Lockly Secure Plus Review: Fingerprint-Enabled Smart Lock

Why bother with keys or codes when you have something much more unique at your fingertips? The Lockly Secure Plus adds a fingerprint reader to a smart lock that includes a keypad and a conventional lock, so as long as you remember your fingers when you leave, you can still get back in. This unique ability is why Lockly is one of the best smart locks, but at $249 — plus another $80 if you want to connect it to Alexa or Google Assistant — it is one of the more expensive locks we have tested.

Lockly Secure Plus review: Price and availability

The Lockly Secure Plus launched in 2019, which is when we initially reviewed the lock. It's available for around $249, though you may find discounts around the holidays and other sales events.

The Lockly Secure Plus comes in three finishes (Venetian Bronze, Satin Nickel and Matte Black), and can be ordered as either a deadbolt or as a latch-style lock, in case you want to add it to an interior door. 

The Secure Plus has Bluetooth, meaning you'll have to purchase the Secure Link Wi-Fi hub ($80) if you want to connect it to your home network, so that you can control it remotely and have it work with other smart home devices.

A more sensible option is to purchase the Lockly Secure Pro ($299), which is essentially the Lockly Secure Plus bundled with the Secure Link Wi-Fi hub. You'll save yourself $30, and the Pro model is also available in a brushed gold finish.

Lockly Secure Plus review: Design

Both parts of the lock are larger than most, dominating the front and back of the door . It is available in Satin Nickel or Venetian Bronze finishes, but both are pretty obvious: This is not a subtle lock that blends into the door.

The Lockly is also one of the few smart locks available that comes in a latch- lock version as well as a deadbolt. That will cost you an extra $30, though.

Lockly Secure Plus review: Setup & Installation

The lock is simple to install, although there is one unusual feature: the lock can use a second smaller hole that you drill above the main one to reinforce the mechanism and hold it in place. That's because the lock mechanism is rather heavy, and could slip if held in place just by the usual screws by the cylinder. This second hole is not obligatory. You can use the included sticky pads to hold the lock in place instead, but Lockly recommends the second hole to make the lock more secure.  

Lockly Secure Plus review: Security Features

The fingerprint reader is on the right side of the front part of the lock. Once you have registered your fingerprint (a simple process), you can unlock the door by simply touching the button. It takes only a couple of seconds, and we found that it worked quite effectively.

The keycode feature is also a little unusual. The codes you enter can be from 4 to 8 digits, set up from the app or through the keypad itself. The slick glass cover does show fingerprints, which could alert a miscreant to your code. But the Lockly Secure Plus has another trick: the position of the digits changes. When you touch the screen to wake it up, the digits are shown in random order, so you aren't constantly pressing the same spots on the keypad every time you use it. While this is secure, it can also be rather disorientating for those who have visual memories: I tend to remember things like codes by their shape rather than the digits themselves.

Lockly Secure Plus review: App and Smart Home Control

The Lockly app is available for iOS and Android smartphones, and is clear and easy to use. Connecting the app to the lock relies on a secret code that comes on a card with the lock, so you need to keep that secure if you ever need to reset the lock. Once connected, you can use the app to create new keycodes or add new fingerprints. These have to be added at the lock itself: you can't use the fingerprint reader on your phone.

What your $249 doesn't get you, unfortunately, is the ability to control or monitor the lock remotely. For this, you will need to spend another $70 on the Wi-Fi adapter. With this, you can remotely control the lock, and use it with Alexa and Google Assistant. Alternatively, you can spend another $50 on the Lockly Secure Pro, which adds Wi-Fi support to the lock itself.

Lockly Secure Plus review: Bottom Line

Adding a fingerprint reader adds a new level of functionality to the Lockly Secure Pus. While your kids might forget a key or a keycode, they aren't likely to forget a finger. But that feature comes at a cost: the lock is larger and more obvious, and doesn't include Alexa support unless you purchase a Wi-Fi adapter. It's also expensive, but if the fingerprint feature is worth the cost, it could be very useful.