Today, we will check out the Nest X Yale Smart Lock. I’ll do the unboxing and checkout the features, setup, settings, installation and testing it out. If you have been following my channel, you already know that I little by little trying to get some home automation in our house and smart locks have been in my list for a while now but I really haven’t got around to do it until now.

To tell you the truth, we use our garage 95% of the time to get in and out of the house. Even when throwing the trash or picking up the mail, we usually get out of the garage. I already changed the garage door springs and the garage opener a while back and it does take a toll on those springs and the motor with frequent opening and closing that we decided to start using the front door. Plus it is a good excuse to tell my wife so as to get another tech gadget.

I went with the Nest x yale lock for my first review of smart locks just because I am familiar with Nest and you can control the lock using the Nest app.

So, this is an integration between Yale, the hardware part of the lock and Nest, the software and together, you will have a secure deadbolt lock that is connected and can be controlled remotely via the Nest app aside from typing in your passcode to open and lock your door.

With the Nest app, you can easily lock and unlock your door anywhere even you are at the other side of the globe.
Give people a passcode instead of a key.
Lock and check the status of your door using your voice using google assistant.
Get notified everytime your door is locked and unlocked and by who.

So, let’s open up the box.
We have a quick start guide which is basically to download the Nest app, add the nest connect which is basically a hub to connect the lock to the app and then install the lock.

We then have the installation and programming guide.

We have the keypad or the outside part of the lock. Wiring that needs to be connected to the other part of the lock later on and at the bottom are 2 metal connectors which are used to give the lock power using a 9 volt battery when the batteries die out and I’ll show you how it is done later on.

We have 4 double A batteries to power up the lock. Nest says it is good for 1 year of use.

Then, we have the inside part of the lock. Which has a plastic cover but mostly metal. On the backside is the mounting plate covering the internals and at the bottom is the cam bar.

We have the strike plate.

Bolts and screws.

Then, we have the bolt mechanism.

and a push tool to open up the battery compartment.

We have the nest connect box and we have the set up instructions and warranty paperwork.

Then the nest connect itself which you will need to plug in close to your door.

Time to set this up and first thing that we need to do is install and setup the Nest Connect. Download, sign up or open up the nest app.

Click add product and scan the QR code located at the back of Nest connect.
Click Next.

Press and hold the small button until the lights turn blue.
OR you can also plug the unit in to turn it on.

Click Next.

Choose your WiFi network that you will be connecting to.
Type in the password and click Next.

Wait for it to finish setting up and the Nest connect will be added to your account.

Do a quick connectivity check with the Nest Connect unplugged and also when plugged in.

Choose the location of where you plugged it and you are done setting it up.

Time to install the lock hardware. First off, I have to remove my old deadbolt. You can also install this to a new door and there are instructions and measurements in the installation guide to properly cut the holes needed for this deadbolt lock.

For me, this installation is going to be easier and faster because it will be just a replacement to my standard deadbolt.

While you are doing the installation, it is also the perfect time to check and tighten the screws on your door hinges. I don’t know if you all know that the screws that normally comes with these door hinges are only 1 inch in length that is why anybody can easily kick your door down. To add more strength and security, replace these screws with 3 inch screws so that it will also be screwed in to the stud and not just the door frame.

The same thing on the deadbolt strike plate. Just install the longer security screws. I am reusing my old strike plate though because the one that comes in the package doesn’t come with the lip.

The next thing to install is the deadbolt unit. Push it in and secure with the included screws.

Next, we are going to install the keypad to the outside of the door. Thread the wire unit to the hole and the keypad should fit and the back side is flushed to the door.

Separating the mounting plate to the inside lock, thread the wire to the opening on the mounting plate. Position the mounting plate to the outside lock so that the screw holes are aligned and using the screws provided, screw in both parts together.

Next, using the included push pin, push it in the hole on top of the battery cover of the inside lock and you will be able to open it up.
Then, attach the cable to the connector at the back. Making sure that the black mark is right side up. Push it in until it locks in place.

You can then secure the cables in the hooks and install it on the mounting plate making sure it is properly seated on the bottom of the plate and the excess cable is tucked into the lock cavity.

