We’ve received a review sample of the Lockzo AL501 3-in-1 smart door lock system (Smart Lock + Video Camera + Doorbell). It supports 2.4GHz Wi-Fi and integrates a 2K resolution camera with a wide 180° field of view, a doorbell, AI motion detection, and infrared night vision.
It supports multiple unlocking methods, namely physical key, AI fingerprint scanning, keypad PIN code, and the Tuya mobile app, which enables the user to check the live video, talk to visitors, and unlock the door in real time from anywhere via your smartphone, as well as voice control through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The included 10,000 mAh rechargeable battery is designed to last approximately 6 months per charge, and the device has an IP65 dust and water resistance rating.
In this review, we’ll go through an unboxing, show how we installed it on a wooden door, connect it to WiFi through the Tuya app on your smartphone, and report our experience with all available features, including unlocking, fingerprint scanning, video doorbell, notifications, and other functions.
Lockzo AL501 specifications
- Camera and Video
- Video resolution – 2K (1536p)
- Field of view – 180 degrees
- Night mode – Black and white (with 6 infrared lights)
- Video file format – MP4
- Connectivity – 2.4GHz Wi-Fi
- Control methods – Via app, fingerprint, keypad code, voice commands, or key
- Special features – Anti-peeping password, automatic locking system, touchscreen
- Voice Assistant – Support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
- Battery – 10,000 mAh rechargeable battery
- IP Rating – IP65
Lockzo 3-in-1 video smart lock unboxing
The Lockzo AL501 was sent to us in its retail package.
The items included in the box are the exterior unit, interior unit, 10,000 mAh rechargeable battery with charging cable, a doorbell chime, two keys, an installation template, a lock mechanism, a strike box, various screw sets (A to F), a Quick Start Guide, and a card asking the user to request a 12-month warranty.
Let’s take a look at the outdoor unit. It has a sticker that reads “Fully charge before use is suggested”. On the top side, there’s a fingerprint scanner, while the camera is on the front along with touch keypads (0-9), a lock symbol, and an unlock button (all of which only become visible once the battery is inserted and the user touches the device), as well as an ambient light sensor and a microphone.
In the middle, we’ll find the motion sensor, and underneath, the doorbell button with an LED. The doorbell button can be lifted to reveal the keyhole (photo further below) to open the door when the battery is depleted or there’s no Internet. The back side comes with a 3M adhesive sticker for installation, a lock spindle, a WiFi antenna cable, and a data/power cable.
The indoor unit features a sliding cover on the front to insert or remove the battery, a small Settings button on the right, lock and unlock buttons on the left, and a knob for locking and unlocking. manufactured by Shenzhen RTD Technology Co., Ltd, the K100 rechargeable Li-ion battery supports a nominal voltage of 3.6V, 5V/2A input via USB-C port, and offers 10,000mAh / 36Wh capacity. Inside, we’ll find a slot to insert the lock spindle, a 5-pin connector for the data/power cable, a WiFi antenna connector, and a cover/adapter placed between the indoor unit and the door during installation.
Finally, we have the doorbell chime with a speaker on the front, and volume and select (ringtone) buttons on the side. It also comes with a USB-A port for power.
Installation
We mostly followed the installation instructions provided in the included user guide, online manual, and a YouTube video tutorial. We selected a wooden door for which we lost the keys… The user guide specifies the types of doors that are supported, and you can use the installation template to make this easier..
- Backset – 3/8″ / 60 mm or 2 3/4″ / 70 mm; we measured 60 mm.
- Door hole diameter – 25 mm; we measured 23 mm. We had to enlarge the hole
- Door thickness – 35 to 55 mm; we measured 33.5 mm. Out of range, but no issues during installation.
- Cross bore diameter – 1/2″ / 38 mm or 2 1/8″ / 54 mm; we measured 54 mm.
- Minimum distance to door handle – 10 cm. That’s to give enough space to remove the battery. No problem here because we haven’t installed the door handle yet.
We didn’t need to adjust the door thickness, but we had to use a power drill to enlarge the door hole.
After that, we inserted the latch into the mortise hole with “UP” pointing upwards.
At this point, we can install the outdoor unit. Simply peel off the 3M adhesive sticker, then insert the lock spindle that protrudes from the center of the outdoor unit into the slot in the latch.
The lock spindle will go through, and we should make sure the data/power cable and the WiFi antenna cable as properly routed as shown in the photo below.
Now install the indoor cover unit by peeling off the 3M adhesive sticker and making sure the cables and lock spindle all go through the openings. Tighten the screws securely.
Connect the data/power cable and WiFi antenna to the indoor unit. Once everything is properly connected, tighten the screws.
This is what it should look like once the installation is complete. Now fully charge the battery, if you haven’t already done so.
