Bluetooth-Enabled Lockitron Bolt Is Your Key to a Super-Affordable Smart Door Lock

Lockitron’s latest smart door lock iteration, the Lockitron Bolt, is unlocking a new level of affordability in DIY smart locks. Unlike the original crowdfunded Lockitron, the fit over existing deadbolts, the Lockitron Bolt is a full replacement deadbolt device that includes a Key Match feature allowing for the Bolt cylinder to be used with the homeowner’s or apartment renter’s original key. Since the Bolt is designed to replace an existing deadbolt—rather than fit over an existing mechanism—the new smart lock is smaller (1.1-inches deep, 7-inches tall, and 2.75-inches wide) with a knob that is only 0.7-inches deep. The center point of the knob is 1.2 inches from the bottom of the unit, so there is plenty of room for use with separate doorknobs and doorhandles.

The standard Bolt has built-in Bluetooth Low Energy 4.1 connectivity, but it requires an external Lockitron Bridge for Wi-Fi connectivity. (The original Lockitron included built-in Bluetooth Low Energy 4.0 and Wi-Fi.) Removing the Wi-Fi circuitry from the lock mechanism and locating into an optional Bridge offers several benefits, including lowering the initial cost for those who don’t require Wi-Fi connectivity, near-instantaneous response to remote, internet-delivered commands when connected to the Bridge (the original Lockitron version’s Wi-Fi connection needed to “sleep on at least a 30 minute interval which [mean] most remote commands [took] about 15-30 minutes to complete), and up to three times the battery life as compared to the original model.

The Bolt will also be compatible with the soon-to-be-released, add-on keypad that installs on the exterior side of the door on the Bolt above the key cylinder.

The Lockitron Bolt is available for purchase now for $99. The Bolt+Bridge package is expected to be available in two to three months for $179. The Bolt+Keypad package (without the optional Bridge) is available for pre-order now at $149 with shipping expected to begin later this year.

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