Yale Conexis L2 Smart Door Lock [NO Subscription Required] Remote Access from Anywhere, Anytime, No Key Needed, Works with Alexa, Google Assistant and Philips Hue - Chrome

I debated how many stars to give this. If half-stars were an option, I’d go with 4.5.Now that it's installed and working, I’m very happy with it. The build quality is excellent - it's weighty and feels built to last. It also looks great on the door. Functionally, it's unmatched; I couldn’t find anything else designed for multipoint locks that seamlessly integrates with the door rather than looking like a bolt-on accessory. The lock operates well, unlocking quickly via the mobile app and physical tags. It also integrates smoothly with Home Assistant for home automation.I previously used a Nuki smart lock, and while it worked, it had some limitations. The biggest downside was its lack of integration with the door - it couldn’t detect when the multipoint locks were engaged. The Yale is much nicer to use in this regard, as it automatically locks the door when the handle is pulled upwards. Another advantage of the Yale is RFID support - the Nuki didn’t allow RFID tags to be used outside the door, whereas the Yale does. Additionally, the Yale includes exposed terminals on the outside where you can connect a 9V battery in case of an emergency if the lock's batteries run out - another feature Nuki lacks.That said, installing the Yale was not straightforward. I spent a frustrating week trying to get it working reliably - sometimes it would unlock the door, sometimes it wouldn’t. Most advice online (and in Yale’s manual) pointed to an alignment issue, but in my case, the real problem was my door’s locking mechanism.Key takeaway: If every part of your door lock mechanism doesn’t run as smooth as butter, do not buy this lock unless you're prepared to replace it. My original lock barrel had too much friction for the motorized lock to turn reliably. Eventually, I replaced my entire multipoint mechanism with a Yale Doormaster kit, which solved the issue. This was an involved process, requiring me to fit all the replacement keeps into the doorframe, but it was manageable as a DIYer. Worth doing, especially since my old lock was 25 years old.The instructions could be clearer, and the installation process could be improved. The wire-to-board connector linking the two halves is incredibly fragile, and the stiff cable makes managing slack difficult during final fitting. Worse, the connector isn’t rated for multiple plug/unplug cycles, yet you have to do this several times while making minor adjustments. Yale should reconsider this design in future revisions.Now that the setup headaches are behind me, I’m very happy with the lock - but be aware of what you’re getting into!

I purchased this lock, despite all the negative reviews, in the hope that I could get it working on my door. Some of the negative experiences seemed to be related to either not reading the instructions, or a lack of mechanical aptitude when installing the lock. (The lock clearly won’t fit some doors, but that didn’t seem to be a problem for me.)From an installation perspective, everything was quite straightforward. I was able to install the lock, and it did lock my door as expected. Despite the complaints from a couple of users that you have to lift the handle in order to lock the door, this is actually an inherent design feature of multipoint locks. You simply can’t expect any electronic lock motor to have the power to actuate the handle to lock all of the various points on the door, especially when running on AA batteries. Personally, my biggest problem is lifting the handle and forgetting to turn the key in the lock to secure (and then forgetting to double-check), thus leaving my door unlocked. The Conexis L1 ostensibly solves this problem by locking the door for you whenever you lift the handle.Unfortunately, this is where my positive experience ended. First and foremost, as mentioned by other users, every interaction with the lock produces annoying beeps or chimes, which, while hardly audible from the outside, would wake anyone sleeping in my home, even through closed doors. This “feature” apparently can’t be disabled. Goodbye, peace and quiet.But it gets worse…Having followed the instructions to-the-letter, and paired my lock with the initial credential (the credit-card token), I now had to pair with the iOS app in order to provision more tokens. I had the foresight to buy 4 extra key-fobs, because I’d read of a lot of issues with the app, and didn’t fancy waiting for Bluetooth to connect, or twisting my phone like an idiot to unlock my door. (I don’t mind carrying a key fob, and I need one for the common door in my block anyway, so it wasn’t an issue for me.) However, according to the instructions, beyond the master token that you initially pair (as above), the rest must be added via the app.Upon downloading the app and registering my account (including verifying my email address), I was presented with a message that I had to log out and back in, because my account was restricted for some reason. Not a good user experience, but I did as asked, and it seemed to proceed to the next step. I clicked “Add New Lock”. The app presented me with instructions