Yale Conexis L1 Smart Lock

You first need to check that the distance from the centre of your handle to the centre of your lock. If it is 92mm it will fit, otherwise you are out of luck. It is easy to fit. However, I had an issue removing the original euro cylinder. The manufacturer of my door decided to use Loctite and low quality screws. This was on the main screw on the edge of the door which holds the euro cylinder. The result was the screw became threaded. I got it out using a screw remover tool and my Dewalt 18v drill. Once the old handle and lock were removed, the install of the new lock was straightforward. Take time at this point to make sure everything is correctly aligned. There is a bit of ‘play’ before you torque the screws, so at this point make sure the lock is turning and not getting snagged. This happened to me but I realised if I loosened the screws and then tried it while loose, it would turn, from there I just tightened the screws and it worked fine. When programming your fobs and cards, make sure you complete this all in one go. I have heard it is not possible to add more later without removing them all and adding them all back with the new devices. I programmed mine all in one go and have never had a problem. The lock has performed admirably for more than a year now. Recently after the install, we would occasionally get the lock spinning sound when it was trying to engage the lock. This was our fault for not quite engaging the locking mechanism on our door. This is easily rectified by pushing the door handle up with a little bit more force. The Yale app is not that good. However, it did get a large update around the middle of 2018 and was a large improvement. It removed the ridiculous ‘turn the phone’ to unlock the door feature. Now you just press the unlock button (Genius!). I bought the lock to integrate with Samsung Smartthings. Why would I want to do this? When integrated with ST you have total control of the lock. I had to buy the Smartthing Module 2 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yale-Smart-Door-Z-Wave-Module/dp/B07965NDRN/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_2?keywords=yale+smartthings+module&qid=1554798195&s=gateway&sr=8-2-fkmrnull It is about £42 but well worth the investment for the benefit which become available. I have set the lock up so that it will automatically unlock the door when one of the ST presence sensor is detected. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-SmartThings-F-ARR-UK-2-Presence-Sensor/dp/B01LZK6ANK/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=smartthings+presence+sensor&qid=1554798319&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull This works very well. When arriving home, the door is unlocked automatically and I do not have to mess around with keys. This is particularly useful when carrying objects like shopping bags and not having to put them on the wet floor to find my keys in my pocket. I have also integrated the lock with Phillips Hue lights. I have set some of them to a red colour when the door is unlocked. This has warned us a few times that the door is unlocked. I can unlock the door remotely to let in family and friends if we are not home. There are so many negative reviews about this product – I have my own thoughts as to why. Firstly, I believe that if the mechanism is not aligned correctly, it is going to cause problems later down the road. From batteries not lasting long and to the unit prematurely failing; this more than likely down to increased friction. Secondly, several users of the Z Wave module have also been highly critical. One aspect about Z Wave devices which needs to be appreciated is Z Wave does not use the existing Wi-Fi signal, it uses its own network and a different frequency. Therefore, in order for the device to work optimally, the lock has to have access to a strong Z Wave signal. Most Z Wave devices which are mains powered repeat the signal and improve the strength and range of the network. If the signal is weak, it will have a negative impact on the battery life. I use rechargeable batteries for the lock. The instructions tell you not to, however, I have found not ill effect for not following their instructions. Overall, the lock has work out great for us over for over a year. It is more convenient, feels high quality and looks good too. I ignored the numerous bad reviews and thought it was down to a bad installs, which created the bad experiences. I am glad I ignored the negative reviews.

