Nest x Yale Lock with Nest Connect Review
Nest X Yale Lock is a smart lock produced by Yale and Nest. Both of these brands are successful on their jobs so this smart lock is also carrying this quality approach. System is completely keyless and requires Nest Connect or Nest Guard to connect to Wi-Fi and work. You can always lock/unlock the door by using Nest app even if you are far from your house. We are going to share all the details in this post. So lets keep on moving and have a look at this beautiful smart lock.
Connection Standards and Smart Home Controller Options
Nest X Yale Lock works with Nest Connect or Nest Guard. Nest Connect is included in the package so when you purchase this smart lock you will automaticaly get Nest Connect in your pacakge. Nest x Yale Lock uses Weave to connect and communicate with your Nest Connect or Nest Guard. They are already connected to Wi-Fi so Nest x Yale lock uses these devices as a bridge and communicate with Nest Service in the cloud by Nest App.
Nest X Yale Lock works with Nest Secure alarm system. You can pair your smart lock with alarm system and continue to use your alarm as usual. Alarm system will automatically turned off when a code entered onthe keypad. If this code is a limited time code then Nest Secure alarm system will be armed again after the time for code expires.
Nest Hello Video Doorbell is also another product you can use with your Nest X Yale Lock. Easy to integrate and watch the door live as it rings. It is very useful option for the people who wants to watch their doors live and let people in. System has 2 way communication so you can easily communicate with the people in front of the door.
Nest X Yale Lock has a perfect integration with Google Assistant. You can check the status of your lock or lock the door with voice commands. Google Assitant does not support voice unlocking to prevent unwanted entry tries. You can also dedicate locking command to a word as “Good night” so when you say “Hey Google, good night”, it will directly lock your door. Here are some commands you can use:
- Hey Google, is the [location or name] door locked?
- Hey Google, lock the [location or name] door.
- Hey Google, make sure my [location or name] door is locked.
At the above you see a part as [location or name]. This the name of your smart lock or the location that your smart lock is installed. As an example if you have 2 or more Nest X Yale Lock at your house then you can give them names as “entrance” and “my room” and tell Nest App where this lock is installed by selecting the room on the list. Spoken notifications will come to you as the location because Nest products can not read your custom name. Name will help Google Assistant to understand which device it should apply the voice command. If you want to look at your device name and location, open the Nest app and look at the label beneath your Nest × Yale Lock.
Let’s suppose you have installed a Nest X Yale Lock on your garage. When there is an emergeny situation at the garage you will receive a voice notification as “Emergency. There’s smoke in the Garage.”. However, notifications and and emails will use your custom name and label.
Unforutanely, Nest X Yale Lock has only integration with Nest products so you will not be able to use Echo Dot, SmartThings, Apple HomeKit or any other hubs. This looks as a lack of options but it is working very stable with Nest products.
Keypad Of Nest X Yale Lock
Nest X Yale Lock has a touch screen keypad with beautiful and user friendly design. It is a very optimum sized keypad which looks good enough on the door. Dimensions are: Height: 4.59 inches (11.66 cm), Width: 2.59 inches (6.58 cm), Depth: .80 inches (1.79 cm) and weight is 2 lb 4.2 oz (1.03 kg). It does light up when you press the Yale logo on the top so in the dark you will easily enter your code. If you want to lock the door just press on lock button and it will start locking.
Code Types
Keypad can store up to 19 user and 1 master unique codes at the same time. Additionally you can add up to 5 Google Home members. You can set each of these codes as 4 – 8 digit codes. You can set different kind of codes as:
Full access: You can set maximum 9 of this kind of code. It will always work without any limitations till master deletes the code.
Home Entry Only : Maximum 10 users are allowed to use this kind of code at the same time. You can define specific time ranges and dates for each code. These codes can also be set as recurring codes so they will work at the same day/days and in the time range you defined every week till you cancel it.
Google Home Members: You can add up to 5 of these codes. These people will have access to all of your devices once they accept your invitation. They can invite or delete home members too. You can find more details at here.
Whenever someone uses these codes you will receive notifications on your phone with details.
Auto Lock
Auto Locking is really a must at smart locks. Sometimes we can forget to lock and if there is not auto locking option we should lock it over the app (if system supports this). By default it is disabled so you have to open the app and enable it with your desired time. It does not have auto unlock option as August Smart Lock Pro 3rd Gen has.
