Turbolock TL117 Smart Lock

The Turbolock TL117 ($79.99) is a reasonably priced smart lock equipped with Bluetooth technology that lets you unlock your door with your phone. You can also unlock it using a keypad or a traditional keyway, but it lacks voice control and can’t be controlled remotely. Moreover, you can’t use your phone to lock the door, and the lock doesn’t work with other smart home devices such as cameras, lights, and plugs. You're better off spending $10 more for the Wyze Lock, which can lock your door from the app and features auto-lock/unlock functionality. Or you can spend significantly more for our Editors’ Choice, the $199 Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro, which is one of the smartest, most feature-rich smart locks we've tested.

TL117 Design and Features

The TL117 is a full lock assembly that replaces your existing interior and exterior escutcheons, as well as the deadbolt latch and strike assembly. It fits doors that are between 1.38 to 2.16 inches in thickness, with a 2.16-inch diameter hole. Included in the box are the interior and exterior components, a deadbolt latch assembly, a strike plate and strike box, mounting screws, three keys, a door cutout template, and a user manual.

The exterior escutcheon, available in bronze or nickel, measures 5.5 by 3.0 by 1.0-inches (HWD) and has a stylish design with inverted rounded corners and a glossy black faceplate. The keypad has backlit lock, unlock, and 0-9 number buttons that offer tactile feedback when pressed, and below the keypad is a round keyway cylinder for use with traditional keys. The bottom edge contains a micro USB port that can be used to connect to an external power source if you lose battery power. On the reverse side are a data cable that connects to the interior component and a tailpiece that engages the deadbolt latch. 

The interior escutcheon measures 8.1 by 3.0 by 1.8 inches and has a thumb turn knob at the bottom and a removable panel up top that hides the battery compartment. Power comes by way of four AA batteries that aren't included.

The lock has a Bluetooth radio that lets you control it with your phone, but you’ll have to stay within Bluetooth range (30-40 feet) to do so. It lacks the Wi-Fi connectivity you get with the Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro and the Wyze Lock, which allows you to connect them to your home network and control them from anywhere. It also lacks support for Alexa and Google voice commands, as well as Apple HomeKit and Siri, and it doesn’t work with IFTTT applets or with any other smart home devices for that matter.

Features include keyless entry using the keypad or your phone, voice prompts that help you program the lock and tell you when it's locked or unlocked, a Code Disguise mode that lets you enter numbers to the beginning and end of your entry passcode to prevent anyone from reading and stealing it, and the ability to generate up to nine permanent and 300 temporary passcodes. Missing are the auto-lock and auto-unlock features that you get with the Wyze Lock, as well as push and email alerts that tell you when the lock has been engaged.

The TL117 uses the Turbolock Plus mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The app opens to a Lock List screen that contains tiles for all installed Turbolocks and has a tile for adding new locks. Tapping a lock tile takes you to a screen with the name of the lock and a large lock icon. When you tap the lock icon it will unlock the door and the lock’s voice feature will say Opened, but for some reason you can’t use the app to relock the door—that must be done using the lock’s keypad, keys, or thumb turn knob. 

Below the lock icon is a Rest Keys button, a Mute button, and a Bluetooth button. Tap the Reset Keys button to reset your temporary passcode and tap the Mute button to mute the lock’s voice feature. The Bluetooth button will display a smiley face when the lock has a strong connection to your phone or a frown when there is no connection, in which case you’ll have to tap the button to reconnect.

At the bottom of the screen are Send E-Key, Manage E-Key, Unlock Records, and Reset Admin buttons. Use the Send e-Key button to create e-keys that can be sent to up to nine additional users (they must have the Turbolock Plus app installed). The e-keys can be configured for permanent full-time use, or programmed for specific times of the day with start and end dates. Here you can also generate temporary keypad codes that can be used once, twice, or three times before they automatically expire. Use the Manage E-Key button to delete some or all of your assigned e-keys, and use the Unlock Records button to view a history of app-based unlock events that show the associated user and time stamp for each event. The Rest Admin button allows you to create a new administrator passcode.

Installing and Using the TL117

Installing the TL117 was relatively easy in testing. I removed my old lock and installed the new deadbolt latch, strike, and strike box using the included screws. I fed the data cable attached to the exterior escutcheon through the main door hole, slid the escutcheon’s tailpiece into the slot on the latch, and secured the escutcheon to the door using the mounting plate and bolts. I then attached the data cable to the interior escutcheon and attached the escutcheon to the mounting plate. After installing four AA batteries, the physical installation was complete.

Next, I downloaded the Turbolock Plus app, created an account, and tapped Add New Lock. The lock was immediately recognized and added to the app.

The TL117 provided smooth operation in testing. While not overly loud, it's not as quiet as the Lockly Vision Doorbell Camera Smart Lock. The keypad is very responsive and well lit, and the lock responded instantly to app requests to unlock the door. My scheduled e-keys worked as expected, as did temporary keypad codes.   

An Affordable Smart Lock That Just Doesn't Do Enough

At just under $80, the Turbolock TL117 is one of the more affordable smart locks we’ve tested, but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Although you can use it to unlock your door using your phone, the keypad, or with traditional keys, you can’t lock it with your phone like you can with most other smart locks, and it doesn’t offer automatic lock and unlock options. Moreover, it lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, which is necessary for remote access, and it doesn’t support the Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, or Google Assistant platforms, or work with IFTTT applets that allow for third-party integrations.

If you’re looking for a smart lock for under $100, the Wyze Lock is your best bet: It’s easy to install and uses most of your existing hardware, it offers auto lock and unlock, and it lets you lock and unlock the door using your phone. For a smart lock with all the bells and whistles, the pricier Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, and can be locked and unlocked using your voice, phone, a fingerprint scanner, a backlit keypad, or traditional keys.