I purchased this lock, despite all the negative reviews, in the hope that I could get it working on my door. Some of the negative experiences seemed to be related to either not reading the instructions, or a lack of mechanical aptitude when installing the lock. (The lock clearly won’t fit some doors, but that didn’t seem to be a problem for me.) From an installation perspective, everything was quite straightforward. I was able to install the lock, and it did lock my door as expected. Despite the complaints from a couple of users that you have to lift the handle in order to lock the door, this is actually an inherent design feature of multipoint locks. You simply can’t expect any electronic lock motor to have the power to actuate the handle to lock all of the various points on the door, especially when running on AA batteries. Personally, my biggest problem is lifting the handle and forgetting to turn the key in the lock to secure (and then forgetting to double-check), thus leaving my door unlocked. The Conexis L1 ostensibly solves this problem by locking the door for you whenever you lift the handle. Unfortunately, this is where my positive experience ended. First and foremost, as mentioned by other users, every interaction with the lock produces annoying beeps or chimes, which, while hardly audible from the outside, would wake anyone sleeping in my home, even through closed doors. This “feature” apparently can’t be disabled. Goodbye, peace and quiet. But it gets worse… Having followed the instructions to-the-letter, and paired my lock with the initial credential (the credit-card token), I now had to pair with the iOS app in order to provision more tokens. I had the foresight to buy 4 extra key-fobs, because I’d read of a lot of issues with the app, and didn’t fancy waiting for Bluetooth to connect, or twisting my phone like an idiot to unlock my door. (I don’t mind carrying a key fob, and I need one for the common door in my block anyway, so it wasn’t an issue for me.) However, according to the instructions, beyond the master token that you initially pair (as above), the rest must be added via the app. Upon downloading the app and registering my account (including verifying my email address), I was presented with a message that I had to log out and back in, because my account was restricted for some reason. Not a good user experience, but I did as asked, and it seemed to proceed to the next step. I clicked “Add New Lock”. The app presented me with instructions on what to do next: Press the “R” button on the lock, notice the purple light on the front, then press that to turn it blue (activating Bluetooth). The app and lock seemed to connect, and I saw “Processing key” for several minutes… then, a completely cryptic “Error code: 3 (please try again later)”!!! I tried the process again, only to have the same long wait, followed by “Error code: 9”. This was the response I received through several more retry cycles. I decided that it was an app issue, and went online to troubleshoot. Absolutely no mention of these error codes exists online. No mention in the Yale FAQ - just a very brief blurb of what to do if the app won’t connect to the lock. (Make sure you turn on Bluetooth on your phone - DUH?!?) I decided to uninstall and reinstall the app, and was then presented with a message asking whether to: 1) Delete the old keychain (currently not a supported feature, as it turns out); 2) Restore keychain (the only real option); or 3) Skip (resulting in restricted app functionality). Why give someone a choice when there is only one right answer?!? Of course, this didn’t solve my problem. I received the exact same response from the app: “Error code: 3”, followed by a string of “Error code: 9”. By now, I had decided to avoid the app entirely. Despite the instructions that ship with the lock not mentioning it at all, I was able to find an older instruction manual online, that indicates that you *can* pair multiple tokens directly with the lock (without using the app). However, you have to pair all the tokens at once during the same pair cycle, and if you want to add a token later, you have to re-pair all of the *existing* tokens (whether card, fob, or sticker-tag), plus the new ones. Setting aside the idiocy of this for a moment, I decided to re-pair the only token I had thus-far paired (the card), and also the *single* fob shipped with the lock, plus the extra 4 I had purchased. Wouldn’t you know, I could not get the lock to pair with any of them? I followed the instructions to the letter, but only got a series of annoying beeps. By now, a half-hour intallation had turned into 90 minutes, and I had tickets to a show, and didn’t want to leave my home with only a single key, that might get lost, and lock me completely out. So, by now completely frustrated, I decided to perform a factory reset, and re-pair from scratch. Yale makes this super-complicated. You have to: 1) Remove the batteries; 2) Half-disassemble the lock, so that you can access and unplug the connection cable; 3) Hold down the “R” button while you re-insert the batteries; 4) Listen for a single beep. When I tried, this, the lock began beeping at me continuously, loud enough to alert the neighbours, yet I persevered. You are then meant to: 5) Remove the batteries again; 6) Reattach the cable; 7) Replace the batteries. Now I received the same set of continuous, annoying beeps. I tried the factory-reset process two more times, with the same results. I was now in possession of a bricked Yale Conexis L1, which I had to dismantle and replace with my old lock. I emailed Yale, but it took them over 36 hours to respond, and all they could tell me was that they’d fixed the issues with the app, and to give it another try. No mention of the problems with the factory reset, or what I could do to fix the actual lock. So I’m adding my negative review to the pile. I’ve since read every 1-star review, including several people’s who were locked out of their houses, or at least couldn’t gain access through the door with the Conexis L1 installed. My home is on the 6th floor, with only a single external door, and I don’t fancy rappeling to the balcony to gain access in the event that this completely-unreliable lock were to fail on me. Here is the tl;dr version: 1) Physical installation is straightforward. 2) The poorly-developed iOS app is buggy and unreliable - amateur at best. 3) Multiple reports of the lock failing after some time, which WILL lock you out. 4) Customer service is extremely poor. 5) The lock beeps loudly every time you use it, and yes, this will wake your family when you come in late! *** NOTE: I am a 25-year veteran Software Engineer, with an MSc Information Security. My professional opinion is that this lock has multiple flaws, both in the electronics (or at the very least, in the firmware) and the iOS app. There doesn’t appear to be any way to update the lock firmware, either, so no way to fix any bugs. Given the importance of a door lock as the first line of defence for your home, I would not risk placing this device on my door. It is simply not well-tested, and issues like I had should NEVER happen with a released product. Some minor bugs might be expected, but no one should run the risk of being locked our of their home without adequate support. Yale support is by web-form only, and they have stopped posting their phone/email in the copy/paste responses they attach to each of these reviews. THIS PRODUCT IS A RADIOACTIVE LEMON. AVOID!!! *** PS: Yale will probably copy/paste another “Thoughts and Prayers” message below, but without any actual help except referring you to their web form, which serves to prevent any meaningful or timely contact with customer service. You have been warned.

