Verdict
While the Yale Conexis L2 is really just a rebrand of the original Conexis L1 , the package does contain everything you need for app command and distant access . design for multi - breaker point locks with ski lift - to - curl mechanism , the Conexis L2 is beautifully designed and will fit most doorway . At its dependable , it ’s a suave and quiet impertinent ignition lock , but if something major goes wrong the deficiency of a key override is a massive disappointment .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Rather than a marque - new product , the Yale Conexis L2 is just a rebrandedConexis L1that ship with a Yale smart module for remote ascendance .
It ’s a tighter , more integrated software package than the original and is still the nicest - look and thinnest smart lock I ’ve reexamine , and design specifically for lift - to - lock doors . It ’s a pain in the neck to install and , with no external lock chamber , can be problematic if the lock chamber should break .
Design and installation
There ’s no forcible deviation between the Conexis L2 and theConexis L1locks , so what contribute ? Well , when the original Conexis L1 was launch , it was a standalone ware that would bring with the tags and via the Conexis app at close range .
Since then , times have changed , and a fresh lock really needs the option for outside control , hence the Conexis L2 . This manikin ship with the Yale module and tie in WiFi Bridge , so it can be controlled through the Yale Home app , the home for other bright products , including theYale LinusandYale Smart Safe .
As with the original , Yale sells the Conexis L2 in a form of colours , including white , satin nickel , polish brass , pitch-dark and chrome . you’re able to corrupt the lock in a flash ( £ 289.99/$316.86 ) or with installation ( £ 400 ) .
induction is a bit of a faff . First , the one-time hold need to be take off and the onetime lock cylinder removed . This is replaced with the Yale reading , which has a spindle on one side only , and nothing on the other side at all .
Unlike other smart lock chamber , such as theUltion Nuki , there is no way of life to central operate the Conexis L2 from outside : it is entirely mesh by a motor and electronics .
To counter for different door widths , Yale supply two spindle in the box , each one adjustable to three different positions . I had to go with the longer spindle for my doorway .
Once the new piston chamber is in piazza , the external handle must be match . This is n’t just a dense grip : it hold the RFID reader for tap - a - tag entry .
Fitting this handle is a little fiddly , as the connecting conducting wire needs to be run through one of the nooky holes . This cable supply communication and power from the handgrip and batteries inside to the grip on the exterior . Get this cable pinched , trapped or damaged and the whorl will not bring .
From the other side , the internal handle has to be outfit . There ’s a ready to hand spacer that plugs in , make believe indisputable that the door sparring and spindle are correctly aligned . The cable is connected to the frail internal connector , then the internal handgrip can be screwed into place .
With that ready , the 4x AA electric battery can be inserted . What the installation booklet does n’t say is that this process can change state on the tamper alarm . My whorl started play a high - lurch siren , and I had to Google how to disable it ( move out the bombardment , constrict and hold the R button on the interior and then insert the batteries ) .
If you ca n’t incapacitate the alarm , then the internal cable is either not connect by rights or has got pinched . Once the lock is quick , it can be fine-tune following the program line .
Anyone that ’s DIY - savvy should be capable to negociate this job , but I recommend taking time and doing the problem slowly to nullify problems . If you ’re worried about make a mistake , it makes sense to corrupt the whorl with installation .
Once the curl is function , it ’s sentence to bump off the batteries , put in the Yale module and use the step - by - step instructions to add the Yale ringlet to the app via Bluetooth .
last , the Yale Connect WiFi Bridge can be instal , and the ringlet connected to this to enable outback control . notice that , unlike the Yale Linus , the Yale Conexis L2 is out or keeping withHomeKit .
Features and performance
At its well , the Yale Conexis L2 is a very clever and impudent - looking smart lock . Its slender design means it ’s unambiguously send to work with outward - afford door , not just inward - open up one . The integrate pattern means that it ’s fresh to look at and a thoroughgoing integrated package , rather than a chunky add - on boxful that ’s design to work with an survive lock .
I also love the lift - to - lock chamber mechanics : just pull the hold up and the Conexis L2 automatically engage the lock . With the Yale Linus , there ’s no way to plight the whorl like this , and the Ultion Nuki ask a wireless keypad for uncomplicated locking from outside .
As the Conexis L2 has to have its handle lifted to lock , there ’s no mode to remotely lock the room access if you forget before leaving . To be fair , this is an yield with all multi - point lockup mechanism , as the handle has to be lifted before a curl can be engage . So , if you have a Ultion Nuki , for lesson , you still have to hoist the handle before the lock can operate .
To unlock the door , there are a few choice . The sluttish , I regain , is to apply one of the RFID fundamental tag . Yale provide a keyring version and a credit - card - sized version in the box . These just have to be paired with the whorl and rap to the top to unlock .
spread out the Yale Home app , and the whorl can be unlocked via that , either when you ’re stand out of doors or remotely , so you may let people into your house while you ’re not there .
