Thorbolt X1 Smart Lock, w/Thread, and Apple HomeKey (video)
The Thorbolt X1 is the company’s first deadbolt lock, offering Apple HomeKey, Thread, Fingerprint Sensor, and more…
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https://youtu.be/o2b6H7wZWg8
I installed this lock last week on my front door. So far, so good. The X1 is an addition to the two MK1 door knob locks I’ve installed inside the house. So now I have three Thorbolt locks.
The X1 seems to be a great lock so far. It has all the features I wanted with the exception of a door position sensor. This lock cannot tell if the door is ajar or not and there is no sensor for it. The auto lock locks if the door is left ajar or open. Apple Home installation was straight forward with no issues and functions well. Apple Home residents populate automatically.
I replaced my Aqara U100 lock which I liked a lot, but it had one fatal flaw. It dropped off line every several weeks and stayed off line until it was power cycled by removing and replacing a battery. When that lock was off line the only thing that worked was the physical key. Nothing else functioned. It would just beep if you pressed the keypad. The Aqara did have a door position sensor so it would not autolock if the door was ajar or open.
We’ll see if there are any anomalies with the X1. Installation was pretty standard. Nothing unusual. I like the fact that the battery cover just slides off. No tools and it’s pretty straight forward. The Aqara U100 battery cover will go flying if you’re not careful removing it. All other smart locks I’ve installed required a Philip’s head screw driver to remove the battery cover.
I’m using eight rechargeable Lithium Ion AA batteries in the X1. I also use those in the MK1 locks as well. We’ll see how that goes. I thought the Aqara U100 dropping off line might have been a result of using Lithium Ion batteries instead of standard alkaline batteries but there are other reports of the U100 dropping off line randomly so I ruled that out.
The two MK1 Thorbolt locks did drop offline once each which required a battery pull to power cycle. In those cases it requires the physical key to open it.
I’ll update this if there are any issues.
You pretty much covered the right points that some might not think of, like the ease of access for the battery compartment for example – especially compared to the U100/U50 – which is a pain.
The quick solution to the lack of a door sensor is a separate contact sensor, which I know is less than ideal, but should help. I guess that’s one reason for the lower price tag.
Incidentally there seems to be a small intermittent bug that has surfaced, which I’ve reported to them, which is the lock doesn’t always send a push notification when locking or unlocking. They’ll hopefully push an update very soon.