Smart locks have been a little slow to pop up into the market due to durability concerns, battery life and other variables holding back the development of the perfect lock. At least, this has been the case for most companies, but not Tapp. Their Taplock one+ appears to be the poster child for finding exactly what you need in a smart lock.
We have been testing three different color variations of the one+, including silver, gunmetal, and black (the three colors the lock is available in). They have bounced around the office for various tasks, and put under some daunting challenges. So far, they have lived through all of it.
These locks are re-enforced to provide a durable and safe solution for securing your property. Let it be on a door, a box or anything else you can slap a lock on, they are meant to be as strong as your average consumer non-smart lock. They are even waterproof, allowing you to use them both inside and out.
We have made sure to test this ourselves so that we know we have a properly controlled scenario. The waterproof rating is IP67, which means it is officially rated for Immersion in up to 1m of depth. We placed (not dropped…to be fair) the lock at the bottom of a pool at a depth of three (3) feet and let it sit there for a half-hour. Upon taking it out, the lock was still fully functional. You did, of course, have to dry both the lock and your hand before attempting to unlock it (just like most biosensors or touch screen devices) in order for the sensor to respond (touch sensitivity is heavily diminished in wet scenarios).
This wasn’t enough though. We wanted to see how they do in extreme temperatures. Of course, based on where we are located, the cold isn’t much of an option, and it isn’t Summer yet (for the heat). So we placed the locks in the freezer for a number of hours (24 hours to be exact) to see if that would change their performance. We stopped there since the locks came out working flawlessly.
We were a little skeptical when we tried this since we have benchmarked a number of smart locks in the past, and the outcome wasn’t so preferable. Some of the previous companies/models failed water tests or simple tests, like simply unlocking them (one model, the ring shot off of the unit the very first time we tried unlocking it via Bluetooth). So this was a pleasing outcome to the test. Tapplock didn’t experience any troubles in the water, or after multiple attempts to unlock it. So far, this company is doing quite well.
The average battery life is supposed to be around a year or greater, depending on how often you use the lock. This is also an improvement since we have tested locks that failed their promised battery life within days. This one promises up to 3,500 unlocks before you have to recharge it. So imagine how long it might last when you hardly need to use it. What helps with this is, is that the Bluetooth only needs to be enabled when you need to add the lock, modify settings/fingerprints or update the firmware. General fingerprint controlled usage doesn’t seem to require Bluetooth to work. That is what separates it from all of the locks/companies we have tested in the past.
It is easy to set up, as the app you download (iOS or Android) to your smartphone walks you through the few steps to get it added and configured. You can name the lock and update the firmware from the app. All of this part of the process, of course, requires Bluetooth, which is an extra tap of the button at the bottom (the first tap wakes it up so the sensor will be ready for your finger). With the app, you can add multiple users and multiple fingers for each. You can add every finger on both of your hands if you wanted. You can also track who and when each lock has been unlocked within a history tab.
You can also unlock the lock via the app when connected (Bluetooth), as well as configure a morse code option in case you don’t have your phone and your fingers are not working for some reason. It using the button at the bottom of the lock to unlock it via a pattern of morse code. A unique feature we haven’t seen in any device like this.
As for charging, they make use of a proprietary magnetic charging cable (USB). This may have a lot to do with their waterproof rating. Normally, proprietary cables can be a bit annoying, but if it adds to the durability of the lock, there isn’t much to complain about. This is just an assumption at this point though. Wireless charging is always a solid feature to have, although Qi charging is the recommended solution vs a proprietary cable. Again though, durability and lifespan of features may come into play. How dependable would Qi be in a situation like this? Hard to say for sure without trying. The back is flat, so it would make for a great idea to try on the next model at least.
They are a bit pricey compared to a normal lock. So it won’t be for everyone. They run around $99 for a single lock, so they are a bit niche for now. However, if they continue to hold their worth over time, they can prove to be an excellent investment for various consumer and commercial tasks alike.
They also have a smaller lock, the Tapplock lite, that isn’t waterproof but does carry all of the other neat features of the one+. We haven’t tested that model, but we can only assume its success would be the same.
Our Conclusion
We absolutely love these locks. They stood up to everything we threw at them (that we’d be willing to throw at a normal lock at least). Their waterproof ability is perfect for outdoor use, making them quite durable in general. They lasted all of our tests and that made us quite happy. Of course, we will continue to monitor their performance over time (and will update if we find anything), but these locks are doing great so far. Their price is a little high for the average consumer, which is really the only thing that keeps them from a perfect score. However, they are still very much worth it until the price of whatever technology is inside makes its way down. I can easily see these running around $39-$49 as a normal price someday. So if you are looking for fingerprint entry in a padlock, look no further. These seem to be the very best we have tested. Fingerprint controlled locks are so incredibly useful and time-saving (and let’s admit it, cool).
| Buy from Amazon | |
Our Rating | Average Price* $99 (each) |
*Average price is based on the time this article was published
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