There ’s an auto - unlock alternative available in the app . Once your geolocation kitchen stove is specify , you first have to leave the area . When get into , the app mechanically pings the lock when you ’re a few pes away to unlock it . The reason for this physical process is to prevent accidental unlocking , such as if you popped out to the shed at dark and re - entered the house , you would n’t want your front threshold to lock .
If you ’d rather have PIN entry , there ’s a Yale Smart Keypad available , which work with both the Conexis L2 and Linus smart whorl . There ’s a undecomposed grounds to have this keypad : it give you an introduction selection if you do n’t use primal tags and your phone consort out of battery or has been stolen .
Guest access can be provided via the Yale Home app . Users can be invite on a lasting , irregular or timed basis . Temporary is utile for special access , say a pet feeder coming in while you ’re aside or builders ; timed base define entry to sure times , such as for a even dry cleaner . memory access is either via the app or , if you have the Smart Keypad , via a PIN .
Unlike the original Conexis L1 , which was controlled via the Yale Conexis app , there ’s no no terminal point on the number of users and guests you may invite .
DoorSense is a common technology on all late Yale locks . It uses a powerful magnet deposit to the door frame to detect whether your doorway is open up or not . It ’s a handy peter to have , as I can see at a glance if I ’ve gone out and shut the door or not .
Once inside the business firm , the Conexis L2 has a thumb - act on the inside for unlocking . constrict in and turn the handle to unlock .
Via the Bridge , the lock is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant , cave in voice control to unlock the door , provided you set up a articulation PIN . Technically , the lock should also work withSamsung SmartThings , but this connection has been break since Yale moved from the old Yale Access app to the Yale Home app .
So far , so in effect , but the Yale Conexis L2 also has a bragging issue : get approach to your home if something goes wrong . Without a keystone available from the outside , there is no manual nullification for the curl , which is a large lapse . I ’d have liked Yale to correct this for the L2 , changing the cylinder for a version of the Yale Linux Adjustable ( which can be adapt to fit unlike door thicknesses ) , and adding a keyhole cutout for the outside .
Should the Conexis L2 run out of battery , there is a 12V connection on the outside . Tap a 12V assault and battery to this , and it will power the lock so that you’re able to get back inside your menage . An nullification like this is utilitarian to a degree , but I recommend stashing a suitable battery somewhere waterproof out of doors , so that you ’ve got one to pass on , should you need it . Also be aware that the lock ’s 12V connector will lead off to rust up , so steady maintenance is required to keep the connection work .
If something should go majorly wrong with the lock , then there ’s the potential drop for a large issue . I had the original Yale Conexis L1 installed for four years , then in January 2023 , the lock just stopped working . With no lock on the outside , there is no manual override , so I had to snap the security hinge brood off of my office doors , unscrew the flexible joint and physically reverse the doors out to get memory access to the lock .
It appears as though , over the eld , the fiddly little cable had turn itself loose . Reconnecting the cable got the ignition lock working again , but I was still leave with a bill for replacing all of my hinge .
Yale has said that it ’s not heard of this problem before , but the fact is , if you do have an issue that ca n’t be solve by attaching a 12V barrage fire , then retrieve access to your home plate is really unmanageable and either involves attacking the doorway ( as I did ) , or getting a locksmith to practice out the handle and interlock from the front . With a sassy ignition lock that use a Euro Cylinder , the cylinder can be drilled out and substitute far more easily , with no forcible wrong to the sassy curl .
As a result of this limitation , I would not tally the Conexis L2 in a house without another entrance , as my experience has been that it ’s too dear and difficult to find access should something go wrong .
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Should you buy it?
project specifically for multi - breaker point whorl , this lock agree on pretty much every door , inward or outward-bound scuttle .
Having a proper lock with a key cave in more options and makes it easier to realize access to your house should something go wrong .
Final Thoughts
A mix of the brilliant and the infuriating , the Yale Conexis L2 is the gracious looking wise whorl , and the only one designed specifically for multi - point locking mechanism . At its best , the ringlet is muted and smooth in surgical operation and I sleep with the lift - to - lock feature of speech .
But , and it ’s a fully grown one , there is no manual override for this lock , so if something goes incorrect ( bar the batteries run out and a 12V assault and battery being used ) the Conexis L2 ca n’t be overridden easily . For me , I would n’t expend this on a door unless I had an alternate way into the planetary house , such as via a back door . An choice , such as theYale LinusorUltion Nukiare , ultimately , safer options .
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FAQs
Physically nothing , but the Conexis L2 ship with the Yale mental faculty and bridge included .
No , it does not . presently it works with Amazon Alexa and Google Home .
If the national batteries fail , the lock can be powered from the outside with a 12V battery . This is no external paint - operated whorl for manual control .
