Another company has a new smart lock solution entering the market, and this one is keyless, promising an experience similar to the newest keyless-entry cars. You won’t be required to physically take out a key to open the door anymore, which could be useful if someone forgot to leave the porch light on.
The new lock is the Shepherd Lock, and it can be opened by simply having a special keyfob (or your smartphone) in your pocket as you approach the door with a tap of a finger. An “authentication zone” determines when you are close enough to the door for it to react, and the deadbolt will release when you touch the lock with your finger.
It uses your original deadbolt which is nice. Anyone approaching the door wouldn’t have the slightest clue that it is anything special. It instead replaces the back-end of the lock (inside your home) where you would normally have a basic latch (similar to the Danalock we recently covered).
Like any smart lock, you can check the status of the door to make sure it is shut or locked at any time using their app. You can control the door based on schedules and more.
What makes it unique though is it will disable itself if tampering is detected. So if someone was trying to use a bump-attack or other means to circumvent your lock (aka, break in), it will prevent them from being able to open it and notify you immediately.
At the moment, it requires the proprietary app to function, so there is no word yet on if it will ever play with third-party systems or hubs. However, it is still quite early as it is just in its beginning Kickstarter stages and has raised half of what they are looking for.
They currently plan to launch sometime around February 2020 and it will cost around $299 (or $179 during the Kickstarter pledge campaign).