The lock is slightly inclined because the door hole diameter was smaller than specified (23 mm instead of 25 mm), and while we managed to enlarge it with a power drill, we’re not carpenters, and the hole ended up being somewhat uneven. As a result, when we inserted the latch, it didn’t sit perfectly straight, which caused both the indoor and outdoor units to be slightly misaligned.
Installing the doorbell chime couldn’t be easier, as you just need a 5V USB power source. We used an old smartphone power adapter. We also had to pair the doorbell chime with the lock. To do so, press and hold the volume button on the chime for more than 5 seconds, then release it when you hear the beep. Next, press the doorbell button on the outdoor unit at least 3 times until the chime rings to confirm successful pairing.
Review of Lockzo AL501 with various unlocking methods
The Lockzo AL501 smart door lock system can be unlocked using the manual thumb-turn knob/button, a physical key, entering a code on the keypad, AI fingerprint scanning, the Tuya mobile app, and voice commands through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. We’ll test all of them below, except the voice assistants, since we don’t have the required hardware.
Knob and button on the indoor unit
To open the door manually from the inside, press the open/close button and turn the knob counterclockwise.
Using a physical key
The Lockzo AL501 also works as a regular lock. Simply lift the doorbell button and open the door with one of the two provided keys. It’s especially useful when the battery is depleted, or you forgot your key code.
Entering a code with the touch keypad
The initial setup is quite straightforward. Start by pressing the Settings button, after which a voice prompt says: “Please set the administrator password and press the unlock key, Input…”. Then press [1] twice to enter the add password mode (see diagram below), and enter a 6-digit number. The system will ask you to confirm the number again. That’s it. The setup is complete and if you ever want to change or delete it later, just press [2] and [1].
Fingerprint scanner
The process is about the same as for the key code. After entering the administrator password, a voice will list all the functions. To add a fingerprint, press [1] + [2], then place your finger on the fingerprint scanner at the top. The system will scan it 4 times. That’s it. You can add more fingerprints the same way. To delete fingerprints, press [2] + [2].
Controlling the smart lock with the Tuya Android app
First, install the Tuya app for Android or iOS. We installed it on a Huawei Android smartphone. Now add the device to the Tuya app as shown in the screenshots below after pressing the settings button, entering the admin password, then pressing [6]. In the Tuya app, tap the + sign in the top-right corner, select “Add Device”, then “Video Lock (Wi-Fi)”. and in the top-right corner, choose QR code for Camera, and tap the Next button.
You’ll get a QR code after entering the password for your 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, and the Tuya app will generate a QR code.
Now hold the phone about 15-20cm from the camera of the outdoor unit. After the QR code is detected, you will hear a fast “dong dong dong” sound followed by a slower “dong dong dong” sound. Tap “I Heard a Prompt” and wait until the device connects.
At this stage, the AL501 smart door lock should be added to the Tuya app, and you can unlock or lock the door by pressing and holding the button.
You can view the live video, talk to visitors, and unlock the door in real time from anywhere using your smartphone.
It works well during the day and at night thanks to infrared lights.
You can invite people to use the app, so family members can open or lock the door as well. Go to Home Management -> Home -> Add Member, and select a sharing method. We selected “Copy” to get a code and shared it with another user via a messaging app.
After installing the Tuya app (on an iPad), the new member should go to Home Management -> Join a home and enter the code. She then can go the the Home screen and select the “Home” group to lock/unlock the door.
The Member Management function enables the admin to handle fingerprints, passwords, and schedules. The Set->Permission settings menu allows functions to be used by the Admin only, all users, or nobody, basically disabling the smart lock.
Finally, here’s a short video demo showcasing the Tuya app’s video call and unlock function.
Conclusion
The Lockzo AL501 3-in-1 battery-powered smart door lock system combines keyless smart lock, video camera, and doorbell functions into a single device, and we’ve found all features to work as advertised. It connects to 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (5GHz is not supported) and can be locked/unlocked in several ways: using the indoor knob, a physical key, a fingerprint scanner, a pin code using the keypad, or the Tuya mobile app. That means it can still be operated without the internet or when the battery is depleted, so you don’t get stuck outside of your house as long as you carry the key with you as a backup.
The Tuya app provides more advanced features, and for instance, you can check the live video feed and talk to visitors before unlocking the door from your smartphone, even when you are not at home. The app also supports user management and configuration for various settings. The downside is that you need to rely on a third-party cloud service (Tuya) rather than local control, and IoT devices have a history of becoming unusable whenever a company goes bust and closes its cloud services. However, we view that as unlikely in this case, as Tuya is an OEM smart home solution that’s been around for many years and used in products from a large number of companies.
We’d like to thank Lockzo for sending the AL510 battery-powered 3-in-1 smart door lock for review. It can currently be purchased for $99.99 on Amazon as part of a Black Friday promotion, and the regular price is $169.99. It’s also listed on the Lockzo website for $169.99, but shown as “sold out” at this time.
CNXSoft: This article is a translation of the original review on CNX Software Thailand by Suthinee Kerdkaew
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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