Best Smart Lock with Camera for your Front Door

Our Top Pick:

Lockly Vision Smart Deadbolt with Video Doorbell

As with any good smart lock, the Lockly Vision has multiple egress options.

Fingerprint: You have your fingerprint unlock – more specifically this is 3D biometric fingerprint scanning which cannot be fooled by using 2D images of your fingerprint. It’s very secure, at least until 3D printers become mainstream.

Touchscreen Keypad: Lockly’s Pin Genie digital keypad is a unique, patented design that obscures the exact digits of your pin code by randomly scrambling the digits every time.

Remote Lock/Unlock: Use the Lockly mobile app to remotely lock or unlock the door. This is supported by a WiFi bridge device that connects the Lockly Vision Smart Lock to your WiFi. The bridge is included in this package.

Offline Access Codes: You can remotely create pin access codes for your visitors – they do not need internet access or a smartphone to use these codes. A temporary code will be generated that they will use on the touchscreen keypad to gain access to your property.

Voice Control: Alexa and Google Home compatible. You can use voice commands to lock/unlock the door, view a live feed from the camera, or talk to your visitors.

Physical Key Access: A back-up physical key is included in case all other access options are unavailable. The lock can be re-keyed by any local provider.

The price seems high but when you consider that a decent smart lock will cost about $200 and a Ring Video Doorbell 3 will set you back at least $180. It doesn’t seem like a stretch that an integrated smart lock video doorbell – especially one from a reliable brand like Lockly – will come in around $400.

What needs improvement

There are some important issues that still remind us that this is just version 1.0. There is no in-built light to illuminate the subjects and hence any video after dark is essentially useless. That is unless you have a motion detected or a permanently-on light at the front door. The absence of a light is exacerbated by the fact that the device lacks Night Vision. With the advances in technology (and the high price tag) we would have expected this essential feature despite the space constraints.

Overall, this is a solid first effort by Lockly to provide an integrated smart lock video doorbell for which there is evident demand in the market. Whether it was ready for a launch is arguable at best. Having said that, kudos to Lockly for creating a new category in the smart lock industry. Let’s hope other smart lock manufacturers follow suit and we get to see some real innovation here.

Pros:

Connects and works flawlessly.
Local TF Card storage.
WiFi bridge included.

Cons:

Camera quality is subpar
Installation: Straightforward but difficult.
Premium pricing

Budget Option (Please Don’t Buy This):

Gate Smart Lock with Built-in Camera

A keypad, HD video camera, 2-way intercom, real time alerts, and remote lock/unlock – this lock has everything. And at a price tag that doesn’t make your wallet scream.

Then why is it not at the top spot?

This lock could be Exhibit A in ‘you-get-what-you-pay-for’. The features that this lock boasts need a lot of improvement before being ready for real-life usage. To start with, the camera is incredibly fish-eyed making any image distorted. You can still identify your visitors and you do get a decent view of any packages left at the door.

The real time alerts are a bigger problem. Dear GateLabs, if the notification arrives after the visitor is already inside the house, we would refrain from calling it ‘real-time’.

The website interface is archaic. And the app seems like it was developed by a student programmer.

On the plus side, the keypad works fine. Although we fail to understand why it depends on a battery that needs to be removed from the lock to charge. The battery takes several hours for a full recharge during which time, the lock is nothing more than a doorknob.

Considering everything, we do not recommend buying this lock until GateLabs works out the majority of issues mentioned above.

Pros:

Feature-packed.
Reasonable price.

Cons:

Fish-eyed lens – distorted view.
App and website are poorly developed.
Removable battery takes several hours to recharge.
Customer support is abysmal.

An Integrated Solution

If you’ve spent years cutting down on clutter in your house, it is only natural that you want your front entrance decluttered as well. Having a video doorbell integrated into your smart lock is not only convenient, it helps avoid multiple devices on the door.

Moreover, a smart lock with a discreet camera is better than a clunky security camera.

Initially your visitors will look for a doorbell in its ‘regular’ spot. But once they’ve used the video doorbell smart lock, you won’t have to train them again. And unless you have a lot of strangers visiting your place, there won’t be many people to train.

Where you will struggle, are delivery people. They are usually in a hurry and if they don’t see a normal doorbell, they will most likely knock and leave your parcel at the door.

Another major issue with integrated smart lock cameras is the viewing angle. If you are replacing your security camera with an integrated smart lock, you will see a drastically different view. However, the view between your video doorbell and your integrated smart lock will remain the same for the most part.

Why buy a smart lock with camera?

To replace a security camera
To integrate a video doorbell.

It’s easy to replace a video doorbell as any smart lock with video doorbell can manage the main functions – displaying a live view of your visitor on your smartphone or monitor, chime and notification when someone presses the button, two-way talk, and maybe a recording of any motion detected events.

However, a dedicated security camera incorporates a host of features that are physically impossible to fit in a smaller device. For starters, the viewing angle and distance of a security camera cannot be achieved by a smart lock camera. The latest security cameras have up to 4K resolution lenses which help capture identifying details like facial features and vehicle registration plates at a distance of hundreds of feet. To incorporate all of these features into a smart lock would be very impractical. Even if someone was able to achieve this, the resulting device would be bulky and expensive.

Why You Should or Should Not Buy One

✔ Hard to steal: A wireless video doorbell is easy to steal. Even though it captures an image of the thief, that doesn’t prevent people from picking it from right outside your door. A smart lock video doorbell is installed in your door and near impossible to steal without using tools and making a ruckus.

⤫ Not obvious: Your visitors or delivery persons will not immediately identify the doorbell in our smart lock. Locly does provide you with a plaque that goes where your regular doorbell is installed advising visitors that the doorbell is in the smart lock.

✔ Minimalistic: If you aim to reduce clutter from your front door, a smart lock with integrated camera might achieve that purpose.

⤫ Limited features: There is only so much that can be engineered in a small device that tries to accommodate multiple devices in one casing. The quality of the features will also suffer as the lens size is constrained due to the limited real estate available.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a smart door lock with camera?

GateLabs Smart Lock has an integrated camera that is activated upon motion detection. Lockly Vision™ is an integrated smart lock video doorbell combination.

Does Lockly have a monthly fee?

There is no subscription fee to use all the features of the Lockly Vision™ Smart Lock Video Doorbell. There is no monthly fee and no option for cloud storage. You receive a TF card in the package which is your own local storage.