Review - Weiser Premis smart lock with touchscreen (Kwikset)

With so many smart gadgets already in my home, like lights, a vacuum, a space heater, adding a smart lock seems to make sense.
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Yes, security concerns have kept a lot of folks from investing in this technology, but I've got to believe that major manufacturers have this figured out. With strong confidence I installed the Weiser (also called Kwikset in USA) Premis digital smart lock with touch screen on my front door for testing and review.
The Weiser Premis is a smart connected lock with digital touch screen. Users can key in a numerical code to open the lock, or use an Apple iPhone.
Using the iPhone, you can open the lock with the free Weiser Premis app, or by asking Siri to do it for you.
There's also a set of physical keys in the package so you can lock and unlock the old fashioned way.
The installation is made easier through interactive instructions inside the Premis app. The installation guide is reminiscent of a choose-your-own-adventure story; you select yes or no to certain questions, and the app will step you through exactly how to install the lock on your particular door.
I did hit a snag early on when I removed the older deadbolt from my door and found it was several inches longer than the 'standard' deadbolts included in the Premis kit.
While one of the included replacement deadbolts was adjustable it was still well short of fitting into my door.
After a call to wiser a specialty 5" deadbolt twas on its way to me.
Just over a week later I was back at the install, again following the directions. IN essence you remove your old deadbolt hardware and lock, and replace it with the Premis versions. The Premis front keypad is then wired to the rear thumb bolt so everything is electronically connected.
In my case everything fit perfectly, and took about 15 minutes to complete.
The lock conveniently runs off four AA batteries and you can check their status inside the app. Weiser say the batteries, based on 10 operations per day, should operate the lock for over a year. With my longer 5" deadbolt, Weiser's customer service rep did warn me I should expect shorter battery life.
There are several ways to grant access to the home via Weiser
Using the premis app, you can set up the lock to connect with Apple Home Kit With Home Kit configured, you can ask Siri, Apple's digital assistant, to lock and unlock the door using just your voice.
You can use the app to assign user codes for up to 30 people from your kids, friends, housekeeper, contractor and more. You can control the specific days and times that the codes will work so that your contractor's code, for example, will only work during the day, not at night. The Premis app will keep a record of who's using their codes to access the home.
That also makes it great for tracking kids' curfews too.
It's also possible for you to remotely open the lock yourself from the app if you don't want to share a code. You do need to have an Apple TV in the home for this function to work.
I ran numerous tests from work, and elsewhere and the lock performed perfectly.
Premis lock uses the standard 128-bit AES encryption and the session-based Station-to-Station protocol which is encrypted with HKDF-SHA-512 derived keys based on per-session Curve25519 keys.
What the heck does that mean? In essence it uses bank level encryption to ensure when you hit lock/unlock the signal that is transmitted wirelessly from the lock to your phone or the AppleTV is encrypted, making it virtually impossible from someone who may be trying to hack your door to do so.
A reader on Twitter asked if it's possible to have a stranger who's gotten their hands on your phone to open the lock using Siri. I checked and the answer is no.
Because the iPhone demands you use your fingerprint or enter your passcode when it's locked, someone couldn't gain access to your home. Unless of course, your phone doesn't use any security features.
I have to say I was very impressed with the Weiser Premis.
The installation was dead easy, despite my deadbolt being different.
It's made life with out housekeeper easier, it means I don't need to take house keys when I go for a walk or bike ride and it means I can open the door for my neighbour if he wants to drop his dog off for us to babysit. I highly recommend the Weiser Premis as a great choice for a smart lock.
It sells for about $150-200 on sites like Amazon.