Fingerprint scanner... ARGH! At first. Works sometimes? My thumb was a bit dry maybe. Failed three times once! So frustrating! Supposed to be "super fast unlock" – felt like forever. Called support. Guy said "re-register fingers" and "clean sensor". Okay. Did both thumbs this time. Better now. Mostly. Except after washing dishes – wet fingers = no go. But rain is fine? Weird logic. Got soaked yesterday coming home, unlocked fine. But clean hands? Nope. Dammit!
App stuff... wow. So promised "remote unlock" and "see who comes and goes". Sounds awesome! Tried setting up. Nightmare. Kept saying "connection failure" (code something WF-1 error??). Spent an HOUR! Nearly threw the router out the window. Gave up. Remote unlock dead to me now. BUT the doorbell notification... that works? Phone buzzes when someone rings. Kinda useful? Though mostly it's just the mail guy or Jamie asking for eggs again. Could just yell "Coming!"?
Now, looking at those top rated smart locks, ya know the crazy expensive ones advertised everywhere, the LS-S61 seems less scary price-wise. Is $189 worth it? Hmm. Thing is loud! Alarm went off when my nephew messed with it – sounds like a banshee! Entire hallway lit up. Prob scare any real thief good. Battery life decent? Six months and still going. Came with regular batteries, I think. Double A? Or triple? Whatever, lasts.
Bottom line: Worth the cash? Dependssss. If you want the fanciest, absolute fastest unlock, maybe not this? But if you just want a solid lock, fingerprint mostly works (once set!), super LOUD alarm, feels tough, and looks good... yeah, it kinda sorta is? Especially if you DONT mind the app stuff being iffy. Safer than my old sticky lock for sure. And no more lost keys... usually. Where are my sunglasses? Oh right, car dashboard. Ugh. My door thickness is... 4cm? Should measure. Security is important!
Are top rated smart locks like the LS-S61 worth the price?
Okay, so the old lock. Man, it was sticking like crazy last Tuesday. Or was it Wednesday? Doesn't matter. Point is, Jamie from next door saw me wrestling and laughed. "Bro, get with the times! Even my grandma has one!" She meant a smart lock, obviously. Got me thinking. Maybe he's right? My keys are always... somewhere. Bottom of bag probably. Or did I leave them at Mike's?
So I start looking online. HOLY COW. So many! Saw the LS-S61 pop up everywhere. Ads screaming "Military Security!" and "Advanced Fingerprint Unlock!". Sounds fancy! They claimed C-grade lock core (C is good, right? Like A B C... C top? Or is D top? Whatever. Sounds strong.) And this "dummy passcode" thing? Means you can mash numbers before and after real code? Cool trick, tho honestly, who's watching me punch numbers? The squirrel on the fence maybe? Haha.
Price tag though... oof. Think I saw it for 199? Definitely $190-something. Felt steep compared to... uh... what was that other one?... Anyway. Almost choked on my coffee. Was gonna order pizza last night, guess not!
Installation guy came next day. Fast! Said free install. BUT then saw my door. "Sorry sir, special hole needed." Took him like FOREVER. Drilling noise... so loud. I actually finished watching that cat video compilation, like 45 minutes? Seriously, this installation felt harder than assembling Ikea furniture. And that lamp fight last year... brutal. Finally done. Looks slick though! Black, matte finish. Feels heavy? Good weight probably. Better than Jamie's shiny silver thing. Looks like a spaceship.
Fingerprint scanner... ARGH! At first. Works sometimes? My thumb was a bit dry maybe. Failed three times once! So frustrating! Supposed to be "super fast unlock" – felt like forever. Called support. Guy said "re-register fingers" and "clean sensor". Okay. Did both thumbs this time. Better now. Mostly. Except after washing dishes – wet fingers = no go. But rain is fine? Weird logic. Got soaked yesterday coming home, unlocked fine. But clean hands? Nope. Dammit!
App stuff... wow. So promised "remote unlock" and "see who comes and goes". Sounds awesome! Tried setting up. Nightmare. Kept saying "connection failure" (code something WF-1 error??). Spent an HOUR! Nearly threw the router out the window. Gave up. Remote unlock dead to me now. BUT the doorbell notification... that works? Phone buzzes when someone rings. Kinda useful? Though mostly it's just the mail guy or Jamie asking for eggs again. Could just yell "Coming!"?
Now, looking at those top rated smart locks, ya know the crazy expensive ones advertised everywhere, the LS-S61 seems less scary price-wise. Is $189 worth it? Hmm. Thing is loud! Alarm went off when my nephew messed with it – sounds like a banshee! Entire hallway lit up. Prob scare any real thief good. Battery life decent? Six months and still going. Came with regular batteries, I think. Double A? Or triple? Whatever, lasts.
Bottom line: Worth the cash? Dependssss. If you want the fanciest, absolute fastest unlock, maybe not this? But if you just want a solid lock, fingerprint mostly works (once set!), super LOUD alarm, feels tough, and looks good... yeah, it kinda sorta is? Especially if you DONT mind the app stuff being iffy. Safer than my old sticky lock for sure. And no more lost keys... usually. Where are my sunglasses? Oh right, car dashboard. Ugh. My door thickness is... 4cm? Should measure. Security is important!
Fingerprint scanner... ARGH! At first. Works sometimes? My thumb was a bit dry maybe. Failed three times once! So frustrating! Supposed to be "super fast unlock" – felt like forever. Called support. Guy said "re-register fingers" and "clean sensor". Okay. Did both thumbs this time. Better now. Mostly. Except after washing dishes – wet fingers = no go. But rain is fine? Weird logic. Got soaked yesterday coming home, unlocked fine. But clean hands? Nope. Dammit!
App stuff... wow. So promised "remote unlock" and "see who comes and goes". Sounds awesome! Tried setting up. Nightmare. Kept saying "connection failure" (code something WF-1 error??). Spent an HOUR! Nearly threw the router out the window. Gave up. Remote unlock dead to me now. BUT the doorbell notification... that works? Phone buzzes when someone rings. Kinda useful? Though mostly it's just the mail guy or Jamie asking for eggs again. Could just yell "Coming!"?
Now, looking at those top rated smart locks, ya know the crazy expensive ones advertised everywhere, the LS-S61 seems less scary price-wise. Is $189 worth it? Hmm. Thing is loud! Alarm went off when my nephew messed with it – sounds like a banshee! Entire hallway lit up. Prob scare any real thief good. Battery life decent? Six months and still going. Came with regular batteries, I think. Double A? Or triple? Whatever, lasts.
Bottom line: Worth the cash? Dependssss. If you want the fanciest, absolute fastest unlock, maybe not this? But if you just want a solid lock, fingerprint mostly works (once set!), super LOUD alarm, feels tough, and looks good... yeah, it kinda sorta is? Especially if you DONT mind the app stuff being iffy. Safer than my old sticky lock for sure. And no more lost keys... usually. Where are my sunglasses? Oh right, car dashboard. Ugh. My door thickness is... 4cm? Should measure. Security is important!