Yale Release HomeKit Smart Safe in the North America
Security brand Yale Home today launched two new products in the US: the Yale Smart Safe and Yale Smart Safe with WiFi. Designed to protect valuable belongings including important documents, jewellery, collectables and more, the Smart Safe can be conveniently controlled via the Yale Access app, built-in keypad, or the included traditional key, and lets customers directly monitor activity from the Yale Access app. The addition of these new products builds on Yale’s smart storage offerings, which include the recently released Yale Assure 2 series of front door locks as well as their outdoor delivery box, extending the brand’s smart home security lineup of products and services to the home – both inside, outside or around it.
The Smart Safe works out of the box with Bluetooth*, allowing customers to control and monitor the safe from their phone within range. Apple HomeKit compatibility is also built-in, ideal for Apple Home customers with the appropriate Apple Home hub, (HomePod, HomePod Mini or Apple TV). The Smart Safe with WiFi comes with a Yale Connect WiFi Bridge in the box, letting customers unlock the safe from anywhere using the Yale Access app. Additionally, the WiFi-enabled safe can be controlled with popular voice assistants including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. Customers can ask their voice assistant to check the status of the safe and unlock it for hands-free control. Both models let customers share and manage access to the safe with trusted friends and family, convenient for when the primary user is away.
* Whilst Bluetooth may seem antiquated with Thread now widely available, only Bluetooth offers direct connectivity between a user’s phone and the device.
The Smart Safe is made of steel and provides a set of security features including an anti-pry laser-cut door, two anti-saw bolts, and an alarm that will sound with tampering or multiple incorrect attempts to enter the code. Additional security features include two-layer encryption, two-factor authentication, and a feature to disable the safe to keep it secure if the user loses their phone. For even more security, users can set up Verified Access to require biometric verification when unlocking the safe with the Yale Access app.
Both models are available for purchase today at ShopYaleHome.com, with Amazon and other retailers to follow. The Yale Smart Safe is available for US$249.99 and the Yale Smart Safe with WiFi is available for $299.99.
You can also check the in-depth written review via our colleagues over at smartapfel.de.
It’s quite fascinating to find out that this is in fact a new product. I saw this weeks ago on HomeDevices and wanted to know more about it, but I couldn’t find much (or any) info about it at all. I thought it may have been just a really old, obscure HomeKit accessory. That it only got released earlier this week after all explains it.
Re: “Whilst Bluetooth may seem antiquated with Thread now widely available, only Bluetooth offers direct connectivity between a user’s phone and the device.”
If the accessory supports Thread it should also have Bluetooth right? At least for on-boarding and/or fall-back in case Thread isn’t available. If so the above proposition shouldn’t be a problem even if this came with Thread right?
Though not sure how it might have played out in that situation since the Yale is using the Wi-Fi module for HomeKit. If the Wi-Fi bridge is going to be required anyhow for HomeKit then yeah there’s little to no point for Thread in this product unless it’s taking the place as the main protocol of the bridge or in place of the bridge.
The Thread chip used does have Bluetooth for initial pairing, and as a fallback if Thread fails for any reason, but they can’t both work at the same time. With Thread locks, they rely on you being connected to your home network or with your phone having remote access to your home network in order to control the lock. So if the network goes down (in terms of a connection to the outside world) but the internal network is intact, it could potentially be an issue. However, with standard keys, passcode, or fingerprint sensors being available on almost all locks these days, there’s very little chance of not being able to unlock the door.
Thanks for clearing that up! I didn’t know about being unable to use Thread and Bluetooth at the same time. It makes more sense now why this particular device uses Bluetooth. Making a direct connection to the safe using Bluetooth (for whatever reason) may be invaluable for some people.
I read the post again and I seem to have misunderstood something the first time. It seems like the bridge isn’t needed if it’s only being used with HomeKit. Sounds about right since some accessories (especially locks) that come with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switch to simply Bluetooth when used in HomeKit presumably for better battery preservation. Since HomeKit can already do remote access with just a Home hub I suppose the bridge is optional only if the user wants to use the Yale Access app remotely.
Strangely enough, even though locks having Bluetooth did appear to be a requirement in HomeKit, that has gone now, even before the first Thread-based lock was released. I reviewed a ZemiSmart lock that only uses Zigbee (and therefore needs a hub), but as it has a keypad, fingerprint sensor, keycard, and standard keys, I guess this is the kind of lock you can use even if the Zigbee hub is down.
As for HomeKit and the bridge, that’s right, it isn’t a requirement. It’s the same for other locks that offer a bridge, like August, and Nuki. Bridges are (or have been) a requirement for Google and Alexa, because their control devices (Nest hubs, Echos etc) can’t act as gateways for Bluetooth devices like Apple’s Home Hubs can.
As usual 🙁 Yale UK are nowhere to be seen.
They have a dumb version of this safe but no HomeKit version. Yale UK have also so far zero news regarding any Matter products. Yales UK have a ‘smart’ parcel box but it is totally different to the US one and in my opinion uglier and looks less likely to cope with the effects of weather than the US version. Yale UK have also so far not released the smart cupboard lock that is available in the US.
Some of these have been announced in Yale EU markets so it is not purely a US vs the rest issue which is usually the case.