Review: SwitchBot Lock Ultra Vision Combo drags your old door into the 21st Century

North Wales Live

22-06-2025

Not may of us live in a hi-tech house where everything is at your beck and call. Our windows, doors and locks are so very 20th Century.
However, more and more companies are inventing ways to retro-fit the cutting-edge to the normal home. One of the leaders in this field is SwitchBot, and its latest offering is the Lock Ultra Vision Combo.
The world's first retrofittable smart lock with 3D facial recognition, the Ultra combines the Lock Ultra, Keypad Vision, and Hub Mini to deliver fast, secure access.
Suprisingly easy to install, the device will work for 99.9% of locks without drilling. That, for the DIY-phobic among us, is a godsend (I can tell you!!).
Once fitted, you can then lock/unlock your door purely by looking at it! Switchbot is very proud of its 3D facial recognition system, which it says employs more than 30,000 infrared points to create a high-resolution, millimeter-level facial map for authentication. Recognition is instantaneous - within one second - and highly secure, with a false recognition rate of less than 0.0001%. Certainly, it worked flawlessly for me in all conditons, day or night.
You actually are given 18 unlocking methods - auto unlock, NFC cards, semi-conductive fingerprint recognition, app control, and voice commands - so you're spoilt for choice on how you get in.
The system is also quiet with several modes to choose from, indlcuing a night mode that auto locks at a specific time, creating an even quieter door entry experience when its dark.
Battery life is very solid, you get a large rechargeable main battery that could last up to 12 months, a backup CR123A cell, and an electrolytic emergency unlocking system for the most ultra reliability even in emergencies when the main battery is out of power.
You can also set up temporary passcodes for friends and family while traveling, grant entry remotely and monitor entry logs.
It's a great device and works well. It coiuld be seen as a little pricey but theb advantage of not having to pick up a drill makes it worth it.
Meanwhile, the SwitchBot Hub 3 serves as a powerful, Matter-enabled smart home control hub that works with more than 100,000 infrared (IR) devices, streaming TVs, and the SwitchBot ecosystem, meanwhile, it can also bring SwitchBot products to Matter.
It can also send up to 30 programmable commands to activate automation scenes consisting of Matter-compatible products from other brands that are already integrated into Apple Home, providing users with a centralized, intuitive interface to manage their entire home.
The device features the exclusive Dial Maste rotary controller, enabling ultra-precise control over volume, temperature, and more. In addition, it offers customizable scene buttons and real-time indoor/outdoor environmental data monitoring. Meanwhile, the Hub 3 is also capable of creating custom automation routines, supporting energy-saving behaviors and enhanced user comfort through the combination of built-in sensors and preset criteria.
The SwitchBot Lock Ultra Vision Combo is available for £299.99 via Amazon. The SwitchBot Hub 3 on its own costs £129.99.
What users say
"I was a bit overwhelmed getting this out of the box due to all the pieces and cables – however a quick scan of the QR code told me everything I needed to know, with an easy-to-follow tutorial. I installed the lock in under 20 mins!"
"In operation it's pretty much flawless and the face recognition works quickly and effectively. The only negative I can think of is that as I have a typical UK door with a multipoint locking mechanism, the handle has to be pushed up to engage the mechanism before it will lock. So I can't really use the auto lock function, or rely on being able to lock it remotely, unless I get in the habit of always pushing the handle up when coming in/out."