We’re big fans of Kevo here. And while the smartlock remains mostly an island unto itself, it gains powerful new communication capabilities. To minimize power consumption, most networked gadgetry sticks to low energy Bluetooth, Z-Wave, or Zigbee in lieu of WiFi. That’s been proven to work well … when you’re in the vicinity. But to keep tabs on your door and even control it remotely requires something to bridge those networks. Enter Kevo Plus.
I first touched on the Kevo bridge way back at CES 2014 as the missing link. But my enthusiasm waned at CES 2015 given what sounded something like a recurring fee for remote access. Fortunately, as it turns out, “Kevo Plus” launches today at $70 – with both hardware and ongoing service included in that single fee. The bridge itself is a small affair that plugs directly into your router and communicates with Kevo over Bluetooth. In conjunction with today’s app update, Kevo Plus allows you to see if you forgot the lock the door … when you’re away from home… and do something about it.
“To minimize power consumption, most networked gadgetry sticks to low energy Bluetooth, Z-Wave, or Zigbee in lieu of WiFi … Enter Kevo Plus.”
Don’t you really mean that to disrupt power consumption, it cuts the cord?
(Just trying to stay current with the lingo, in the parlance of our times, you know, and she, uh, uh.)
I do enjoy my kevo, and immediately signed up for Kevo Plus. I’m hoping they incorporate geofencing into the app. It would be nice to have it automatically lock the door if I went past a certain range and unlock when I return
Intriguing. Would love the ability to make sure the door is locked. Don’t some of these integrate with home automation hubs too?
How’s the security of the online integration? As we add more of these devices to the home automation mix, especially devices that unlock your house, I get more anxious about security.
The more pressing risk before your home is hacked are probably the people who will break your window and turn the lock or get your sliding glass door off the track when you’re out. But it is another vector for attack and there have been some incidents, with non secure cameras for example. For now, I believe the convenience outweighs the risk in this case… as I have a Kevo installed.
For more agnostic solutions to integrate with services and hubs, look to the generic Z-Wave branded stuff. Pretty sure the Kevo lock/enclosure it largely resused from one of Kwiksets non-Kevo networked locks.