Tapo DL100 evaluate: A Wi-Fi sensible lock for a complete lot much less

Finest Costs Right now: TP-Hyperlink Tapo DL100

Finest identified for its cheap routers, TP-Hyperlink is quickly rising its Tapo line of budget-priced sensible residence gadgets, and the Tapo DL100 sensible lock is a wonderful residence safety worth.

You’ll discover loads of sensible locks that look prettier, pack extra whiz-bang options, and help extra sensible residence ecosystems, however you received’t discover a $70 lock that’s almost nearly as good as TP-Hyperlink’s Tapo DL100.

Design and construct high quality

The Tapo DL100 isn’t flashy, nevertheless it doesn’t look low-cost. The black-and-silver end blends properly with most doorways, and the keypad glows softly for nighttime visibility. Whereas the housing is plastic as a substitute of metallic, it doesn’t really feel flimsy within the hand.

The Tapo DL100 is BHMA licensed as a industrial lock rated ANSI Grade 3, the bottom of the three ANSI industrial lock grades (the upper ranges being Grade 1 adopted by Grade 2). If you would like a stronger lock, you’ll have to spend extra money. You possibly can examine ANSI lock grades on the ANSI weblog. We clarify the BHMA’s residential lock requirements on the previous hyperlink.

When it comes to weatherization, the lock is rated a modest IP54, which in accordance with our IP code information, means it received’t permit mud ingress to the purpose of inflicting failure, and that it could face up to being sprayed with water (however undoubtedly not from a stress washer).

James Barber/Foundry

I don’t know if I’d use it for an oceanfront seaside home, nevertheless it ought to stand as much as extra typical environments. That stated, lots of the locks we’ve reviewed recently have had the identical water resistance scores as this lock, however they’ve been impervious to mud ingress (having a 6–as a substitute of a 5–as the primary digit of their IP codes).  

Extra specs

The Tapo DL100 sensible deadbolt options each a numeric PIN pad with bodily buttons (it’s not a touchscreen) and a traditional key cylinder, and it can be locked and unlocked with the Tapo app in your cellphone by way of Bluetooth, or—when you’ve related it to your private home Wi-Fi community (2.4GHz networks solely)—with an Amazon Alexa or Google House voice command.

The lock additionally helps SmartThings and IFTTT, however not Apple’s HomeKit or, by extension, Apple’s House Key . There’s no help for Thread or Matter, both, and the DL100 additionally doesn’t present the choice technique of unlocking it with a fingerprint. If that’s a should—have characteristic, contemplate the upscale mannequin Tapo DL110 that has that characteristic—plus an built-in doorbell; it’s priced at $150.

The lock operates on 4 AA batteries, which TP-Hyperlink says ought to final for 10 months utilizing a Bluetooth connection. That declare drops to seven months with the lock related to Wi-Fi, which I anticipate most individuals will go for, because it offers you distant entry to the lock. Ought to the batteries die when you’re out and about, you possibly can plug a smartphone or a conveyable battery right into a USB-C port on the underside of the lock

Set up and setup

James Barber/Foundry

Bodily set up ought to be a breeze for anybody changing an current deadbolt, and also you don’t want any form of hub or bridge to benefit from all its options with out the necessity to join a subscription or different service plan.

I changed an current deadbolt lock, and the complete course of from eradicating the previous deadbolt to opening the DL100’s field to strolling away from a accomplished venture took lower than fifteen minutes. If it’s worthwhile to minimize into your door and jamb for set up, the method will get much more difficult—as it could with every other deadbolt.

James Barber/Foundry

A Phillips-head screwdriver was the one software wanted for the venture and, after putting in the Tapo app on my cellphone and inserting the batteries into the lock, the DL100 related by way of Bluetooth virtually instantly. Your subsequent steps will likely be to create a 4- to 8-digit PIN and add the lock to your Wi-Fi community. You possibly can create as much as 200 distinctive PINs with various ranges of permission. You’ll additionally need to activate the App Lock/Unlock setting if you need to have the ability to unlock the door remotely by way of the web.

The app additionally lets you generate a one-time code that visitors, house-cleaners, contractors, restore companies, and different individuals can use to achieve approved entry to your private home. You possibly can select from preset occasions (as much as one full day) or set a customized time window on a future date. An exercise log retains tack of everybody’s comings and goings.

James Barber/Foundry

Should you’re involved that somebody may uncover your PIN by watching you unlock the door, or by finding out which numbers on the PIN have telltale fingerprints, benefit from Tapo’s Scramble PIN code choice. This allows you to press as much as 20 random numbers, together with your PIN code included in sequence and/or after your PIN, and the lock will disregard the opposite numbers however unlock when it acknowledges your PIN.

TP-Hyperlink’s Unlock Try Limiter one other safety characteristic. It helps you to outline the variety of failed unlock makes an attempt earlier than the lock freezes for an outlined size of time: as much as 5 minutes, in 1-minute increments). It’s also possible to set an Auto-Lock timer that may robotically relock the door after the passage of an outlined variety of minutes after opening it: 15- or 30- seconds, or 1-, 5-, or quarter-hour.

Wi-Fi connectivity is a identified battery hog, so you possibly can program the lock to robotically flip its Wi-Fi adapter off at evening and fall again to Bluetooth connectivity solely. The lock will robotically reconnect to Wi-Fi at a time of your selecting. It’s a really cool characteristic.

So, what’s lacking?

James Barber/Foundry

Right here’s what you don’t get on the discount worth of $70: There’s no fingerprint recognition (once more, TP-Hyperlink presents a dearer lock that does have that characteristic) and there’s no geofencing help, so your cellphone can’t robotically lock the door whenever you go away your private home’s geocircle or unlock the door whenever you come again into it. The Tapo additionally app doesn’t ship notifications on a per-user foundation (“so-and-so simply unlocked the door with their PIN”).

I additionally generally skilled a delay when unlocking by way of the app over Wi-Fi, often just some seconds, however lengthy sufficient to make me surprise if the message went by. Voice assistant instructions labored properly however sometimes required a repeat. That could possibly be extra of an Alexa subject than a Tapo one. I didn’t take a look at the lock with Google Assistant.

If you wish to use the distant Wi-Fi options, you’ll have to arrange a Tapo account within the Tapo app. That’s to be anticipated if you need long-distance entry to a tool, so take note you possibly can’t be 100-percent answerable for your connection if you need these options. 

Do you have to purchase the Tapo DL100 sensible deadbolt

At this worth, the DL100’s most evident competitor is the Wyze Lock Bolt, TechHive’s earlier choose for finest budget-priced sensible lock. Wyze presents native Bluetooth management and fingerprint recognition however not Wi-Fi connectivity. If distant entry and voice assistant compatibility are priorities, the Tapo DL100 is the clear winner.

The Tapo DL100 isn’t flashy, however TP-Hyperlink has delivered one of the crucial totally featured sensible locks you should buy for lower than $100. For this worth, getting Wi-Fi entry, real-time alerts, code and administration and not using a paid subscription is actually spectacular.

If you would like premium options like fingerprint recognition or Apple HomeKit/House Key help, you’ll have to spend extra money—possibly even much more. However at this worth, the TP-Hyperlink’s Tapo DL100 sensible lock is simple to advocate.

Additional studying: This evaluate is a part of TechHive’s in-depth protection of the finest sensible locks.