Smart lock company ThorBolt has released a new smart door knob for interior doors that features a fingerprint sensor and can be remotely controlled using Apple Home, HomeKit News reports. If you ever wanted to lock up your home office to keep the kids from screwing with your stuff, the GK1 Smart HomeKit Fingerprint Door Knob could be the way to do it.
In some ways, the GK1 is a downgrade from other models ThorBolt has released, since it lacks a keypad. But the company’s locks with that feature have an awkward, flat-ish form factor that looks unpleasant to operate. Combined with their keypads, their aesthetic kind of reeks of protecting state secrets. The GK1 does away with the keypad, but its rounded shape looks a lot less out of place apart from the flat bit that holds its fingerprint sensor. The knob supports up to 50 fingerprints that can be added using ThorBolt’s Sleekpoint app.
See ThorBolt GK1 at Amazon
Fingerprint sensor aside, the GK1 can be unlocked three other ways: using Siri on an iPhone, tapping a button in the Apple Home or Sleekpoint apps, or with a good old-fashioned physical key. You can set the knob to work in three modes using an electric toggle switch on the non-keyhole side of the lock: slide it left to keep the door unlocked at all times or to the right to set it so that only the primary fingerprint works. Leave it in its center position, and any fingerprint you’ve added should do. The lock is powered by four AAA batteries, which aren’t included, and there’s a USB-C port on the bottom of the knob for temporary power when the batteries die.
The ThorBolt GK1 is available on Amazon for $80. That’s pricier than the many generic smart interior door knobs out there, but it’s not surprising given its smart home compatibility. The ThorBolt GK1 connects via the smart home-focused mesh wireless protocol Thread but lacks Matter support and only works with Apple Home. That’s unfortunate, but its use of Thread is nice, as that means it needs no internet connection and should be more secure as a result. (You will need a Thread Border router, like a HomePod Mini or certain Apple TV models, for it to connect to Apple Home.)
See ThorBolt GK1 at Amazon
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