Bold Smart Lock

Dutch firm Bold wants you to ditch your door keys and place all your trust in an app… but is it just a lockin’ role fantasy?

Keep on lockin’ in the free world

from £180 / stuff.tv/boldlock

■ There’s something amiss with the Bold Smart Lock – it’s arrived without keys. Rivals like the Brisant-secure Ultion Smart and August Smart Lock include key-entry options, but not here. It’s either your phone or enter a PIN by rotating the knob.

■ Before installing the cylinder lock you have to connect it to Bold’s app. The company has so far refrained from joining any of the main smart home platforms, instead opting to use its own getaway, although integration is planned for later this year.

■ Swapping cylinders is pretty easy and doesn’t necessitate a locksmith. From there the lock senses when you’re approaching and activates itself. This is an unnerving if smooth process, and perhaps the absence of recognised smart home platforms helps to speed up the process.

■ Giving guests time-limited access is one of Bold’s strongest features and it’s simple – you just send them an invite by text message. In fact the hassle is all theirs because they’ll need to download the app, so you’d better hope they’re smartphone-savvy.

■ Bold primarily works via Bluetooth, but bundle it with the optional Bold Connect hub and it becomes internet-connected for remote management, and with multiple locks if required.

This worked a treat for keeping tabs on the gaff while out walking and meant we could even let the cleaner in.

Tech specs

Connectivity Bluetooth Compatibility Android, IOS Battery life Up to 2 years

Lock of ages The battery covers 20,000 activations. This could deplete quickly on some premises, so the app warns you months in advance.

Lock-blockin’ beats On the digital security side there’s two-factor authentication and AES128 end-to-end encryption. That’s good, but not great. The Brisant smart lock has AES256, so four extra rounds of encryption for hackers to get through.

Lock and a hard place A cylinder lock is the weakest part of a door, so Bold redesigned this one from the ground up. It’s Dutch SKG three-star-rated, the highest score possible, meaning it should delay burglars with heavy tools for at least five minutes.