I have had this Digital Yale Smart Lock installed on my front door since 2017 - so a long time now! The lock itself is fairly substantial, much bigger and heavier than my previous door handle/lock. It feels very well made and give a good impression when removing from the box that this is a great security lock. The handle and unit are chrome with a plastic RFID reader. On the rear of the lock is a plastic screw cover which takes 4 x AA batteries and a plastic cover for the reset button and additional yale modules (more about them later). So why would you want a smart lock? It's technology... and i personally love anything tech related. It's also great not to have to carry keys around with you. The app boasts unlocking and locking via the conexis app, as well as little plastic RFID fobs and credit card type RFID passes. You get a selection of these in the box. Fitting - this was fairly straight forward and i had zero issues with this. The lock alignment needs to be perfect though. If you are unsure then ask a local locksmith to fit. However this product is certainly ok for DIY installation. I did it myself in about 20 mins and had no issues. As mentioned before it is a very big and chunky lock so take this into consideration when purchasing. Locking/Unlocking - to lock the door you must pull up the handle. Although the lock is fully motorised it will not lock the multi-point locking section of the door. It only electronically locks the deadbolt. To unlock you can either use the app, an RFID fob or if inside you must depress the knob and turn. This lock would be no good for an elderly person who has dexterity issues, due to the knobs push in and turn design. My grandmother can not open this lock despite trying her very best. Once the knob is pressed and turned you then can open the lock by pushing down on the handle. RFID FOBS : These work well - although you have to assign them first within the app. Programming is fairly simple although everytime i update the fobs it does take quite a while for them to actually register correctly in the app, i normally have to do this several times before the conxeis app recognises the fobs. You can assign names to the fobs but this is beyond rubbish as the app does not ever notify you correctly (if at all) on who's fob has been used. To use the fobs you just tap them on the black plastic at the front of the lock and if accepted you will hear the lock spring to life and open the dead bolt. I find most of my fobs dissapear from the app after adding, but they all seem to still work okay and unlock the door without issue. Phone unlocking - just does not work via the conexis app! I have reported this to yale several times and have now given up. I have a very early unit so they may have updated the firmware within the latest locks, but my original lock is still rubbish when it comes to the conexis app. (If you have a Yale Smart Hub then use the Yale Alarm app as unlocking works flawlessly within this addional app) I have locked myself out several times during the initial months after i first installed the lock. This was beyond frustrating. I ended up resorting to ensuring all my family had back door keys in case we couldnt open the front door. Contacting the Yale customer helpline is so frustrating - trying to find/speak to someone who knows anything about the lock became a joke. However i have to say that once i managed to track down a single yale employee who was knowledgeable - he was absoloutely fantastic and kept in regular touch with me to iron out most of the issues in the very early days of me installing the lock. I can't thank this chap from Yale enough! Eventually though, after many communications via phone and email he also gave up and arranged for me to be sent a Yale smart hub to connect the lock too. I have a Yale alarm system so the smart hub just linked into this. I had to purchase the Yale access module though to get the lock to talk to the Yale Alarm app. This was another £50 at the time. Once i had linked the lock to the Yale Alarm system it just worked brilliantly. I have never had a problem with the lock since - this does however use a different app to the conexis one. Batteries in the lock last a good few months, however again don't reply on the conexis app to alert you when the batteries are dying. It just never works at all! You will get to notice the sound the lock makes when it is struggling to draw power. I just replace the batteries when the motor sounds different. If you do link it to the Yale Alarm smart hub then this does notify you correctly when the batteries in the lock are starting to fade, but again this is via the Yale Alarm app not the dedicated conexis app. Conexis App - RUBBISH beyond belief. Now i have had this lock for 5 years and it still does not work with the dedicated app! I have now just given up using it. The problems i had with it are that it continually logged you out - having to log back into the app every time you want to open your front door was beyond frustrating. Even then on tons of occasions the app said my details were incorrect even though they were not. The twist to unlock feature via your smartphone again hardly ever worked. Touching your smartphone to the lock again just failed miserably most of the time. Notifications never ever work! History of the lock being used never works. It really is the worst app i have ever installed on my phone. I genuinely can't understand how a company such a Yale would release such a poor app, more importantly why they have failed to sort it out and correct the issues over the last 5 years! Another really frustrating thing about the conexis app is that it uses digital keys. You only get a small amount of these digital keys (5 if i remember correctly) and these get wasted very quickly