05 Jul
Blog

Lockly Duo Smart Lock Review: Steep Price for Convenience

Lockly Duo Smart Lock

Duo ™ Smart Lock

RRP $ 450.00

"The Lockly Duo replaces both your door lock and your deadbolt, but the price is just too high."

advantages

  • Replaces both locks on your door

  • Open and lock both locks with one handle

  • Precise fingerprint sensor

  • Random number pad for security

disadvantage

  • Some design problems

  • App is just ok

One of the biggest problems I've encountered with smart home door locks is that they tend to replace the deadbolt or latch. The Lockly Duo replaces both. I have mixed feelings about this lock setup, but I think those mixed feelings come from dealing with the unknown rather than from Lockly's mistakes. I know that it was nice that both locks were intelligent and accessible by fingerprint, key or code for a change.

Lockly behaves in an unusual way. Both the door lock and the deadbolt are controlled by a single door handle. A push-down unlocks both locks, a pull-up locks both locks. It definitely takes getting used to, and despite its strangeness, I like this mechanism. It's just easier to have a single handle that releases both locks, even if it's unusual.

Installation and setup

Setting up the lock required a bit of work and some complex mechanisms. The lock is designed to cover a latch and door handle that are either 4 "or 5½" apart. My door is 5 ½ inches so it worked. Or at least if my latch handle had been drilled to the right size. To attach the cover plate to my door, I had to sand about a quarter of the door. It's not Lockly's fault. The cover plate itself is also significantly larger than the door lock on the outside, so it doesn't look that great.

With the Lockly Duo, there is a clear gap between the locking mechanism and the door handle.

On the inside there is an additional mechanism that mounts between the door lock and the door called the connecting plate. This plate connects the bolt and the door lock with the single handle. It's not a bad device, but it does add a complexity to the lock that I wasn't expecting. In addition, the connecting plate is not flush with the door handle. It's not particularly noticeable, but if I hold a flashlight to the end of the lock, I can see the light on the other side.

There is no shortage of smart locks on the market, but none of them control both the trap and the bolt.

The Lockly Duo also has an integrated wired door sensor for the Lockly security system. I didn't install this as I already have a Vivint security system installed. But the fact that it's wired to the door handle and I couldn't remove it was a bit annoying.

properties

Once installed, use the Lockly app to set up PINs and fingerprints for users. The fingerprint sensor is located on the side of the door lock and a screen above the door lock shows the buttons for the codes. Most of the time the screen is turned off. A single tap usually turns it on, although occasionally I had to tap it a second time to wake it up. The numbers displayed are randomized into four buttons with three digits per button. This ensures that repeated tapping of the same point for the same codes does not develop a wear pattern. After entering your code, you can press some sort of "Enter" key below the keys, but there is no indication that the key is an Enter key. At first glance it looks like a fingerprint, so I initially confused it with the statement: "Sure, you can enter a code, but don't forget the fingerprint sensor." The button needs a better design, or it just has to "Enter" say.

The Lockly Duo uses a fingerprint sensor or a code to allow access.

The fingerprint sensor works very well, although I'm not convinced the placement is the best. When you have a door handle on the left side of the door, your natural instinct is to reach for the door with your left hand. But when you do, your fingers are pointing away from the sensor. The fingerprint sensor is a bit too cumbersome to use a thumbprint, so you end up reaching across your body to scan a finger on your right hand and then actually using your left hand to open the door.

software

The app also lets you lock and unlock the door, and is supposed to be able to pair it with the Google Assistant, but I couldn't get this to work. The app itself is pretty simple and easy to understand. You use it to set fingerprints and PIN codes. Setting up fingerprints works similarly to setting up a fingerprint on your phone. You press your finger on the sensor several times until the app tells you that you're done.

The app also allows you to activate "Welcome Mode" and this is one of my other main problems with the lock. Welcome mode means your door will stay unlocked on a schedule. That's nice, but in the summer when people come in and out all day it would be nice if there was a button or button that you can use to unlock the door. The only way to toggle the welcome mode on or off is currently through the app. That is not optimal.

