Jan Heemskerk, lifestyle journalist and former Playboy editor tests the LOQED Touch Smart Lock on the most used door in the area, in a family with a shocking lack of respect for delicate electronics. He is very happy with his newest acquisition.
My name is Jan. My home contains 13 Philips Hue lamps, and six more by the brand Hombli. Two Chromecasts, a Google Home smart speaker, Google Nest Hub and a Nest 3rd gen smart thermostat. The last one perfectly synchronises with six Tado smart radiator buttons. Moreover, I have two ‘old’ Sonos Zoneplayer S5 smart speakers and two amps that I use to stream music to two Pioneer 5.1 cinema receivers with passive JBL speaker sets. Sonos wants me to upgrade my setup to their newest generation, which I would like, but I am no prince. With a bit of effort, the first generation Sonos still works with Google Assistant/Home, which is my favorite voice assistant and smart home platform. Unfortunately I cannot say the same about the Logitech Harmony Hub, which is not able to connect to Google Assistant in my area (The Netherlands). Therefore I am not able to use the IR functions of my old Smart-3D HD tv by LG, which I bought on a discount. However, I am able to use my BBQ using WiFi, just like my sous-vide appliance. Lastly, I have an inflatable jacuzzi in my garden. That one is not smart, just cool.
I am telling you all of this to give you an overview of the type of person that you are dealing with when looking at smart home products: I am not in the forefront, but not behind either. I love gadgets, but I have to put in quite some effort to install them and keep them working how they should (otherwise my wife will get angry with me). In my opinion, smart home products should do their job just as good as their not smart predecessor, as well as add something fun or handy. They are allowed to be expensive, but not disproportionately so. They should be bastard proof, because my family argues that some smart products should adjust to them instead of the other way around. In the end, every neighbor should be jealous about everything that I buy.
So I am minding my own business with one eye open for new smart home innovations, as all of the sudden the LOQED Touch Smart Lock crosses my path in the form of their marketer Joppe Beurskens. He asked me if I would be interested – as an influential lifestyle guru – to try their new smart lock. He did not know it, but he came at the right time. Our front door that came with the house since 1972 is probably so old that you can break into the house within six seconds. We warn Joppe that it could take a lot of effort to make the old door secure. He was not faced. ‘Our smart lock fits on every door…’.
I can already say one thing about the guys at LOQED: they keep their promises. Although, we needed a professional locksmith that built a completely new lock into our door, as well as two staff members that were there to finetune the lock. Did you know that your door is crooked? Well… When I take a look at the installation check, you are good with a lock that has a europrofile (SKG certified), while a lock that is not certified will be a problem. Worst case, it will cost you up to 700 euros, which in my opinion is not that bad for a state of the art smart lock system.
If you have a europrofile lock like most people, the LOQED Touch Smart Lock is perfect for your door. Installing the lock can be done in 20 minutes, but I would recommend reserving an hour. It comes down to taking apart your current door fitting and cylinder, installing the outside module and fitting, placing the motor module and batteries, and lastly installing the doorknob and fitting on the inside of the door. Pop the bridge into an outlet and install your new lock with the LOQED App. Easy isn’t it? I have to admit that I was happy that a professional was available to help, since the option was there. However, I think that I would be able to install the lock myself using the step-by-step guide and video. Approved!
To start off, we have a much better lock than before. This has nothing to do with LOQED, but it does make you think that when your door can be opened with a paperclip, it is due to be replaced. Maybe your lock is also ready for a replacement, than this is a good opportunity to get a smart lock.
Our favorite way to use the lock is that before we get out of the jacuzzi, we can open the door. This prevents us from freezing outside with a closed door. A feature we also like is Touch to open: the lock recognizes your smartphone when you approach your front door, and only requires a touch on the outside module to get inside. Since we are talking about ways to get into the house, you can also enter your home without a phone. Simply enter a six digit code. However, hide your reading glasses in the bushes, because the numbers are fairly small. And don’t use too many zeros in the code. You will find out yourself what I mean by that.
Yes, if I may. I find the navigation in the App not very user friendly. Sometimes the lock takes a while to respond to commands. The lock can already open your door remotely, before the Touch to open feature has localized that you are in front of your door. This has mostly to do with our impatience, but I feel that there are some connectivity issues. However, I was able to enter my home and that is what counts.
If you would ask me if this LOQED Touch Smart Lock is a good purchase, then I would wholeheartedly respond by saying yes. It is better than my last lock, easy to use, safe and reliable and it has enough gadget appeal to make my neighbor jealous. And robust, which is useful when my family members smash the door closed when the lock is still calibrating.
Do you also want to make your neighbor Jan jealous and experience a completely keyfree life? Buy your LOQED Touch Smart Lock here.
