Sesame Smart Lock Review (2nd Gen) – Test, Guide, FAQs, More

You’ll agree with us when we say that it can be quite difficult to judge whether or not a certain smart lock will be suitable for your home.

This is why today, we’ll be looking at the Sesame Smart Lock and discussing whether or not it can add value to your life or not.

In this post, we’ll look at all of this smart lock’s aspects in detail, discuss how smart locks work in general. We will also see whether or not this product is worth your hard-earned money or not. 

Quick Summary of the Main Product

Smart locks generally work by being mounted onto already existing deadbolts in your home. This makes them extremely easy to install and they’re a great option for any person that is looking to get into automating their home bit-by-bit. Kwikset and August have had success with their smart locks in the past and now comes Candy House with their Sesame Smart Lock.

It’s a wonderful-looking little device that does not take up too much space at all. Visually, it looks like an old-kitchen timer with a single dial that you can turn to lock and unlock your door. If you’re someone that isn’t too tech-savvy, the simplicity of this lock is something that can be great to help you get into the world of smart locks.

It comes in several different colors and it literally took us a few seconds to mount to this smart lock onto our door. It has several neat features such as a history log and the ability to approve access for friends and visitors at certain times during the day. It has an extremely strong motor that can easily hand locks that are rigid or hard to turn. 

Features and Benefits

• Knock Feature 

If you have an iOS device, you can make use of this smart lock’s very fun knock feature. First, you have to connect it to your iOS device via Bluetooth or the Wi-Fi and once this is done, you’re all set. The knock feature means you can knock on your phone to unlock the smart lock remotely. This may only seem like a fun novelty but in actuality, you can find many uses for this. It’s a great way to unlock the door from anywhere in your house as long as you’re connected via Bluetooth or share the same Wi-Fi network. 

• Voice-controlled 

The Sesame smart lock is completely compatible with home assistant devices such as Alexa, Google or Siri. This means that you can take advantage of the voice commands that these home assistant devices offer. You can also make customizations to the smart lock as well as just use your smart lock simply by using your voice.

• No-Tool Installation 

As we mentioned earlier, it literally took us a few seconds to install this smart lock onto our door. We did not require any tools at all for it, not even a screwdriver. It’s perfect for people who cannot, or don’t want, to make any large changes to existing locks that they have on their door. 

The Sesame smart lock comes with a self-adjusting mechanism that is patented. Because of this mechanism, it does not even need to be at the center of your lock. 

• Compatible with Smart-Home Devices

We mentioned this earlier as well that the Sesame smart lock is completely compatible with all sorts of home assistant devices. These include devices such as Alexa, Google and Siri. At this price point, having this compatibility feature is definitely an asset to this device. It’s something that a lot of people can definitely get value out of. 

• AES 256-Bit Encryption to Prevent Hacking 

Many people are apprehensive about smart locks because they feel that they can be easily hacked and broken into. The Sesame smart lock puts all of these fears to rest as it features AES 256-bit encryption. This is one of the most powerful encryption techniques available to us. This makes this smart lock incredibly secure and hack-proof. 

• Supports up to 99 people 

The fact that this smart lock can support up to 99 different people is an incredible asset to this device. That not only means that you use it in your home but you can also use it in public venues such as libraries, school buildings, small concert venues. It’s a feature that elevates this lock from a measly home lock to something that is a lot more versatile.  

• History Log

The history log makes it super easy for you to monitor who has been using the lock. All of its uses get logged into your app and you can see it any time to know who has been in or out using the smart lock. 

• Auto-lock and Unlock

The auto-lock and unlock feature is really something that can come in handy when you have your hands full and can’t afford to go fumbling for your phone. You don’t even need to take your phone out of your pocket for this. The smart lock is smart enough to detect that you're approaching and it unlocks by itself for you. Not only that but once you’re inside, it also locks by itself behind you. 

