Netatmo is working on a smart door lock without WiFi, with a smart key

We know the French company Netatmo from the weather station, the smart thermostat and the smoke alarm. The company is working hard to expand the number of products and comes with a smart door lock.

smart key

Smart locks are on the rise, just look at Nuki and Bold. You can open these locks via your smartphone: wherever you are. Netatmo is now also entering this market, but comes with a slightly different approach.

The most common objection to smart locks is that the door can be opened via the app and is therefore vulnerable to hacking. Netatmo has overcome this problem by disconnecting from the internet. Your smartphone connects to the lock using Bluetooth LE (low energy), so it doesn’t connect to the Wi-Fi and the internet. The lock can only be opened via the app on your mobile when you are within Bluetooth range. This is usually a maximum of 10 meters.

The app also allows you to give temporary access to friends, family and, for example, tenants by sending them an invitation. However, you can only add them when you are physically at your lock: it cannot be done remotely, because the lock does not work via the internet.

The smart lock can be used in two ways. Through the aforementioned app, but also through a physical smart key, which you use like the conventional key that is now attached to your key ring.

The key

The biggest difference and the smart thing about this key is that they are all the same. Every key comes the same from the store, but the difference between the keys is in the programming. Via the app you program a code on the key, as it were (you just don’t realize that yourself, because you just add someone).

The advantage of this is that if you lose the key you can deactivate it immediately. Once you have found the key again, simply activate it again. You can also easily create multiple keys via the app. These are unique per person, so you can keep track of who uses which key. You can also use your one key for several houses, depending on whether you have permission to do so, of course.

So Netatmo does not work with an internet connection and does not replace the traditional key. This remains important throughout the process, only you are now in charge of where and when this key works.

What do you think: does Netatmo have a golden grip on this classic slot-smartslot hybrid? Leave it now in the comments to this article.