Our opinion

Overall, this is a decent device with some oddities (and a price tag) to get used to. It's a great concept to be sure of. Using one door handle is much easier than locking and unlocking two locks individually. You still get the security of a dead bolt along with the convenience of a single door handle. There are some quirks here, like the inability to leave the door unlocked without using your phone and the oversized mounting plates for the lock. The handle also sticks out quite a bit which actually bothered my screen door. Many of these are minor issues that can certainly be fixed in a 2.0 product.

But at $ 450, you really don't want any compromises from a door lock. That's way more than double the average smart door lock on the market. That's a high price to pay for a little comfort. I usually leave my door lock unlocked because only my bolt was smart up to the Lockly. Having a door lock that works for both the deadbolt and the deadbolt is great, but I'm not convinced that $ 450 is great.

Is there a better alternative?

The Lockly's fingerprint reader and code field both work great. There's no shortage of smart locks on the market – check out our list of the most popular smart locks – but none of them control both the trap and the bolt. Is that the best in the world? It is certainly convenient. There were times when I would lock myself out of the house when I forgot to unlock the doorknob. With this lock, that's never a problem.

For roughly the same price, the ultimate Smart Lock is available in the Lockly Vision. It is the Swiss Army Knife among intelligent locks because it offers all modern conveniences, but also serves as a video doorbell. If you prefer something a little more discreet, the Level Touch looks like an ordinary deadbolt lock on any door and doesn't have the distracting keypads and bulky bolts normally associated with smart locks. And finally there is the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which is characterized by its moderate price, easy installation and incredible security features.

How long it will take?

I have no reason to believe this door lock won't hold. It is built from durable materials. The locks are backed by a five-year guarantee on mechanics and workmanship and a two-year electrical guarantee. The gap between the lock plate and the door handle makes me pause, but it's inside so it should be affected by rain. In general, I have no complaints about the durability.

Should you buy it?

No. There are certain reasons why you wouldn't want this lock from a functional standpoint. If your door has no awning or other weather protection, you will find that the fingerprint sensor and the code board are very sensitive to rain and practically no longer work. If you don't like the aesthetics of the door handles and prefer doorknobs, you should insist.

But the main concern I have is the pricing which is very high. Put simply, you can buy a smart door lock and bolt and still have money for a few battery packs before you hit that price threshold. Lockly needs to bring the price down before it is considered a solid buy.

Editor's recommendations



29 Aug
Blog

Oral-B iO Series 9 Smart Toothbrush Review: Pearly Whites at a Steep Cost

Oral-B iO Series 9 hand held smart toothbrush

Oral-B iO Series 9 Smart Toothbrush

"With so much time devoted to development, it does justice to the best brushing performance."

  • Exceptional cleaning performance

  • Comes with four brush heads

  • LED ring helps with pressure sensitivity

  • Robust build quality

  • Expensive

  • Eats up battery

Earlier this year during CES 2020, I got a glimpse of Oral-B's new intelligent toothbrush: the iO series 9. I only had the opportunity to attend a single brushing session, but I got away from the intrigued experience. If a company has been developing a smart toothbrush for six years, expectations will surely be high. Months after this brief encounter, I've been better informed to tell you if it's worth the wait.

High tech in every way

I've owned several manual and electric toothbrushes, but the iO Series 9 is the first that I'd call downright imposing. While it looks like just another electric toothbrush from a cursory inspection, it's undeniably fancier to look up close and equipped with technology that makes it one step above the other. It's made of plastic, but much stronger than other brushes. The weight and the solid feel go together. A tiny screen displays battery life, brushing modes, and even an emoji face after each brush to evaluate my performance. Oral-B has put a lot of work into the brush mechanism, which consists of a frictionless, sleek magnetic drive system to create powerful micro-vibrations while brushing (more on that later).

Oral-B iO Series 9 Smart Toothbrush Display Close-upJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Pearl white clean

To be honest, I am thrilled with how well this toothbrush cleans my teeth. When using one of Oral-B's entry-level electric toothbrushes in the past, I've never been convinced they are any easier to clean than Philips' Sonicare line. The iO Series 9 is a whole different beast. In fact, it's the best toothbrush I've ever used including the Colgate Hum that I checked out right before this one.

It's the best brush I've ever come across.

