Hands-free smart lock unlocks/entry has always been a bit ahead, marketing-wise, compared to what the technology offers. Location-based auto-unlocks work until they fail for no specific reason, and using a key seems much easier. ULTRALOQ’s new Bolt Mission takes a different approach than most smart locks as its using ultra-wideband to detect when you are approaching the door, vs just tracking your location via GPS.
HomeKit Weekly is a series focused on smart home accessories, automation tips and tricks, and everything to do with Apple’s smart home framework.
UWB vs Bluetooth
The Bolt Mission combines Bluetooth Low Energy discovery, UWB, and built-in radar-based presence sensing to figure out whether you’re actually approaching the door from outside or inside your home. That last part is what separates it from Bluetooth-based auto-unlock. The lock isn’t just tracking “Is an authorized iPhone near me?” It’s actually analyzing precise distance and direction of approach and making a local decision based on said data. The intent detection logic runs between your iPhone and the lock without requiring a cloud connection or a hub inside your home.
The end result is that you keep your iPhone in your pocket as the Xthings Home app runs in the background, and the door unlocks as you walk up to it. iPhone users who have used UWB features in AirTags will recognize how much more accurate this kind of spatial awareness is vs Bluetooth.
The rest of the new collection
On top of the Mission lock, ULTRALOQ is also launching the Bolt Pro and Latch 5 Pro alongside the Bolt Mission, and those two are worth looking at separately from the Bolt Mission. Both are Aliro-Certified, which means tap-to-unlock through Apple Wallet or Samsung Wallet. Aliro is the open standard developed by the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the same organization behind Matter, with support from Apple, Google, and Samsung. It’s tap-to-unlock from your wallet, but it’s not the same as Apple Home Key, which is Apple’s unique NFC implementation. Both are good, but they’re just different
If Home Key is on your requirements list, you’ll have to look elsewhere. If you want a tap-to-unlock option that works across platforms or you prefer the Aliro standard, the Bolt Pro is a deadbolt, and the Latch 5 Pro covers lever-style doors like side entrances, garage-entry doors, and home offices. Both support fingerprint, PIN, app control, and physical key backup alongside the digital wallet option. I have an older Bolt in my office, and I love the fingerprint unlock.
All three locks are Matter-certified and work with Apple Home, Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and more.
Wrap up on ULTRALOQ Bolt Mission
The ULTRALOQ Bolt Mission is the lock I’m most curious to check out in this new collection. UWB-based detection is a ne approach to hands-free unlocking, and if it works as described, it’ll fix the core problem that has made auto-unlock not 100% reliable for me. The Aliro-based Bolt Pro and Latch 5 Pro are solid additions to the lineup for anyone who wants tap-to-unlock across platforms, but just go in knowing they’re not using Home Key.
You can buy the ULTRALOQ Bolt Mission and the rest of the new collection from Amazon or directly from ULTRALOQ.
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