Ola Smart Lock Opens Your Door With a Fingerprint Scanner

If you want to burglar-proof your home, you’ll need locks that can prevent unauthorized entry. Traditional door locks, unfortunately, are becoming less reliable these days. Burglars are now capable of opening your doors with techniques like lock picking and bumping. As burglars get more intelligent, it’s only a must that you also invest in something smarter to protect your home.

Ola Smart Lock is designed to change the market of keyless door locks. It’s the very first Bluetooth-enabled door lock that offers a keyless and a phoneless way to enter your home. It has the following features:

• Ola works through a CMOS fingerprint sensor called It can read prints from either a wet or dry finger.
• It can scan your fingerprint in less than a second.
• Ola is conveniently designed. The scanner is placed on the part of the door handle where you naturally rest your thumb.
• It is powered by 4 AA batteries.
  • Typically, these batteries can last for two years.
  • You’ll be able to open your door 30,000 times before the batteries run out.
  • To replace them, you only need to remove Ola’s back casing. You don’t need to take the entire device out.
• Ola also has backup 4 AAA batteries which you can activate with a single push of a button.
  • These backup batteries can last up to five years.
  • In total, Ola has a 7-year battery life.
• In case you can’t buy battery replacements right away, there’s a micro USB port which you can use to plug Ola directly to an external power source.
• Aside from fingerprints, you can also manage your Ola through Bluetooth connectivity.
• It does not rely on Wi-Fi. You can access your door even without an internet connection or if there’s power interruption.
• Ola can remember around 1,700 fingerprint patterns.
• It is water resistant but not entirely waterproof. Leaving the unit submerged in water for a certain period of time can potentially damage its electrical components.

Ola’s fingerprint sensor scans your fingerprint using radiofrequency signals. It looks for sub dermal patterns in verifying if the fingerprint is authentic or not. Because it can scan prints underneath the surface of your fingers, you can still get an accurate fingerprint scan even if your thumb is not squeaky clean. However, making sure your thumb is dry whenever you’re using the scanner can help keep your smart lock in top shape.

Setting up Ola is also easy. It can be used with the Mortise lock and the Standard Latch bolt. Each Ola Smart Lock kit comes with a single lock set which means you have to choose between the two. If you want an enhanced security, you can choose a Mortise-compatible Ola. However, if you prefer an easier installation, you can pick the Standard Lock bolt kit. Aside from the lock set, the kit also contains tools and instructions you’ll need in installing the smart lock.

In theory, you can have Ola up and working within minutes. After you have successfully installed the device on your door, you need to download its app and scan the QR code you can find on its packaging. One Ola unit has a unique QR code. After scanning, you can register yourself by pressing your thumb over the fingerprint scanner.

The app is not entirely limited to the installation phase. You’ll also need it in granting access to a friend or a loved one. There are four access types which you can choose from:

• Master access gives a registered user an unrestricted authority over your locks. He can rename or even delete them. He can also invite or remove access from other people.
• Permanent access allows a person to enter your home without any time restrictions.
• Recurrent access involves setting up specific days or schedules every week to allow an authorized person inside your home. You can grant this type of access to your kid’s nanny or your house helper who follows a strict schedule in cleaning your home.
• Temporary access gives an authorized person a limited time to enter your home. If you’ll be having a friend over to check on your dogs, you can give him access from morning until noon.

There are two ways to give access. You can select from the following means:

1. If you choose to allow a fingerprint access, you need to have your friend or loved one scan his fingerprint on the Ola app once he has received your invite. By scanning and registering, you’ll enable Ola to store and remember his fingerprint pattern.
2. You can also grant access by Bluetooth connectivity. In this method, you’ll need to send a specific QR code or activation link to your friend.

Ola can let you inside your home even if you forgot your keys or your smart phone. You simply need to press your thumb on the scanner and the door will automatically open for you. You should take note, however, that there will be no other way for you to open your door aside from using an authorized fingerprint or the app. There is no keyhole for you to manually unlock your door.

Ola Smart Lock was launched and successfully funded through Kickstarter. It went for another round of crowd funding through Indiegogo which ended last September. Both campaigns attached a $179 price tag for each Ola Smart Lock unit. Its retail pricing, however, is expected to be higher than its original crowd funding price.

The first 100 beta units are expected to be shipped this October while backers from Kickstarter will be able to receive their Ola Smart Locks by March of next year. On the other hand, people who backed Ola through Indiegogo can still expect their units to arrive despite failing to meet its funding goal in the said platform. In case you missed their crowd funding campaigns, you can register your email at Ola’s website to stay updated with its release in the market.