Part of his world class performance comes from his ability to see how much pressure I am applying while brushing my teeth. An LED ring around the toothbrush lights up red, blue or green to indicate whether it is too much, too little or just right. The Oral-B app does the same, but I prefer the visual representation of the light, even when brushing with my smartphone in hand. In addition, a distinctive vibration indicates when it's time to switch to another quadrant.

Thanks to its intense micro-vibrations, the Oral-B iO series 9 offers the best brushing performance I've ever experienced. I feel like my teeth are getting a polishing job in addition to a power wash – this is how my teeth feel squeaky every time. The hard-to-remove plaque buildup between teeth isn't completely eliminated, but to be honest, I haven't come across a toothbrush that is good at this. Sorry, you still need to floss.

Oral-B iO series 9 smart toothbrush brush your teethJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

After each brush you will see how much battery is left. Unsurprisingly, it's a battery eater, draining around 10% of its battery after each use. So yes, it will require frequent fees.

More of the same smart features

So far, most of the smart toothbrushes I've come across don't differ too much in their smart features. The Oral-B iO 9 tracks a total of six zones during the tour with the app, so that I can see exactly how well I brush each area. However, the tracking function is not available when the brushes are not guided, which is rather puzzling for something "smart". At the end of each brush, I get a score from zero to 100 to indicate my cleaning performance.

While it can tell me how well I brush each quadrant, part of me craves for more accurate brush dates. For example, I can spend a lot of time brushing the front of my teeth while neglecting the back, but it treats the two sides as one. It doesn't paint a true picture of my brushing and my habits. This is not an isolated problem, but a common problem shared by most of the products in this category. I want a smart toothbrush that learns my exact brushing habits and guides me to practical improvements. I don't want to clean to chase after a score.

Our opinion

Impressive cleaning comes at a price, which for the Oral-B iO Series 9 means more than $ 300 to fork. It's ridiculously expensive, but it's also one of the most advanced toothbrushes out there, and delivers a satisfactory clean every time. Fortunately, the purchase comes with a travel case and four brush heads, which saves the difficulty of buying replacements soon after. Even so, a two-pack replacement costs $ 30.

How long it will take?

I'm confident that with its considerable build quality, it will hold up for a while. Oral-B offers a 2 year warranty that covers defects but not normal wear and tear.

Is there a better alternative?

If you're looking for an exceptional clean with connectivity features, it's hard to find anything else that comes close. You may be able to get similar performance with the other models of Oral-B, possibly with the iO Series 7 smart toothbrush for $ 200.

Should you buy it?

Yes, mostly because cleaning takes precedence over everything else. All intelligent functions and tracking are extra. If cleaning is unsuccessful, there is an error.

Editor's recommendations




07 Aug
Blog

Polk Audio Signa S3 Review: Quality Bar, Steep Competition

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbar

"Polk's high-quality Signa S3 soundbar is a lot right, but it lacks key features for the price."

  • Smooth design

  • High quality stereo sound

  • Wi-Fi connectivity

  • Limited low end

  • Missing surround sound

The soundbar marketplace is deceptive. It doesn't matter how good your features are or how great your sound is. If there's something better for the same price, you'll be the odd bar.

That's the tough lesson Polk Audio's new $ 250 Signa S3 sound bar system is learning. It's a solid option on its own as it's a Wi-Fi enabled soundbar with effective two-channel sound, but Polk just forgot about the budget monster waiting in the opposite corner of the ring. If you don't know who we are talking about, you are close to it.

design

At various times in the past, both myself and my staff at Digital Trends have praised the soundbars that can be heard but not seen. That said, the bars that feature a design that doesn't protrude and blend in so well with the room that you won't know it's there if it's not emitting sound to you – the Bose Soundbar 700 is here one good example of success.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Soundbars from Vizio, LG, Samsung and the like have done this to one degree or another in the past. And I'd argue that the Polk Signa S3 probably fits that category too, and I like the aesthetics of this particular soundbar more than, say, the Vizio counterpart. One notable point is that the color and shape of this bar appear less harsh in comparison. The Vizio V-series is a black, brick-shaped bar with a slightly less black grille. The polk looks softer and tastier with a lighter, grayer grille that plays off the otherwise black bar well. This color is paired with a more rounded shape without all of the sharp edges, which I liked too.

