Like other modern smart locks, the new Philips 5000 Series Smart Deadbolt can be unlocked using a regular house key, a PIN code, or a wireless connection using the companion app. Unlike most other smart locks we’ve seen, though, it also integrates a biometric scanner that lets you disengage its lock using palm recognition.
That’s right, this smart lock lets you leave your keychain at home, forget your PIN code, and even lose your phone without locking you out of the house, allowing you to be your clumsiest, most irresponsible self without the usual consequences. Seriously, it’s, pretty much, foolproof until you end burning your hand on top of everything else for whatever foolish reason. That’s just bad luck at that point.
The Philips 5000 Series Smart Deadbolt installs much like other smart locks, essentially going in the place of your existing deadbolt lock. Inside, it provides a standard thumb turn mechanism for quickly engaging and disengaging the lock, while the outside panel offers all the different unlocking options. Granted, we can’t exactly see where the physical key goes in from the product photos, but we’d just assume it’s there somewhere (probably under the doorbell cover), since they specifically list a mechanical key among the unlocking options.
For entering a PIN code, you can use the capacitive number pad available from the front, although there’s no screen, so you can’t see whether a press is registering. To use the palm recognition, you simply hold your hand up in front of the biometric sensor, which rests right below the keypad. According to the outfit, it detects unique palm vein patterns to identify a person’s palm, which does sound like a secure way to do biometrics. Sure, they’ll probably come up with something clever to hack in the movies, but it should be a safe enough solution for most people’s homes.
The Philips 5000 Series Smart Deadbolt has built-in Wi-Fi, so it’s always connected to your home network, making it possible to not just control the lock when you’re at home, but even when you’re away. That means, you can let people in your home if they just give you a call, even if they themselves don’t have access to the lock, as well as check whether you actually locked the door when you left home this morning. Additionally, you can create a one-time PIN code to let people in your home without having to bother you. According to the outfit, it also supports voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can even unlock it remotely without using the app.
Additionally, they threw in a built-in doorbell at the bottom part of the lock’s exterior panel. You’ll need to integrate it with your home’s existing chime if you have one, which will require some tinkering with wires, which you wouldn’t need to do otherwise, since the deadlock runs on four CR123A batteries. According to the outfit, it can store up to 50 palm IDs, 100 permanent user PIN codes, and unlimited one-time PIN codes.
The Philips 5000 Series Smart Deadbolt is available now, priced at $359.99.
