In this review, we will look into this TCL D1 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock, to see if it is a better option than other biometric smart locks. The Smart Lock series is currently on promotion at a competitive price, it’s a good option for updating your home security. Honestly, it is also the first time we’ve seen or even reviewed such kind of smart lock, so let’s check them out in this review.
Packaging
Overall, the packaging is simple, but made with a sense of security. On the box, there are all the features of this lock, along with the contents inside, and the QR code for installing the App.
Here are the contents inside the package:
- Front Lock * 1
- Rear Lock * 1
- Lock Cylinder * 1
- Lithium Battery * 1
- Fobs * 2
- Screw Accessories Package * 1
- Video Guide Card * 1
- Instructions * 1
You have all the components to put it on the door, or replace your old lock. One thing we need to give TCL credit is that, there are help guides everywhere. Like the Installation template inside the box, Guides in the box, Customer support info, and also a lot of instructions on the website.
Installation
The installation is pretty easy, if you don’t know how to do it, you can find step-by-step guides in the card provided, which will take you to the Google Drive folder, and you can certainly download them to watch it again and again.
For me, there is one step that I need to learn, which is measuring the holes in the door, but the good thing is that, there are two different locators included, which can pretty much cover the most common situations at your house.
Overall, the installation process is pretty easy and straightforward, and I am glad that there are many guides to help.
User Experience
Primarily, you should use the palm vein to unlock it, which is the way this smart lock was created, but there are actually 6 ways in total built into it, which are: Palm Vein, Password, Physical Keys, NFC Card, App, Voice Control Unlock, Fobs Unlock. And of course, the most convenient and safest way is palm vein recognition.
The way to use it is also super easy, once you have registered the palm veins, in just 4-6 inches distance, it will unlock instantly. Other than being very fast, I also found some other advantages of it:
1. It is very secure. I tried to register my left palm first, but then I couldn’t unlock it with my right palm. Also I asked my colleagues to try to unlock it with their palms, but they all failed to do it, so the palm vein lock is really secured.
2. It is very fast. Not only does it detect people very fast as soon as there is a person in front of it, but also once it recognizes the right palm, it unlocks the door very fast. You can check the pictures here.
3. It can unlock in many situations. For example, once your palms are registered, you can either unlock with your palm up, or the the way around. Also, it can unlock even if your palm is covered with dirt, which is very impressive.
4. It supports 50 groups of palms. So it is suitable for a family, or a small-middle team. I would suggest that everyone register both palms, as you may run into situations like holding something in one hand, and then you can just unlocking the door with the other palm.
How Does It Work
So after testing it, I was very curious to find out how it works. Basically the lock uses near-infrared light to scan the unique patterns of the palm veins,and store them in the database, every time the right palm shows up, it will unlock the door. So even the patterns in your left and right palm are different, let alone different person.
I would say this technology is even better than face and fingerprint recognition, because those two can be easily replicated, then being used the wrong way. There are many situations in which fingerprints won’t work well, such as: 1. For older people, their fingerprints are actually fading, so in some time, they will not be able to use that method to do anything 2. Kids’ hands often get dirty, so fingerprints won’t work for them either. However, your veins will stay the same in whatever situation.
Other Features
- The unit has a 7800mAh rechargeable battery inside, it supports months of use. In our short period of time with the lock, we won’t be able to test that, but it should be reliable. Plus there is a low battery warning, you can always charge it up through the Type-C port. You can unlock it with a power bank if it runs out of battery completely.
- You can send a temporary password for somebody else, like the housemaid or baby keeper.
- There are logs of the door opening, so you can take control of anything unusual.
- There is a button below the knob, one press will open or close the door, which is very convenient.
Verdict
Overall, the TCL D1 Pro Palm Vein Smart Lock is quite an innovative and secure product. Other than the face and fingerprint recognition, palm vein is the unique password to unlock anything, so you can rest assured of the security level. There are also five other ways to unlock the door, to be used by anyone in the family. It can be used in extreme weather for a long time, so it can also be used as the front door lock. If you want to know more about it or make a purchase, here is the link. For the D1 Pro, there’s a coupon code to get 10% off – 10TCLD1P10 . Do not miss it.
