides out by undoing the small flush
head screw, giving you access to the gun barrel style battery
compartment for 3 AAA batteries (not included).
Included with the door handle backplates are oval-shaped spindle
metal rods to insert through the square opening and actuate the mortise
latch mechanism. The spindle rods come in two sizes (45/50mm and
50/60mm) of different lengths
and diameter to suit different door latch mechanisms. The included door
knob
handle on backplates + the tubular latch weigh 843 grams.
The blue RFID cards weigh 5 grams and measures 4cm long x 2.5cm wide x
0.2cm thick.
The WELOCK Touch43 comes with all
the hardware needed to replace an existing door handle and tubular
mortice latch and plate, including also the screws, spindle metal rods
and tools (e.g. allen tool, star head screw driver).
Another
neat feature you get with WELOCK Touch43 is "backup entry" designed to
manually force open the locking mechanism should the lock stop working
and/or battery go flat. The backup entry requires the use of a powerbank (for power), QR code and WELOCK app to
gain access.
There is mobile support too via WELOCK mobile app,
which connects to the Touch43 smart lock via bluetooth. The app requires
entering a verification number that you get via SMS when entering your
mobile number to sign up. You also have to scan the QR code on door
knob to pair the app to Touch43. The WELOCK app lets you lock/unlock
the Touch43 latch via bluetooth, although it takes longer to actuate than via
fingerprint and RFID card.
From the WELOCK app, you can also view
battery status, lock/unlock history, setup up RFID entry,
fingerprints and schedule a validity time for the RFID cards, which is
useful if you want to allow a guest (or children) access into a room between a set
time only.
When setting up the RFID cards, you can have up to 3
administrators managing up to 20 RFID cards. The included RFID cards are
made of blue glossy plastic with a QR code on the backside that you
scan via the app to setup and to delete. The RFID cards are small and
easy to carry around, thanks to the short lanyard cord attached to it
Potential deal breakers of Touch43
- Micro USB charging port instead of USB-C which is the newer standard. Most smartphones and headphones come with USB-C so many people are likely not to have a micro USB cable laying around. A micro USB cable could have been included
- Charging port does not support passthrough charging; hence you have to physically remove the AAA batteries in order to charge them
- Digital electronic door locks are not foolproof
- Not plug and play - requires drilling
- Charging port and reset pinhole can be easily tampered by an intruder
- No low battery alert mobile notification
- Suitable only for wooden doors and internal doors
- Not suitable for external doors
- LCD screen a bit too small to read
- WELOCK low 1.4 star rating on Google Play Store may put off some buyers.
- Bluetooth unlocking via app is not instant - takes 10 seconds to activate the locking mechanism
- Locking/unlocking via the app requires an active Internet connection on your phone
- Installation can be daunting, especially if you've never replaced a door tubular latch before.
- Easy to tamper with and sabotage
- The physical button on knob has to be pressed before using fingerprint and RFID card
- Supports Alexa voice command but requires the use of WELOCK hub (sold separately)
- Alexa voice command only supports one voice command (unlock) - there is no "lock" voice command
- Does not support NFC contactless, which would be useful to unlock the door using an NFC-enabled smartphone
Selling points for Touch43
- Appealing when house sharing
- You may be able to keep the existing tubular mortice latch mechanism
- IP65 dust and water resistance
- Built-in buzzer to alert you of low battery
- Emergency backup entry
- Can store up to 100 different fingerprints and 20 RFID cards
- You can place an expiry time on the RFID card
- WELOCK app seem to work well during testing.
- Anti-torsion knob freely spins when door is locked by automatically disengaging the knob from the latch mechanism, preventing someone from breaking the knob by forcefully twisting the knob
- Adjustable auto lock (between 5 and 14 seconds)
- RFID contactless entry is more secure than NFC contactless keyless doors
- Premium build made of metal construction
- 2 years free replacement + lifetime warranty
- Ideal for locking a games room
- Can be easily uninstalled from the door - useful when renting and moving out to another house
You can buy the WELOCK Touch43 smart lock directly from WELOCK 's website and get 20% off using GET20 promo code.
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