on what to do next: Press the “R” button on the lock, notice the purple light on the front, then press that to turn it blue (activating Bluetooth). The app and lock seemed to connect, and I saw “Processing key” for several minutes… then, a completely cryptic “Error code: 3 (please try again later)”!!!I tried the process again, only to have the same long wait, followed by “Error code: 9”. This was the response I received through several more retry cycles. I decided that it was an app issue, and went online to troubleshoot. Absolutely no mention of these error codes exists online. No mention in the Yale FAQ - just a very brief blurb of what to do if the app won’t connect to the lock. (Make sure you turn on Bluetooth on your phone - DUH?!?) I decided to uninstall and reinstall the app, and was then presented with a message asking whether to: 1) Delete the old keychain (currently not a supported feature, as it turns out); 2) Restore keychain (the only real option); or 3) Skip (resulting in restricted app functionality). Why give someone a choice when there is only one right answer?!? Of course, this didn’t solve my problem. I received the exact same response from the app: “Error code: 3”, followed by a string of “Error code: 9”.By now, I had decided to avoid the app entirely. Despite the instructions that ship with the lock not mentioning it at all, I was able to find an older instruction manual online, that indicates that you *can* pair multiple tokens directly with the lock (without using the app). However, you have to pair all the tokens at once during the same pair cycle, and if you want to add a token later, you have to re-pair all of the *existing* tokens (whether card, fob, or sticker-tag), plus the new ones. Setting aside the idiocy of this for a moment, I decided to re-pair the only token I had thus-far paired (the card), and also the *single* fob shipped with the lock, plus the extra 4 I had purchased. Wouldn’t you know, I could not get the lock to pair with any of them? I followed the instructions to the letter, but only got a series of annoying beeps.By now, a half-hour intallation had turned into 90 minutes, and I had tickets to a show, and didn’t want to leave my home with only a single key, that might get lost, and lock me completely out. So, by now completely frustrated, I decided to perform a factory reset, and re-pair from scratch. Yale makes this super-complicated. You have to: 1) Remove the batteries; 2) Half-disassemble the lock, so that you can access and unplug the connection cable; 3) Hold down the “R” button while you re-insert the batteries; 4) Listen for a single beep. When I tried, this, the lock began beeping at me continuously, loud enough to alert the neighbours, yet I persevered. You are then meant to: 5) Remove the batteries again; 6) Reattach the cable; 7) Replace the batteries. Now I received the same set of continuous, annoying beeps.I tried the factory-reset process two more times, with the same results. I was now in possession of a bricked Yale Conexis L1, which I had to dismantle and replace with my old lock. I emailed Yale, but it took them over 36 hours to respond, and all they could tell me was that they’d fixed the issues with the app, and to give it another try. No mention of the problems with the factory reset, or what I could do to fix the actual lock. So I’m adding my negative review to the pile. I’ve since read every 1-star review, including several people’s who were locked out of their houses, or at least couldn’t gain access through the door with the Conexis L1 installed. My home is on the 6th floor, with only a single external door, and I don’t fancy rappeling to the balcony to gain access in the event that this completely-unreliable lock were to fail on me.Here is the tl;dr version:1) Physical installation is straightforward.2) The poorly-developed iOS app is buggy and unreliable - amateur at best.3) Multiple reports of the lock failing after some time, which WILL lock you out.4) Customer service is extremely poor.5) The lock beeps loudly every time you use it, and yes, this will wake your family when you come in late!*** NOTE: I am a 25-year veteran Software Engineer, with an MSc Information Security. My professional opinion is that this lock has multiple flaws, both in the electronics (or at the very least, in the firmware) and the iOS app. There doesn’t appear to be any way to update the lock firmware, either, so no way to fix any bugs. Given the importance of a door lock as the first line of defence for your home, I would not risk placing this device on my door. It is simply not well-tested, and issues like I had should NEVER happen with a released product. Some minor bugs might be expected, but no one should run the risk of being locked our of their home without adequate support. Yale support is by web-form only, and they have stopped posting their phone/email in the copy/paste responses they attach to each of these reviews. THIS PRODUCT IS A RADIOACTIVE LEMON. AVOID!!! ***PS: Yale will probably copy/paste another “Thoughts and Prayers” message below, but without any actual help except referring you to their web form, which serves to prevent any meaningful or timely contact with customer service. You have been warned.