Poly-Control Danalock V3 BTZU - Review 2022

When nosotros reviewed the Poly-Control Danalock V2 BT it earned high marks for its stylish looks, quick response, and easy installation. The new Danalock V3 BTZU ($199.99) is also very easy to install and responds chop-chop to open up and close commands. This fourth dimension around information technology sports a more compact design and an updated app, just there were a few minor issues with the Twist Assist feature and the app wouldn't link to my Nest account. And although the lock has Bluetooth and Z-Wave radios, it lacks some of the features yous get with our Editors' Pick for smart locks, the Baronial SmartLock Pro + Connect.

Design and Features

The Danalock V3 sports a totally dissimilar look than previous Danalock models. Whereas the Danalock V2 has a round puck shape and measures 3.1 past 1.9 inches (Hd), the new lock is cylindrical and measures ii.3 by two.ix inches (HD). It has a silver anodized aluminum end and can be manually locked and unlocked using the pollex plow. An LED indicator at the summit of the pollex turn glows red when being locked and green when being unlocked. There'due south a removable panel on the bottom of the cylinder that conceals four CR123 batteries that will power the lock for up to 9,000 cycles earlier they need to be replaced.

The Danalock V3 BTZU uses Bluetooth to communicate with your mobile device, which means you have to exist within Bluetooth range (around xl feet) to control the lock with your phone. It likewise has a Z-Wave radio that lets you incorporate it into any number of Z-Moving ridge home automation hubs including the SmartThings and Wink 2 hubs. The lock doesn't accept a Wi-Fi radio, just you tin can configure a Wi-Fi bridge to control it remotely. All the same, there are a few caveats: You take to supply your ain bridge hardware (an old phone or tablet) and leave information technology plugged in and running, with the Danabridge app open up, in an always-on country, somewhere near both the lock and your Wi-Fi router.

Poly-Control as well sells an Apple HomeKit version of the lock, too every bit a Zigbee version, but it doesn't offer an all-in-one version that combines Z-Wave, Zigbee, and HomeKit compatibility. No thing which version you get, the lock comes with iii mounting plates and three tailpiece adapters for compatibility with most popular lock cylinders, a mounting guide, a tailpiece, 4 CR123 batteries, and contrasted screws and bolts.

The Danalock V3 uses a redesigned mobile app for Android and iOS. This latest version eschews the colorful settings screen used in the past and instead takes a minimalist approach. The app opens to a screen with a simple thumbscrew icon for each installed lock. The thumbscrew is green when the lock is opened (unlocked) and cherry-red when information technology'due south closed (locked). Simply tap the icon to lock or unlock the door. When yous're connected remotely (via Danabridge), the icon becomes a circle with two keyholes: Tap the ruby-red keyhole to lock the door and the green one to unlock it.

Poly-Control Danalock V3 BTZU There are 5 buttons at the bottom of the screen labeled Settings, Add Device, Users, Log, and Carte. In Settings y'all can enable double cylinder control (for European models), calibrate the lock, enable the Auto Unlock characteristic, which uses your telephone's Bluetooth to unlock the door automatically whenever you are within range, and enable the Twist Assist feature, which helps with manual locking and unlocking (simply turn the thumbscrew a few degrees and the motor will kick in and consummate the wheel). The Auto Lock settings let you lot designate a time (between five seconds and three minutes) before the door automatically locks itself.

Tap the Add Device button to add more locks to your account and the Users push to invite users and grant permanent or temporary access to the lock. Here you can besides view a list of invited users and edit their access level. The Log is where y'all become to view a list of all lock events including the name of the user, the time and date, and the type of upshot (lock, unlock, settings). The Carte du jour button takes you to a screen where you tin configure the lock for use with Nest devices and Logitech's Harmony Hub, register it with Airbnb, and add information technology to a Z-Wave network. Missing are the push button alerts that you get with the August SmartLock Pro + Connect.

The lock has its own IFTTT aqueduct that allows it to work with other IFTTT-enabled devices such as smart switches and smart lights, but the Danabridge must be up and running to do so. You lot don't get native support for Alexa voice commands like you do with the August SmartLock Pro, but you lot can create an IFTTT applet to trigger the lock with a phrase. You lot can't directly tell Alexa to "unlock the front door;" instead you accept to tell Alexa to "trigger" a lock or unlock action.

Installation and Performance

Poly-Control Danalock V3 BTZU Equally with other smart locks such every bit the Friday Lock and the Baronial SmartLock Pro, the Danalock V3 uses your existing lock'due south cylinder, tailpiece, and strike bolt, and is very easy to install. I removed the interior escutcheon from my old Kwikset lock, selected the proper tailpiece adapter, and inserted it into the slot on the dorsum of the Danalock. I installed the right mounting plate for my Kwikset deadbolt, attached the Danalock to the plate, and twisted information technology to the right until it clicked into identify.

In one case the lock was attached to the door I downloaded the iOS app, created an account, and tapped the Add Device push button at the bottom of the screen. Following the in-app instructions, I stood in front end of the door and selected the lock from the listing of available devices. I gave the lock a name, calibrated it, enabled the Motorcar Unlock, Machine Lock, and Twist Assist features, and was done.

The Danalock V3 responded apace to my app commands to lock and unlock the door and the Auto Unlock feature worked wonderfully, unlocking the door whenever I came dorsum into Bluetooth range. I created an IFTTT applet to have a WeMo Mini switch turn on whenever the door was unlocked and it worked like a charm. I as well created an IFTTT applet to have the door lock and unlock using an Alexa phrase, and it likewise worked flawlessly.

Nevertheless, I kept getting an error message whenever I tried to link the lock to my Nest account, which according to a spokesperson, was due to an consequence on the Danalock servers. I likewise had trouble linking the lock to the Danabridge and was told by a spokesperson that there was a server issue. Once the event was resolved I was able to pair the lock to the bridge. Lastly, the Twist Assistance characteristic stopped working during testing, just once I recalibrated the lock, disabled the feature and re-enabled information technology, it worked fine.

Conclusions

The Danalock V3 BTZU is one of the better-looking smart locks we've seen, and since information technology uses most of your existing deadbolt associates, it'due south very like shooting fish in a barrel to install. It uses Bluetooth and Z-Wave wireless engineering to communicate with your phone and with a Z-Moving ridge hub, but if you desire to add together it to your HomeKit or Zigbee automation platform, brand certain you buy a version that supports your preferred wireless protocol. The lock e'er opened and closed when allowable to do and so with the app, and the Automobile Unlock feature worked as advertised, but Twist Assistance was problematic and the lock wouldn't pair with my Nest account.

Although the lock supports IFTTT and Alexa voice commands, you'll accept to configure a bridge and jump through a few hoops to become them to work. For a smart lock that offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Z-Wave connectivity, every bit well as native support for Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant vocalization commands, the August Smartlock Pro + Connect is your best bet and remains our Editors' Selection.