In this review we will see Nuki Combo 2.0, an interesting bundle that includes Nuki’s Smart Lock 2.0 and Wi-Fi Bridge. Two very useful tools if we want to domotize our homes in a simple way. These two products in fact allow in a simple and effective way to transform a traditional door into a real smart door that will suddenly make the good old key obsolete.
Nuki Combo 2.0 is a bundle that include two products. The Smart Lock 2.0 and the Nuki Wi-Fi Bridge, both essential to transform your door into a real smart lock. Nuki has done a really great job with their products, making them intuitive to install and use, with many very useful features that we will obviously go to rattle off in this Nuki Combo 2.0 review. Of course, installing these products is always a little scary: will they really be safe? Isn’t it that if I install it badly, someone can get into the house? We will also deal with these questions to answer all the doubts of the case. Maybe the time has really come to abandon the old house keys?
Nuki Combo 2.0 review: build quality and design
All Nuki products are beautiful to look at. Simple and elegant, they match perfectly with a modern and minimal style of furniture. The Smart Lock 2.0 and the Wi-Fi Bridge which are part of the Nuki Combo 2.0 bundle are no exception. The smart lock consists of an opaque black body where the batteries reside, while the knob has a semi opaque gray color. The whole occupies 11 cm in height and about 6 cm in width and protrusion The knob also contains an elegant LED circle which indicate the state of the lock, which gives it really very impressive and futuristic. The bridge, on the other hand, is a simple black cube of about 10 cm per side, in essence if it is well hidden behind some corner it is very difficult to notice.
The bridge and locker body are made of plastic, the handle, on the other hand, seems to be made of metal, probably aluminum. The plastic is still of good quality and given that these are areas of the product not affected by wear, that’s just fine. The mounting plates of the smart lock are obviously made of metal. From a construction point of view, therefore, the quality is good, even if we have a lot of plastic.
Nuki Combo 2.0 review: installation
Installation is simple, even pleasant! Once you have downloaded the Nuki smartphone app you can view the step by step instructions on the screen of your device. The instructions are detailed, very easy to follow and interactive in order to customize the installation according to your needs. A really good job by Nuki with all its products because the installation is always the part that scares the most in these cases. The Smart Lock is compatible with major lock standards, but you can check for safety on the official website.
Nuki Combo 2.0 it really installs in 10 minutes. The smart lock essentially just turns the key in the lock for us via its built-in motor. It must first of all fix one of the two anchor plates depending on the protrusion of the cylinder. This is probably a bit more delicate operation, the rest is all downhill. Once the suitable plate has been carefully fixed, just insert the Smart Lock 2.0 into it. Done. Now complete the setup by following the instructions for Bluetooth pairing. For the Wi-Fi Bridge it is even simpler: plugs into the plug, the Wi-Fi network is accessed via the app and the devices are paired. Done. You probably took longer to read this paragraph than to complete the whole thing. And in the end you will feel proud of the result obtained in these few simple steps. Great job indeed!
Nuki Combo 2.0 review: functionality and daily use
The Nuki Combo 2.0 bundle allows you to access all the main features of the Nuki universe in one package. But let’s go in order starting from the Smart Lock. It can communicate via Bluetooth with your phone and then a click in the app will be enough to open, lock and unlock the lock. However, the physical button on the handle can also be used to unlock the lock. But this is only the beginning, the tip of the iceberg of the features offered. We can customize the time the door remains unlocked, enable automatic locking, the key rotation interval. Furthermore we can also customize the functionality of the physical button (one touch unlock, double touch for Lock ‘n Go which unlocks and then automatically locks the door). There night mode allows you to define a time interval where the Smart Lock automatically locks if it is opened, providing the possibility to refuse Auto Unlocks. Finally, it will be possible to monitor the register of openings and closings, displaying who performed the action with date and time. The Nuki’s Smart Lock is also compatible with voice assistants, after activating the web interface – which we still recommend for safety in case you have problems with your smartphone. Just give the order and the door will open! Everything works very well, although sometimes there is a bit of communication delay between smartphone and Smart Lock. In addition to this we can also associate actions to gestures like the swipe for a more immediate use.
However, using the Wi-Fi Bridge, included in the Nuki Combo 2.0 bundle, you can unlock the real potential of Smart Lock. In fact, we will be able to monitor the activity remotely and also give all the commands to the door from anywhere in the world. Imagine you are late or out for some reason. If someone comes to your home, you can make them sit down pending your arrival. But the most interesting are the Smart Action: using the GPS and the internet connection, the Smart Lock will automatically lock the lock when we go away e unlock it automatically when we approach the door, without touching the smartphone; a nice convenience if you want to enter with bags in your hand for example. These features are really a nice touch, even if you need to give the app a number of permissions that could increase battery consumption (the impact is around 5% in our tests). However, we must notify that notifications and actions are not always carried out instantly and sometimes arrive late.
All the features are very easy to use thanks to the intuitive UI, based on simple descriptions and software switches. The application is really well done, pleasant to use and allows you to customize virtually every feature to meet all needs. We can really be satisfied, it seems that there are no apparent defects. In reality we can object a little bit. First of all the noise: When opening and closing the lock, the motor hums quite loudly for a few seconds. Secondly reactivity: the app is not always ready and fast, it is necessary to wait a few seconds to be able to open it and then a few seconds to see commands executed.
Safety
Since we are talking about the case door it is also important to talk about security. Nuki Combo 2.0 uses a end-to-end encryption based on the Diffie-Hellman algorithm. It means that the data comes out of the devices already encrypted and it is not possible to understand what information they contain. At the same time it comes guaranteed protection from man in the middle attack: someone could intercept packets and redirect them to the target device by pretending to be the authorized user. This is not possible because each communication is associated with a unique random challenge token (also encrypted). All replies iterated with the same token response are discarded.
Pairing starts via Secure Simple Pairing. There are two ways: to receive an invitation from another user already registered or by physically accessing the device to be able to press the button. Once enabled, new users will be able to use the various services offered by Nuki Combo 2.0 with some limitations. In fact, to access some features (for example the management of user rights or the ban) you will have to enter the PIN registered at the first installation, so that only trusted people can access it. The app can be secured by requiring unlocking. Having then the possibility to enable users in a totally flexible way, for limited periods of time or at certain times, Nuki Combo 2.0 is an excellent solution also for offices or houses for rent.
But be careful: if you run out of battery you will be locked out. Fortunately, the thing is notified well in advance. In the event of a malfunction, however, there is no way to open the door, unless the cylinder is equipped with the emergency and danger function which allows the door to be opened from the outside even with the key inserted. After installation, we therefore recommend doing various tests to verify that everything is working correctly!
Conclusions
Not only can you forget to take your keys with you, but you can manage the opening of the door completely automatically. With Nuki Combo 2.0 your door becomes truly smart. Net of very few defects, certainly of little importance, we can only recommend this product to those who want home automation in a simple and painless way. The Nuki ecosystem also provides a whole series of devices for the smart home that integrate perfectly with each other and with smartphones, Nuki Combo 2.0 is just the beginning. Of course the price is not very low and let’s say that it is not something indispensable, but it’s pretty damn nice to use. Nuki has managed to create a truly high-level user experience. That’s all from the electronic section, keep following us!
Points in favor
- Exceptional and intuitive app
- Simple installation with step by step instructions
- Seamless integration with smartphones and voice assistants
- Vast Nuki ecosystem
- Functionality and customization
- High security
Points against
- Noisy when opening and closing
- Reactivity in general