The Signa S3 is a little over two inches tall and around 35 inches wide, which fits closely with competitors like the Vizio V series. There are two pairs of tweeters and mid-range speakers in the 2.1 channel strip. For comparison purposes, the Vizio has a dedicated driver for the center channel of its 5.1 configuration. One driver doesn't seem like much of a difference, but as we'll see in a moment, that particular driver is a crucial one.

The wireless subwoofer for the Signa S3 is front-ported and follows the footprint of soundbar woofers such as the LG SN7Y. They're so similar in size, in fact, that it took my significant other a week to release the submarine in the corner of the room. It was different from the week before. That gave me my first concerns, as the subwoofer for the SN7Y did not impress me with its performance. More on that in a moment.

The remote control for the Signa S3 feels a bit cheap, but is conveniently located on the smaller side and is easy to hold. The Signa S3 supports Polk's AnyRemote technology, which means it should automatically respond to IR signals from most TVs it is connected to. According to Polk's website, the Signa S3 works seamlessly with Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, and Sony TV remote controls for volume control, as well as most CEC-enabled TVs.

configuration

The Signa S3 has a book report size quick start guide that includes it. I strongly recommend that you do your homework. Take it from someone who has been too persistent to read manuals for years: if you put pride aside and let the included documentation guide you through setting up the soundbar, things just get infinitely easier.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

It starts like any typical soundbar: plug your soundbar into your TV, plug both the bar and subwoofer into power, plug the included AAA battery into your remote, and turn everything on. The subwoofer should automatically connect to the bar and the entire system should be ready for playback in a matter of moments.

Unlike some competitive bars where the input that the soundbar is plugged into is literally written for you, the Signa S3 tells you this via a horizontal row of LED lights.

It all went smoothly for me, but the next few steps gave me a break. Unlike some competitive bars where the input that the soundbar is plugged into is literally written for you – the LG SN7Y mentioned above comes to mind – the Signa S3 tells you this via a horizontal row of LED lights. Some make sense (a single blue light indicates the bar is in bluetooth mode), but beyond that it gets confusing. Fortunately, it is broken down for you in the quick start guide and acts as a translator for the foreign language of lights the S3 is talking to you.

The guide also directs you to the Google Home app, which you can use to connect the Signa S3 to Wi-Fi. This is a very simple process. It's a smooth transition from the tutorial to the Home app as the app walks you step-by-step through adding your network and tweaking your bar. I didn't have the resources to try at the time, but I'm confident that a far less tech-savvy person can get this system fully up and running in 15 minutes. In my opinion, that's the hallmark of a good, easy-to-use soundbar.

links

Even by soundbar standards, the Signa S3 keeps things limited when it comes to connections. There is a single HDMI ARC port, a digital optical port, and an AUX input. For context, the Vizio V-Series adds a 3.5mm stereo audio input as well as a USB port to the mix. I recorded before saying that most soundbars need additional connections, and I stand by that. But that's a soundbar on a budget of $ 250, after all. More HDMI ports would have been great, but at the price, it's not a deal-breaker.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

This is where the Signa S3 gets a great value at least in terms of connections in my opinion. Unlike much more expensive bars like the LG SN7Y and Sony HT-G700, this Polk Bar has built-in Wi-Fi. This is huge for my money as it opens up a world of possibilities. For this reason, Google Chromecast is built into the bar, with options for streaming Google Play Music, Spotify, and many other services right into the bar. Plus, you can control your music with a device equipped with the Google Assistant, and group your soundbar with other Chromecast-enabled speakers to create whole-house sound. In addition, your soundbar may receive automatic software updates to keep the product better over time.

This Polk Bar has built-in WiFi. This is huge for my money as it opens up a world of possibilities.

The Signa S3 also has a Bluetooth connection. But with the option to stream Wi-Fi and enjoy sound with no dropouts or disconnections, I don't know why you would ever choose the former over the latter. By equipping their bar with Wi-Fi, Polk has not only done what all soundbars – including the competing Vizio V series – should do, but also what we believe there should be no excuse not to do so in 2020 .

