So, I have a problem, and that problem is that I live in a two-story mixed commercial/residential building that has two separate flats, one on the first floor and one on the second, on which I live, with a mutual hallway leading to each of them. To this point, you probably do not see a problem in any of this, but the thing is – I don’t have an outside doorbell that is connected to my flat, which leads to situations like this one.
Plus, I don’t have to mention that I don’t have a way to remotely open the door while changing the doors, and bringing in additional electrical wiring to it wasn’t an option. If you’re in a similar situation to me, today is your lucky day, because I’m about to address this problem of mine and fix it retroactively with a wireless doorbell and lock using these two things from Nuki and Eufy. Stick around until the end because I have a coupon code for the Nuki lock!
Smart Nuki lock turns the key for you
I’ll start off with the Nuki smart lock because this is what actually started my quest for a retroactive smart lock solution for my door. One of the advantages of the Nuki is that is simple to install, no need for any special tools, just a sense for following instructions. You only need to make sure that your lock is compatible with it, and you can double-check for your case on their website, they have a very wizard that can run you through.
There is also an option to get an integrated lock, and in that case, you are buying the whole door as a solution for them, but for that, you’ll have to plan in advance and get a quote from Nuki, while this is a really good and versatile retroactive solution that requires minimal changes. I advise you to get the combo pack with the Bluetooth to WiFi bridge, so the door lock gets internet connectivity, meaning you can control it from anywhere over a smartphone app.
I have also got my hands onto their keypad, which makes it use a bit more practical if you do not want to pull your smartphone out. There is also the option of a separate remote control, like the ones you have for your garage door.
The Eufy 2K doorbell was a tad more complicated to install, but nothing that can’t be done within a couple of minutes and poking out a few holes, basically the same thing I did for the Nuki keypad. In my case I had a blank switch, so I have just pulled it off, drilled two holes for the mounting plate, put the mounting plate, and that is it, the doorbell module can now be hooked up onto it, granted you got the battery-powered one, which I have. With that model you can also choose to powered it using wires, just be sure to check what voltage you have, so you can step it down if needed, this one works from 16 to 24V. I still need to put a plastic cover below it just so it hides the big whole, screw it on together with the frame and that is it. Of course, the whole thing weatherproof, IP65 rated in particular, and they claim it can work from -20 to 50°C
Eufy 2K Doorbell – Set and forget it
The main reason why I chose Eufy 2K door bell over something like a Nest Hello or Ring is that it does not need any additional subscription services, plus it can record remotely to its Homebase 2, which is sort of a small control center for it and other Eufy devices that can connect to it, gateway or bridge if you will, which has an internal eMMC storage of 16 GB which can record up to 160 days of daily average length footage, after which it overwrites older footage. It does not have an option to expand storage, although there is a USB port on the back, but that is only for charging the doorbell itself, maybe they do a firmware update later on
In terms of the setup, you need to do it over wired connection first, and then you can choose to use Wi-Fi. I did not need to move around the Homebase 2, I have just left it here in my studio, as I’ve recently upgraded my home network to Unify AC Pro in combination with their Dream Machine Pro, so my coverage is really good in that regard. But I wish there is an option for the camera /bell module itself to be connected over the local Wi-Fi to the Homebase 2, rather than going through it, because this way you depend on the Homebase wireless signal and not your networks, and if you have a good Wi-Fi setup like this from Unify, you will probably benefit out of it.
The video performance of the Eufy 2K doorbell is really good, which is something that I’ve expected as I’ve gone through a lot of other reviews. It’s also not that bad that I would compromise its other features over the video quality itself, on the contrary, I’m quite satisfied with it. I do not have a lot of reference points when ti comes to video doorbells, but I do know what I quality video feed should look like put into context what it is used for. For obvious privacy and security reasons, I cannot show you the whole feed because it discloses a bit too much information, but this actually gave me an opportunity to check the cameras in a more controlled environment, where I can set up different scenes. Here are few custom lit shots for you to judge its performance.
As for the lock and its performance, not that has a complicated task, but it works like a charm, being it over the app, keypad or geofencing, you can open it up in a matter of second, it is really freeing knowing that you do not have to carry a key around. I have mostly used the manual button on the lock itself when going from within to outside, as it has a lock and go option where you press two times and it automatically unlocks and closes within a set time span, the default one being 20 seconds. I’ve also often unlocked it from outside using the keypad or smartphone if it was in my hand at that moment or just prior to coming to the door. You can also choose to auto-lock if the door has been left unlocked for a certain period.
Check-ups and right of passage within a reach of your fingertips
Both apps are solid, Nuki’s one could work a bit on its layout, for example, it takes a bit too much for you to get to the activity log, and even the lock settings themselves, I feel like you need to do a few steeps to much in order to get to it. What is cool about it though is the way it is easy to add other users, they just install the app, you give them the access code, and bam that is it. Push notifications work great, they show every action instantly, the only thing that is a bit weird about them is that you must connect the Nuki web account in order to get them working on your phone. You can also choose to set how many times the lock turns because some insurance companies require you to turn it twice, or you can enable night mood which automatically locks it twice and puts the lock in a special energy-saving mode. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, you will also get a door open/close sensor, with which I had some calibration trouble, but once I managed to do it, It worked without a problem. although you will get four regular AA batteries in the package, I have replaced them with the rechargeable ones right away because for some reason the lock and go function started erroring out on me after few days of use, and once the battery dropped below 90%. I didn’t know what the exact issue was with it, but now with these batteries, it works just fine, even with the battery being below 90%, probably some kind of bug. BTW. Nuki just released a white version of its lock and an extended battery pack which gets it working for up to a year worth of time, while this should work for about 6 months.
As for the Eufy app, there is plenty of things to go about, I could probably do a separate video on it alone. The most important ones are directly connected to the security functions of the camera, and so so much for the doorbell part, like setting a fencing zone for the camera only to pick up certain areas, or for example only to detect humans, choosing how to operate in terms of it being a security camera, and how to operate when you are at home or away for a trip, like a preset profile. On the other hand, when it comes being a doorbell, you have a duplex two-way communication option, although with a hefty delay of 2-3 seconds, but it is good enough for impromptu conversation. Push notifications are also fast, being it for the doorbell or the security function, while the Homebase 2 serves as a doorbell chime as it has a speaker, but you can turn it off you want, especially if you love to crank your headphones and DAC. There is also an ability to push the live feed using Google Home, like Chromecast, while it also supports Amazon’s Alexa too.
All in all, am I really pleased with my choices, although yes, there are definitely some compromises. I got the Eufy 2K Doorbell Homebase 2 combo back as a part of a Black Friday deal for around 130€, while guys over at Nuki have been kind enough to provide me with one for my unbiased review, I was completely free to approach the review and do it however I wanted, without any remarks or checkups from their side. Since I was planning to get in the first place, it ended being was a win situation, and it will be for you too because they also provided me with a Nuki discount code for you to use, you can see it in the video (“tektick10nuki”), while go to this link to check current Nuki price. Mind you this is not a sponsored content piece of content, it is just something that happened basically in the moment.
That’s it for this time, thanks for checking out this Nuki smart lock review, as well as the Eufy 2K doorbell review, if you have any questions feel free to hit me in the comments section of my YouTube video listed above, you can contact me via my social media channels!