Pros and Cons

Pros

• It’s quite affordable. Coming with a price tag of $150, the Sesame smart lock is fairly budget-friendly. When you look at all of the features that come with it, we can’t help but notice the great value of money that it offers.
• It is beginner-friendly. Smart locks are quickly becoming more commonplace with more and more people learning how to work with them. The Sesame smart lock features an easy-to-use exterior. It also has an accompanying app that has a very intuitive user interface which will help you get into its use quite effectively.  
• It’s highly customizable for tech-savvy people. We talked about it being beginner-friendly but if you’re on the other end of the spectrum, this product definitely has features in store for you too. It has a public API that you can go through in order to truly learn how it works and you can customize it in a number of different ways to suit your needs. 
• It has an elegant and minimal design. It comes in four different colors and its small size ensures that it doesn’t call too much attention to itself.
• It allows both key and key-less options. Obviously, with a smart lock, you want to not use your key and exclusively use your smartphone or its own auto-unlock feature. However, if for some reason, you don’t have your phone with you, you can also still use your regular key to gain access.  
• It comes with a one-year warranty.

Cons

• The batteries it runs on are relatively hard to find. The Sesame smart lock uses two CR123A 3V lithium batteries. While these are not overly difficult to find but they are definitely not as easily available as typical AA or AAA batteries. 
• The Wi-Fi module for it has to be bought separately. You can’t utilize any of its Wi-Fi capabilities without buying the module. You can only connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth without it.

Social Proof

We looked online towards customer reviews for the Sesame smart lock to see how people have been using this lock. We found that customers unanimously agreed with the fact that the lock is extremely easy to install. This is something that everyone appreciated and mentioned in their reviews. 

Many other customers loved the fact that it was extremely easy to give and revoke access for guests, visitors and other members of the house. 

One customer went on to detail how their grandpa is making use of the smart lock. The customer said that they’re having no trouble navigating through its interface and using it.

More Recommendations!

Guide to Buy

Here are some factors that you should keep in mind when buying the Sesame smart lock:

• Should you keep or replace your existing deadbolt?

There exist two types of smart locks. There are ones that mount onto your existing deadbolt and ones that require you to take out your existing deadbolt and replace it. You have to make a decision of whether or not you want to keep the existing deadbolt or not. Keeping your old deadbolt means you still have the option of opening your door using your old mechanical key. However, this also means that your lock won’t be bump-proof or pick-proof.

• Connectivity

Smart locks can connect to your electronic devices in a number of different ways such as through Bluetooth, Z-Wave or Wi-Fi. Before going out to buy the Sesame smart lock, it’s a good idea to think about what electronic devices or smartphones you own. This is important because you need to ensure whether you will be able to conveniently connect to it or not.

• Compatibility with Home-Assistant Devices

It’s important for your smart lock to be a part of your smart home’s ecosystem. For that, it’s essential that it be compatible with whatever home-assistant device you have installed in your home. This could be Alexa, Google, Siri or some other similar device. Before you go out and buy the Sesame smart lock, we urge you to ensure that it’s compatible with whatever home-assistant device you have.

How easy is it to break into a smart lock?

As we’ve discussed earlier, a lot of burglars tend to exploit the fact that some smart locks have very flimsy cyber-security. They are able to hack into them and extract access codes or they can make their own phones look like the user’s phones in some cases. The Sesame smart lock, however, addresses all of these problems through AES-256 bit encryption. This ensures that the smart lock is hack-proof.

What are some advantages of the Sesame Smart Lock? 

Some great advantages of the Sesame Smart lock are:

• It is, by far, the easiest lock available on the market in terms of installation onto your existing deadbolt. 

• Its minimalist design is by far the most unobtrusive we have seen out of all the smart locks we have tested. 

• It can easily be paired with your Apple Watch for easy and convenient access. 

• Its companion smartphone app is constantly being updated. This means new features are always being added and bugs and errors are constantly being fixed.