(tool banging)
- And that lock is open.
- [Narrator] Locks like this are no match
for Marc Tobias.
He can easily break in
using a widely available specialty key,
known as a bump key.
- These are the entire tools that you need
to open about 95% of the pin tumbler locks in America.
- [Narrator] So that begs the question,
(buttons beeping)
is this smart lock the smarter upgrade?
(keypad beeping) - [Marc] Open.
- [Narrator] We put that to Marc.
He's been breaking into locks since he was 15.
- In high school, the conductor
of the Denver Symphony got locked
in the dressing room
and I figured out how to get him out.
- [Narrator] And now he consults major lock corporations
in finding security vulnerabilities.
- These companies spend millions of dollars designing things
that sometimes we figure out how to break
in 30 seconds.
- [Narrator] So what better person to test this,
the Nest x Yale Smart Lock,
and help us decide
is it really smart to install a smart lock in your home?
(playful music)
The pandemic kept a lot of people at home,
and interested in making smart technology upgrades,
from thermostats and plugs
to lights and speakers.
- Everything is moving towards smart locks
in the industry.
- [Narrator] So that's why we're testing
the Nest x Yale Smart Lock.
- [Lock] It should be four to eight digits long,
then press the check to continue.
- [Narrator] It's a keyless lock
that can be opened using a passcode
or when connected to the Nest app.
- [Marc] And as you see, it turns green.
- [Narrator] It can be unlocked directly
from your smartphone.
- Okay.
- [Narrator] So why did we choose this lock?
A few reasons.
It's a collaboration of two major companies,
Yale, one of the world's oldest lock manufacturers,
and Google Nest, a key player in home automation.
The lock doesn't have built-in Wi-Fi
but the Nest Connect system allows the lock
to indirectly connect to Wi-Fi,
which the company says saves battery life.
It also has a privacy mode,
which allows you to disable the keypad
so the lock cannot be opened with a pass code.
The Nest x Yale Smart Lock sells for $279
with the Nest Connect system.
And $249 without the system.
Marc is testing the lock with the Nest Connect.
- Okay, this must be the Nest Connect.
We have not had experience with this lock before,
so this will be new for us as well.
- [Narrator] First, he assessed the lock's hardware
to understand how it functions.
- This is the actual lock.
It's a brass finish.
Very neat with a connectorized cable
that goes through the door
to the back portion
so that the lock can talk to the electronics.
The interesting thing about this lock
that you'll notice, there's no lock,
which means it's a computer-controlled deadbolt.
There's no cylinder, there's no bypass key.
Some of the smart locks on the market
have a cylinder or a bypass key.
There's pros and cons.
And I should also note that there's a steel insert,
a little pin in the middle
of this deadbolt that makes sawing much more difficult.
- [Narrator] Marc's business partner, Tobias Bluzmanis,
a 40-year locksmith, completed the installation process.
- Well, it seems pretty easy.
- [Lock] Installation is complete
and your lock is ready to be added
to your Nest account.
- [Narrator] Next, Marc tried the convenience features
on his phone.
- If I hold my finger down on the app.
- [Narrator] One of them, mobile control.
(motor buzzing)
- [Marc] You can hear the motor drive in the lock
and now it shows me the status has locked.
- [Narrator] Then Marc tracks the lock's use on the app.
This is also gonna give me a history
of every time this lock has been accessed, locked, unlocked.
And it'll tell me by whom.
This is a very clever app,
especially if you have kids, cleaning staff, gardening.
You send them the code for two hours,
one hour, whatever the time block is
and then it'll automatically cancel after that time block.
- [Lock] Please try again in a moment.
- [Narrator] Finally, Marc gauged the smart lock's security
and how it compared to a regular lock and key.
- This is a standard five-pin tumbler cylinder.
It's fairly old
and it's really common in the United States.
Honestly, it's a good reason
to replace this lock with a smart lock.
In less than 10 seconds,
Marc broke the regular lock open.
- And that lock is open.
- [Narrator] Using a bump key.
- And that's about normal.
- Almost as fast, Tobias is able to pick the same lock.
- [Tobias] We got it open.
- [Narrator] But doing so on a smart lock
isn't as simple for Marc.
- A regular locksmith can't unlock this lock.
He would have to either drill it or forcibly remove it.
- [Narrator] Still, with a smart lock installed
on the door,
it doesn't automatically mean the home is secure.
- Of course, the real problem is there's glass everywhere.
The majority of attacks on homes
are against the doors, the strikes, the glass.
- [Narrator] So after trying out the lock,
does Marc think it's worth the price?
- If you need the option, it's definitely worth it.
I would rate it as a five for a smart lock
with the caveat it's not a high-security lock,
and we did not test the electronic security
as far as the ability to hack into it.
Having said that, I would put this on my condo if I could.
It looks to me like it's got all the options.
The other thing is you don't need key copies,
and copies of keys today can be expensive.
So is it secure?
It's probably as secure as any conventional lock,
maybe more so because you can't bump this lock open,
and you can't pick this lock open.
So as far as vulnerabilities on the mechanical side,
we don't see any vulnerabilities.
- [Narrator] A Yale spokesperson said,
"Smart locks do offer an added layer of security
over strictly mechanical locks."
She added, "The Nest x Yale Lock is compatible
with most doors with a single cylinder deadbolt.
And that the Nest x Yale Lock
is compatible with most of the residential market."
- You need to put the cover back on?
- Like that?
I'll put the cover on.
(lively music)