For my birthday in 2015, my wife and daughter deiced to buy me a smart door, knowing my obsession with access control and remote monitoring of our home. My wife had an idea what I was looking for and at the time we watched Shark Tank which was featuring the product Unikey. After looking online and deciding I did not want to swap out the brand new dead bolt I just installed on the front door my wife found a Kickstarter for a product called Sesame.
Sesame is from the company Candy House which makes a Bluetooth door lock that fits over your existing deadbolt so no lock replacement is needed, this to me was great since I did not want to change my deadbolt lock which was brand new at the time.
I first have to say before I start reviewing the product it took FOREVER to get the Sesame due to shipping and design issues. Once we got the Sesame install was very easy just like they say the second issue I had was the double sided tape they put on the device was not very sticky I ended up having to make a Home Depot run to get stronger tape which was upsetting considering how long I had to wait for the device. Then just lining up your lock with the adjustable piece inside was very easy and only took a few tries.
Using my iPhone and pairing the device with Bluetooth was very simple and basic. You first have to download the Sesame app and create an account like all cloud services then pair the device with your phone. If you are a large family you can make multiple accounts for every phone and connect to the device it’s not like you need one account for everything.
Just taping the little lock icon unlocks the door via Bluetooth set up the special nock feature as long as your phone is nearby and you use a special knock Sesame will automatically unlock the door. Again not to panic your phone must be close like in your pocket for this to work even if your friends knows your secret knock he cannot get in without your phone. Just encase your phone is dead not to worry you can still use your key to unlock the door as a backup.
There is a wifi dongle that you can connect the Sesame to and unlock your door remotely through wifi but unfortunately, that part of the Kickstarter I bought has still not arrived to test. I really like the device it nice to just use your phone and not have to dig out your keys and since it’s a very basic install which goes over the lock anyone can do this you don’t need to be a locksmith. The big upside with this device is for someone who is a renter or can’t change their locks this fits over the existing locks with no problem and you can take it with you if you should move.
I really like the device it’s on par with many other devices on the market. I just was not thrilled with how long it took to get the Sesame and how I am still waiting for parts to arrive. But it is a good device.