when the app messes up - which is frequently and at no fault of the user. You have to then purchase additional keys as an in app purchase at £2.99 per key!! This is daylight robbery! If you change your phone you again need a new key. Adding a time limited key again just expires one of your keys never to be used again. The amount of keys i wasted due to the poor app design was ridiculous. My contact at Yale again was super nice and provided me with 10 extra keys at no cost. I now never ever use the conexis app. So should you buy this lock - You may be surprised to hear me say YES... i do recommend this lock. My only caveat to that recommendation is that you also buy a Yale Smart hub and the access module. I did try the zwave module with smarthings but this again didn't work great so i went for the access module. I have spent over £300 in addtional tech trying to get the lock to work correctly in the early days. The lock does however integrate great with the Yale Alarm app fantasticly. With the smart hub you can also remotely lock/unlock the door which is an excellent feature. You could not do remote locking/unlocking with the standalone lock and the conxeis app without the modules. This lock combined with the smart yale alarm system is excellent. If you don't have the yale ecosystem then i would say avoid this lock like the plague especially if you only want to use the digital keys within the conexis app. The lock also has a battery back up feature that we have used twice - if the batteries in the lock fail placing a 9v battery on the contact at the bottom of the lock on the outside will just give it enough power for you to unlock it. This is a very handy backup feature that yale have included. Hopefully yale may have released updated firmware for the newer conexis locks - if they have then maybe some of the problems i am still experiencing 5 years later may have been fixed. I really do wish they would update my lock as i would love it to work how it is suppost to work, but that is not likely to happen. Overall i like this lock a lot, it's just frustrating the lock doesn't work without the additional items which cost a lot of money - next time i am not so sure i would be one of the early adopters of such new technology. I have certainly had my fingers burnt! Hopefully Yale will have addressed a lot of these issues in thier latest locks. I hope that you found my review helpful

The Yale Conexis L2 is a brilliant smart lock if you want to ditch keys entirely. You can unlock the door using your phone, key tags, or accessories like a keypad, which makes everyday access much easier — especially when your hands are full. One of the biggest advantages is that there’s no subscription required, so you get smart features like activity tracking and access control without any ongoing costs. The app allows you to grant access remotely and monitor who’s coming and going, which adds real peace of mind. The lock feels secure and well-built, with certifications like Secured by Design and the BSI IoT Kitemark, so it’s clearly designed with safety in mind. Installation is fairly straightforward if your door is compatible (typically lift-to-lock multipoint doors), but it’s worth checking compatibility before buying. Things to be aware of: * Requires lifting the handle to fully lock (like most UK doors) * Runs on batteries, so you need to keep them topped up * Works best with the included Wi-Fi bridge for remote control

This is an impressive lock, well made and solid. It appears to be very secure; there is no key or keypad so there is nothing for burglars to pick or open in other ways. Even if the lock us forcibly removed from the door there is nothing exposed to allow the mechanism to be unlocked from the outside. There are two standard ways to unlock (1) by a contact card or tag using radio frequency identification (RFID like Oyster cards for example) or (2) from a mobile phone using Bluetooth. Once installed the procedure is that you set up an initial failsafe card or tag that you keep safely on your person in case of problems. You then register your mobile 'phone simultaneously with the lock via bluetooth and with the Yale servers via a wifi or mobile data connection. You can then use your mobile to unlock via Bluetooth or to register further rfid cards or tags with the lock. You can send keys to other people either as permanent keys or valid for a short period of time. You can also link the lock into home automation systems such as Z-Wave or into Yale's own home security systems. These days keyed locks, even expensive ones, are often not secure against intruders and keys in themselves are insecure if they are lost or copied so the trade off is between the competence of the burglar in overcoming a traditional lock or the trust you are prepared to put in the security of centralised servers. If key information were to be hacked it could obviously compromise the security of many homes. For obvious reasons Yale don't provide much information on the security around their devices, systems and servers (such as how encryption is used) but I think that this lock would defeat most, if not all, domestic burglars and, as part of a wider home security system, it could provide reassurance when away from home and give prompt alerts in the event of a break-in or attempted break-in. One potential weakness is that the lock is unlocked on the inside via a simple knob, so would be vulnerable if installed near glazing unless unbreakable. Yale do another lock that is more secure in that situation. All in all the lock inspires confidence. I did need to contact the support team by email and they were excellent, possibly one of the best support teams I have come across. They know the product well and responses were fast and to the point.