Sound quality

This is the make-or-break category for the Signa S3. For some, the stereo sound produced is comfortable enough and well worth the price of admission. But for others hoping for an even more immersive experience with their soundbar, they will likely want to look elsewhere.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The thing is, this is really not a controversial – or even controversial – statement. Finally, the Signa S3 is a 2.1-channel soundbar. It will work better with audio that is meant to be heard in stereo (i.e. music) and worse with content that benefits from a surround sound setup (most TV shows and movies). Polk gets a little sneaky when he says it supports the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound format, which it technically does. It simply cannot be reproduced as it is again only a two-channel bar. Not all support is the same here, so the language is irritatingly misleading.

For the music, I found this bar to be excellent. Polk is a company that has made a name for itself in the audio space, unlike the bigger brands like Vizio, Samsung and LG. The company has made music-friendly speakers in the past so it came as no surprise to me that the bar can wonderfully clearly reproduce tracks like Mumford & Sons' Lover of the Light. As for the bass, the S3's compact woofer has handled short, punchy deep tones effectively. However, when the sub was asked to go deeper, or when the bass was increased using the beam's remote control, it succumbed to the limitations of its size and unfortunately sounded like it was stretching for a frequency it just couldn't quite reach . If you're not asking too much, you'll be happy with this subwoofer – you just have to know what it can and can't do.

If you try to squeeze five (or more) channels into two the result just won't turn out what it's supposed to.

I want to be as clear as possible with this soundbar when it comes to watching movies or TV shows: objectively speaking, this is an instant and significant improvement over standard TV speakers and brings you the way this content is meant to be heard , far closer. The clarity I mentioned when discussing music is still there, and the sub adds a modest rumble to your listening experience.

But for the third time, and probably not the last, it's a numbers game. If you try to squeeze five (or more) channels into two the result just won't turn out what it's supposed to. In that regard, I'll be taking advantage of the Vizio V-series 5.1 setup or the impact Dolby Atmos had on the LG SN7Y's 3.1.2 configuration, albeit at a significantly higher price. Maybe I'm just too used to having noises above or behind me, but my selection of tests (Mad Max: Fury Road, John Wick, A Quiet Place) just weren't the same audio glasses I was supposed to be getting be on the Signa S3.

The Signa S3 has three sound modes that you can use to customize your audio: The Movie mode "improves audio playback in TVs and movies," Polk said. Night mode attenuates bass and dynamic sounds to keep the neighbors at bay. and music mode is good for music. These all work in that they are the best preset for any situation, but don't expect them to be breakthrough modes that will change the way you play audio dramatically. The same goes for Polk's speech adaptation feature, which allows you to switch between three different levels of speech enhancement. It's helpful, but not as helpful as having a dedicated center channel.

Our opinion

The Polk Signa S3 is a 2.1 channel soundbar that does exactly what it was designed to do. That said, the bar picks up the provided audio and creates a fun listening experience that is exponentially better than anything standard TV speakers could produce. The problem is that its value is being damaged by competitors bringing more to the table without much of a drag on cost. A year ago, having surround sound at that price might not have been that important. But the bar (no pun intended) has been raised and it overshadows an otherwise good system.

Is there a better alternative?

The $ 250 Vizio V series gives you a 5.1 experience for the same price, which makes it a better option for a movie night, though I would still prefer the Signa S3's sound for stereo music. The $ 350 Yamaha YAS-209 is a more advanced alternative to the Polk. Amazon Alexa is integrated into the bar and compatible with DTS: Virtual X. However, like the Signa S3, it does not have true surround sound.

How long it will take?

Polk has a two year warranty on this pole which is also a well made product. With the bonus of software updates, this bar should be able to be a fixture under your television.

Should you buy it

I think it depends on your use case. The Polk Audio Signa S3 has a lot going for it, including built-in WiFi and exceptional stereo sound. If your plan is to not only use a soundbar for movies but also get a healthy dose of music on the go, I would have no hesitation in suggesting the Signa S3. But I think most people value surround sound over streaming music, which makes the Vizio V series a better option for the average consumer. In other words, Vizio, the king of values, wins through a difficult decision.

Editor's recommendations