A New Smart Home Necessity – Review Geek

I know some of you are thinking, “Do I really need a safe to be smart?” Probably not, but it sure is nice. We don’t really need robots to mop our houses or open our blinds, either. Many smart devices have a clear edge over the “old fashion” model, and the Yale Smart Safe with Wi-Fi is no different.

Yale is particularly known for its smart locks, so it’s no surprise that the company is expanding into safes for further protection of your home’s valuables. Their existing system of keypads, door handles, and cabinet locks all promote easy access and peace of mind. Yale has taken what they do well and applied it in a new area that can add to any homeowner’s sense of security.

Quick and Easy Device Setup Through the App

For set up and use of the Yale Smart Safe, you will need the Yale Access app, which is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Straightforward prompts walk you through creating an account and pairing your safe. Inside the safe, there’s a QR code that you scan, and after a minute, you are linked to your safe.

Setting up the Wi-Fi bridge was a matter of plugging it in within ten feet of the safe and scanning another QR code. There were a few directions to click through in the app, but overall the process was fast and painless.

Once you create your personal code, you have the option to open the safe using the keypad, a physical key, or the app. After the initial setup, whenever you open the app, you are greeted with a large circle that represents the status of the lock. It is either red or green, depending if the safe is locked or unlocked. By clicking that icon, you can remotely lock or unlock the safe.

While I didn’t encounter any issues with the Yale Access app, I could just tell it is primarily designed to manage home locks. The app does its job, but it feels slightly weird when you are setting it up only to use this safe. The app directs you to name and take photos of your house when creating  your account, which feels a bit unnecessary when setting up a single product.

Physical Security: Very Impressive with Minor Footnotes

Digital Security: Easy User Management

Similar to many home security systems, the Yale smart safe offers you the ability to monitor and restrict access by person. Under the user section in the app, you can create different users and set each individual’s code to give them permanent, reoccurring, or temporary access.

Let’s say you own a small business and don’t want the safe opened outside of business hours. You can set the manager up with a recurring pin that only works between 9am and 5pm every weekday. If you are on a vacation and have a family member house sitting, you can set a temporary code that is only valid during the duration of your trip.

You can also set up smart alerts so you can be notified when certain events happen. I have the app set to notify me if the safe is manually unlocked with the key, for example. You can also program it to alert you if a certain person opens the safe within a certain timeframe.

If someone has access to your phone, but you do not want them to have access to the contents of your safe, you can add two-factor authentication. This requires you to use biometrics (such as scanning your fingerprint or using Face ID on an iPhone) or enter a pin on your phone when opening the safe using the app. There are tons of options here. You always have access to the history log, too, so if there is an issue, you can see who opened the safe or how it was opened leading up to any incident.

Parts and Features Enhance the Experience

If you’re in a situation where the batteries die, you’re never fully locked out. Not only can you use the key to physically unlock it, but there is also a backup method for using the keypad. On the underside of the pin pad, there’s a connection point for a 9V battery. When attached, you can open up the safe using the keypad or the app. Once it’s open, replace the four AA batteries, and you’re all set to go.

A small LED is built into the door to help you see the contents of the safe. It is right by the hinge, which allows you to aim the light as you open and close the door. This LED only illuminates a small portion of the interior at a time, but I’m glad it is included. With the shadows created from the top of the safe in addition to poor closet lighting, this little LED does some heavy lifting. The lighting is significantly stronger on the shelf, making it the more convenient location for items I need regularly.

There are rubber feet that you can place on the bottom of the safe to protect your floors or shelves from potential scratches. I like using them for two reasons; one is the intended purpose, the second is to cover up the mounting holes. With the rubber feet on the bottom of the holes and the felt liner covering up the top, I feel better about not having any visible points of entry into the safe. The felt inserts are very thin and feel a bit cheesy, but they do accomplish their job of protecting your valuables from scratching on metal.

Shockingly Fast to Mount

Wi-Fi Vs Bluetooth Versions

The Wi-Fi enabled Yale Smart Safe retails at $299 and is a slight step above the Bluetooth model at $250. While you can lock or unlock either version using the app, the range varies. In order to remotely open the Bluetooth model, you’re confined to the Bluetooth range (roughly 30 feet max). On the other hand, the Wi-Fi Model allows you to unlock the safe from anywhere that you have data access. The same is true for checking the status of the lock.

If you own the Wi-Fi model and ever get a sudden onset of panic that you left your valuables unprotected while traveling, you can check your phone to see if your safe is locked. If it isn’t, you can lock it from the app and still have some peace of mind.

You can also set up smart alerts on either safe model, but they work significantly better with the Wi-Fi version. If you want to be notified in real-time when someone opens the safe, you need the Wi-Fi bridge. If you are relying on Bluetooth, you won’t be notified until you are within range of the safe.

Another advertised advantage is the ability to use your voice assistant, whether it’s Alexa, Siri, or Google, to check on the safe’s lock status as well as to unlock the safe. It’s neat that you can check the status, but in terms of opening it with your voice, I won’t be using that feature often.

I set the safe up with my Google Home and gave it a try. I assumed it would open after it identified my voice, but instead, I was prompted to say my code out loud. This is the same code I type into the pin pad for entry. If someone overhears and enters it, not only would they have full access to the contents of my safe, but they would also be a lot harder to identify since the activity log would say that I was the one to open the safe since it was my code. While it may be fine if you live alone, it just feels like you’re introducing an unnecessary risk for things to go awry.

Yale Smart Safe with Bluetooth

Don’t want your smart safe to connect to your Wi-Fi? Don’t worry, Yale makes a Bluetooth version of its Smart Safe so it can’t be operated remotely.

Should You Buy the Yale Smart Safe With Wi-Fi?

The Yale Smart Safe functions well on its own, but it is fantastic when you utilize the smart features. You’re in control in more ways than one. You can set up personalized entry codes, restrict a user’s access during certain timeframes, and monitor all activity remotely. The question isn’t “Should I buy it?”; it “Which version should I buy?”