Ok, I'm updating this after living with the lock over 18months. I've now taken one more star away as I have had repeated issues with the lock not engaging properly (even though door is securely locked), and thus it plays an error tune all night /day which kills the batteries. Yale Support have been abismal, I think I know what the issue is, but I can't get them to send me a small metal part which gets bent causing my issue. Overall its so frustrating as the potential is there for this to be a great device. Now back to my original review. This would be a four star review for the product if Yale didn't rip customers off by charing you £2.99 each time to assign someone a virtual key for your new lock. You do get five virtual keys to start, but you use one of those right off the start to setup the lock (I actually ended up using three as I had issues setting up the lock). Once your remaining four virtual keys are gone, anytime you want to give someone access to your home via a virtual key sent to thier mobile phone (you can give them a physical RFID card/tag at no cost) you start to pay. What upset me most about this is that thier web site does not explain this fact at all. It refers to getting five virtual keys and the ability to buy more, but it does not explain that the virtual keys are not re-assignable. Once you assign a key a license is used and can never be recovered. This seems at odds with Yales corporate goals of "putting customers first", and "building trust". Clearly I'm not the first to have this gripe as when I spoke to Yale support it was clear they heard this all the time. They did offer me an additional five keys for goodwill, as I had lost some setting the lock up, but this is of little value if you want to use virtual keys regularly. So now you know my biggest gripe, I will provide some comments on what is good/bad about the lock. First off the quality of the unit is top notch. It looks and feels very solid and well made, and from a security persepctive (that's what locks are all about after all) it is very good. It is also one of the few options if you have a multipoint door lock, although I beleive there are some new competitors entering this area too. Physial installation is a little fiddly, and I highly recommend you read the instructions through several times and watch the YouTube installation video to avoid the potential installation traps. While it is supposed to be a universal fit, in my case I still needed to drill some holes in the door as the level of adjustment did not cater to my door. Once installed, setup of the software is hit and miss. All the reviews I read trashed the software, and while I wouldn't quite go that far it is far from perfect. I set the lock up and paired the unit to my phone first time without issues, but when I tried to add some new RFID tags using the software, everything stopped working and I had to factory reset the lock, delete it from the app and start over again. (As advised by Yale support. No attempt to troubleshoot, just told to reset). Second time all did work, and can't fault the actual function of the lock. It can take a few seconds to read the card / tags, especially if they are in a wallet or case but if you play about with where you store the RFID keys you can find a good solution. Its simpe to operate and thus far battery life look very good. I love that I can leave and lock the door by simply lifting the handle as I go. If you want to do anything more fancy with the lock, you will need to spend more money and buy one of thier interface modules to work with any home automation solution you might use. Its disappointing that these are not included given the cost of the lock, but I can understand that not everyone would want to integrate the lock into a home automation setup. I have purchased the Z-Wave module and will update my review once I get this setup.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Don’t believe the negative hype—follow the manual and it’s perfect! I spent weeks researching smart locks, and I’ll be honest: the mixed reviews for the Yale Conexis L2 almost scared me off. However, I decided to take the plunge, and I couldn't be happier with the result. The Secret to Success: I noticed a lot of people complaining about installation issues, so I made sure to follow the instructions word-for-word. I didn't skip a single step or try to wing it. Because of that, the installation went absolutely flawlessly. No jams, no alignment issues, and no stress. Why I love it: Solid Build: It feels incredibly premium and secure on the door. Total Convenience: Being able to ditch the keys entirely is a total life-changer. App Integration: The Yale Home app connected instantly and works every time. Bottom line: If you’re on the fence because of some negative feedback, don't be. Just take your time during the setup, follow the guide exactly as written, and you’ll have one of the best smart locks on the market. Highly recommended! I will definitely be buying another for our rear door!

I’ve had 3 of these locks for around 4 years now, overall they work well day to day. The app is annoying, but I won’t bother to review this as by August 2024 it will be defunct. The look of the handle and lock is good, it fits with a modern door and house. The metal isn’t the best quality, I managed to overnighted the middle screw during the installation which sheered the thread off. Had two left so completed the fit. This lock survives if it is out of the rain and the elements. Two of mine are in poor condition not, pitted chrome handles, the battery terminal underneath are completely corroded and do not work. And the L1 suffers with a known but non repairable electronic issue that means the lock bleeps when it wants and the outside blue led flashed. I’m going through a set of batteries every few weeks. Now that the app is being phased out, I have to spend almost £50 on each lock to buy 3 modules and 3 WiFi bridges. As per Yales instructions. These locks were expensive to purchase and coasting me more money.