Home/Away Assist
This is a very nice feature just as auto locking. You Nest device will check the acitivity in the house and also control where the phones are and decide to set the home or away mode for your home. If it is set to home then home rules will be applied to all connected Nest devices. If away mode is activated all of your products will be at away mode and your lock will be automatically locked. Here we are sharing you related help page.
Battery Life of Nest x Yale Lock
Nest x Yale Lock is powered by 4 x AA alkaline batteries. They are already included in the package. Battery life is always changing depending on many factors as usuage frequeny, weather conditions and situation of the door. So if you have a normal usage frequency as 6-8 operations per day you can expect to have 10 months usage time. This is one of the longest times between all other smart locks on the market. Google claims as 1 year but this is not becoming true in real life most of the time.
Nest x Yale Lock has low battery indicators. When 5 weeks of battery life left Nest app will start sending you alerts. On the keypad you will see a red light showing you the low battery warning. If you forget to change them in the rest of the 5 weeks then you can still use 9v battery entrance at the bottom of the keypad and open the door.
Changing batteries is perfectly easy. There is a tool coming in the package. You will use that tool to press the hole at the top of the interior unit. After pressing, just grip the top and pull straight back. You will see the batteries to change.
Controller Options of Nest x Yale Lock
Nest x Yale Lock has two options to operate. You will use either keypad or Nest app to lock / unlock the door. They don’t offer remote controller or similar other controllers. By default it has a keypad so if remote conroller or one touch open button are not important things for you, you will have no problems while using this smart lock.
Installation Process of Nest x Yale Lock
Installation process of Nest x Yale Lock is not very easy. Some of the people might not have any problems but in general it is a bit harder than other competitors on the market. Phillips Head Screwdriver, Power Drill, Level and Tape Measure.It will take around 20 – 30 minutes to finish whole process. It can be even a little longer if too much drilling required.
Please be careful and check if your door’s thickness is one of the below:
• 1 3/8 in (35 mm) thick
• 1 3/4 in (44 mm) thick
• Between 2 – 2 ¼ in (51 – 57 mm) thick
Door’s height and width is not important. You should check thickness and backset. Backset is distane between the edge of your door and the center for the hole your deadbolt. Please check and verify that your deadbolt is not more than 2-3/4 in (70mm) away from the edge of your door.Otherwise, it will not be compatible.
Nest × Yale Lock can be used with doors made of the following materials: wood, metal, or fiberglass. It is not compatible with glass or sliding doors and Mortise locks or multi-point locks. Here you can find the detailed installation manual and also you can watch the video.
Technical Details Chart
| Item Weight | 4 pounds |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 6.1 x 11.8 x 5.4 inches |
| Voltage | 1.5 volts |
| Batteries | 4 AA batteries required. (included) |
| Certification | Certified ANSI/BHMA A156.36, Grade 2 |
| Installation Method | Retrofit deadbolt lock |
| Included Components | Nest x Yale Lock, Nest Connect, Mounting Hardware, 4 AA Batteries, Installation Guide |
| Batteries Included? | Yes |
| Batteries Required? | Yes |
| Battery Cell Type | Alkaline |
| Warranty Description | Lifetime limited warranty for finish and mechanical parts; two years for electronics |
Cons and Pros of Nest x Yale Lock
Nest x Yale Lock with Nest Connect is a good working, reliable and solution based smart lock. Technically you will find everything that you are expecting from a smart lock. This product is very similar to August Smart Lock Pro 3rd Gen but with some less features as auto unlocking with Geofence, doorsense, and connection options to other smart hubs as Echo Dot. Nest x Yale Lock with Nest Connect has much better battery performance and we can easily suggest this smart lock to you but as overall performance August still a bit better. Here is a list of cons and pros:
Pros:
Easy to use application
Almost easy installation
Custom user codes
20 code memories
Airbnb friendly
Integration with Nest Alarm and Nest Hello Video Doorbell
Low battery indicator
Very long battery life
Remote access
Beautiful design
Touch screen keypad
Cons:
Only Nest hubs compatible
Difficult to reset the device
No voice unlocking
Nest x Yale Lock Usage
