A top-notch smart lock gets even better

The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi is a dependable and versatile smart lock that lets you lock and unlock your door with your voice and fingerprint, as well as via keypad, mobile app, or traditional key.

When we reviewed the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro + Wi-Fi Bridge ($219.99) in 2020, we appreciated that it offered multiple ways to lock and unlock your door including with a keypad, a fingerprint scanner, Alexa and Google voice commands, a mobile app, and a hardware key. The new Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi ($249) offers the same flexibility and introduces a few new capabilities such as a door sensor that tells you if your door is open or closed, a Smart Auto Lock feature, and built-in Wi-Fi that negates the need for a bridge component. In addition, the Magical Shake feature that lets you open your door by shaking your phone also works better this time around. All of these improvements, along with its support for third-party integrations, makes the U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi our Editors’ Choice winner for smart locks.

The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi is a complete lock assembly that replaces your interior and exterior lock components, as well as your deadbolt, latch, and strike. It looks identical to the earlier version, and the black-and-silver Zinc Alloy exterior escutcheon measures 2.9 by 2.9 by 1.2 inches (HWD). It features a circular, backlit 0-9 number pad with a 360-degree capacitive fingerprint scanner in the middle and an Ultraloq button at the bottom, which you can use to lock the door or illuminate the keypad. An LED ring around the scanner turns green when the door is locked or unlocked and glows red when you enter an incorrect pin or an unauthorized users tries to use the fingerprint scanner.

The face of the exterior escutcheon attaches to the base via a hinge that allows you to fold the entire assembly down to reveal the hidden keyway. Simply lift the face while pulling it outward to open it, or fold it up and snap it back into place to close it. Behind a rubber cover on the bottom edge of the escutcheon is a 5V micro USB port that you can use to power the lock in the event of a dead battery. 

The interior escutcheon shares the same black-and-silver finish as the exterior and measures 4.9 by 2.9 by 0.9 inches. A thumb turn knob enables manual operation and a removable cover hides the enclosure for the four AA batteries. Both Bluetooth and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi radios are onboard, and a reset button sits on the bottom edge of the enclosure.

In addition to the interior and exterior escutcheons, the U-Bolt Pro comes with assorted mounting screws and hardware; four AA batteries for power; two keys; a drilling template; an installation and user guide; and a door sensor that lets you know if the door is open or closed. 

The U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi offers the same Magic Shake feature as earlier models, but now you don’t have to open the app to use it. Once you turn the feature on, all you have to do to unlock your door is shake your phone in front of the lock. Other changes include a new Smart Auto-Lock feature that uses the door sensor to make sure the lock doesn't engage while the door is open, an Auto Unlock option that uses your phone’s location services to unlock the door when you approach it, and open door alerts.

The lock supports Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, but still doesn't work with the Apple HomeKit platform. That said, you can connect it with third-party apps and services via IFTTT.

The new model uses the same U-tec app (available for Android and iOS) as its predecessor. The app opens to a screen with panels for each of your U-tec locks. Tap any of them to open a screen with a large lock/unlock button that shows the door status (open or closed) and lock status (locked or unlocked). Use the large button to lock and unlock the door; it turns green when the door is unlocked and red when it is locked.

Four buttons sit at the bottom of the screen. The Lock button takes you back to the screen with the control buttons, while the Users section lets you approve other people to unlock the door. You can give new users permanent, temporary, or one-time fingerprint, app, and pin code access, as well as create hourly and daily access schedules.

To view a timeline of all lock activity, including who locked or unlocked the door and the method (app, fingerprint, voice, or manual), tap the Logs button. In the Settings section, you can check the remaining battery level, enable notifications, update the firmware, plus turn the Auto Lock, Auto Unlock, and Magic Shake features on or off. An additional setting enables a Lockout mode that disables all electronic access; in this mode, only the hardware key works.

As with the original U-Bolt Pro, this lock is simple to install. I started by removing my old lock and installing the new deadbolt and strike. I attached the exterior escutcheon to the outside of the door using the mounting plate and screws, pulled the data cable through the mounting plate, and attached the cable to the interior escutcheon. I secured the interior escutcheon to the mounting plate and installed the four AA batteries. At this point, the lock automatically performed the handing procedure (the process by which the lock determines whether the deadbolt faces to the right or left). I then installed the door sensor using the double-sided tape that came in the box and downloaded the mobile app.

I created an account and tapped the plus icon in the upper right corner of the Devices screen. After I selected the U-Bolt Pro series from the list of locks and pressed Start to add the device, the app immediately recognized the lock. I tapped the new lock, created an Admin code, tapped Next, and gave the lock a name (you can add a picture of the lock if you prefer). I followed the on-screen instructions to lock the deadbolt, chose the proper orientation (left- or right-handed), selected my Wi-Fi SSID, and entered my Wi-Fi password to complete the installation. 

The U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi performed wonderfully in my tests. It responded instantly to fingerprint scans and touchpad entries, plus it operated smoothly and relatively quietly. Alexa voice commands to lock and unlock the door worked as intended, as did the Magic Shake and Smart Auto Lock features. The lock adhered to my temporary user schedules and one-time access user codes, too. It also didn't have any trouble following an Alexa routine I set up to lock the door when a Ring Floodlight Cam detected motion.

The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi Smart Lock is a better version of an already outstanding smart lock that no longer requires a Wi-Fi bridge and sports a few new usability features. It remains as versatile as ever; you can lock or unlock your door via a fingerprint scanner or responsive touchpad, as well as with voice commands or a traditional key. It still doesn’t work with Apple’s HomeKit platform, but that doesn't prevent it from earning our Editors' Choice award for smart locks. If you need support for HomeKit, the $249.99 August Wi-Fi Smart Lock is our other top pick. And if you want to spend less, we're also fans of the $121.99 Wyze Lock, though it isn't quite as versatile.

The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Wi-Fi is a dependable and versatile smart lock that lets you lock and unlock your door with your voice and fingerprint, as well as via keypad, mobile app, or traditional key.

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As a Contributing Editor for PCMag, John Delaney has been testing and reviewing monitors, TVs, PCs, networking and smart home gear, and other assorted hardware and peripherals for almost 20 years. A 13-year veteran of PC Magazine's Labs (most recently as Director of Operations), John was responsible for the recruitment, training and management of the Labs technical staff, as well as evaluating and maintaining the integrity of the Labs testing machines and procedures. Prior to joining Ziff Davis, John spent six years in retail operations for Federated Stores, Inc. before accepting a purchasing position with Morris Decision Systems, one of New York's first value-added resellers of the original IBM PC. For the next five years, he was responsible for buying and configuring IBM PC, XT and AT desktops for many of New York's financial institutions. He then worked for the now defunct ComputerLand chain of PC dealers before joining PC Magazine in 1987.

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