Secure the inside lock by screwing it in the mounting plate with the included screws.

Make sure that the lock moves freely and doesn’t bind with the strike plate.

Next, install the 4 double A batteries and replace the battery cover.

Wait for a bit for the lock to boot up and tap on the Yale name on the key lock.

Type in your master code in which the lock will verify and save it.

The lock will then check and test the system.

Now, time to setup the lock to the the Nest app.
Click the gear icon on the upper right corner.
Scroll down and click add product.
I have to remove the battery cover again so as to be able to scan the QR code.

Click Next.

Assign a location on where you have installed the lock. Which is front door for me.
Click Next.
The Nest Connect will then try to connect to the door lock.
Press and hold the white button on the inside lock and click next.
Wait for a bit until the lock is added to your Nest Account, then click next.

Time to add users if needed and setup their own passcode for the lock.
Click Add person.
Type in a name.
Choose which type of access you want the user to have.
In here you can change the pass code if needed.

For demo purposes, I will use 2018. Click Next.
And you can send the information to the user via email if needed.

Time to test this lock out.
On the main user interface of the Nest app, the lock should come up.
Click on it and you will have this big lock icon

Press and hold to open.

Press and hold again to close.

Works pretty good.

Let’s check out the settings on the app. Click the gear icon on the upper right corner.

And you will see the Home/Away setting where you can have options for the auto locking feature.

Turning it on and you can set it to lock automatically when you are home and when you are away.
You can also set on how long before the auto lock will activate.
We have 15 secs. , 1 minute or 5 minutes.

Then, we have notifications in which the app will send a push alert to your phone everytime the lock is opened and locked.

We have the one touch locking which lets you lock the door by touching the yale logo.

We have the privacy mode which locks out the keypad so that it can’t be unlocked from the outside. When you toggle this to on, you will have the privacy icon on the main lock interface where you can turn this on or off.

We have the volume for the speaker on the lock. Silent, low and high.

We also have the language, placement and technical info.

On the main lock interface, we have lock and unlock button, also the info when the door was last locked.

We have the privacy mode where you can lock out the keypad.

We have the family and guests settings where you can add users and their access levels.

Lastly, we have the history on when the door was locked and unlocked.

Let’s test out the lock again and this time, notifications are “on”

Even when somebody manually locks and unlocks the door, you will still get notified. I like this feature.

Now when the double A batteries are running out of juice, you will get warnings in both the app and also on the lock itself. But, if the battery is totally drained, there is no keyhole for a key to unlock the door. What you need to do is to get or purchase a 9 volt battery and connect it with the contacts at the bottom of the lock and you will get enough power to turn on the keypad so that you can enter your passcode.

• Overall, I like this smartlock. No issues with the hardware and the Nest app works pretty good. I don’t have the Nest alarm but this lock also integrates with it… that when you unlock the door, it will automatically disarm the alarm. That is a good feature but there is a missed oppurtunity here when it comes to their Nest Hello doorbell.

I’ll give you a scenario…

It would have been a no brainer to place a lock and unlock icon in the cameras interface instead of going back and out of the camera’s view and losing the 2 way audio just to unlock the door and another extra steps to get back to the camera to make sure that person was able to get inside.

This feature can also be an excellent marketing tool for Nest to bundle their lock with the alarm and their hello doorbell…Look at the August lock. I haven’t tested it out but on their advertising and in the picture on the phone, you will clearly see that there is a lock/unlock icon front and center.

-So, Nest, whenever you start updating your doorbell, add that feature in too. Comment down below guys if you think Nest will add it or it will be one of those that they will keep quiet about.
-Lastly, I’ll show you my new google hub and how my Nest products are integrated.

When you swipe down, you will see your smart home controls and a quick information what state the devices are on. Clicking on the cameras, you will see all the cameras that Google supports and you can quickly view them from the hub.

You will also able to check out the status of the front door. You will not be able to unlock the door from the hub for security reasons. But, it is able to lock the door.

Nest X Yale Lock – amzn.to/2DfPelp
Nest Hello Doorbell – amzn.to/2JvfWXu