Customer Reviews

BIOLOCK 333 Fingerprint Entry Lever Door Lock with Remote Control

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

It's a great product - as long as you don't have a deadbolt above. The standard in a two-lock configuration is to have a deadbolt about 3-4 inches above the doorknob/lock in which case there is no room for this. Just be aware of that before you buy.

Might as well not even have a lock. Because an amateur can open these with a paperclip in 3 seconds. Seriously. You can bypass the entire fingerprint biometric reader by just sticking an unfolded paperclip through the keyhole all the way to the back. Presto....opens right up. Don't take my word for it: [...].

Bought one and installed it with only one hole needing to be drilled. But couldn't program it. The manual is atrocious. Called toll free tech support number who gave me another (not toll free). The guy who answered must have been the distributor but was not at all technically adept. He directed me to the manual page on installation and started reading what it said. Apparently he didn't realize I knew how to read a manual. Step one, press the power key. I told him I did all the steps in the manual but he insisted on reviewing them all again.

He: Step on press the power key and you get a beep.

Me: I did that.

He: and what happened?

Me: No beep

He: Press the power key and press add. It will beep and display a number

Me: I did that

He: What number did it show?

Me: None, No beep no number

This went on for about half an hour at which point he told me to contact Amazon. I told him that was my original plan except there was a card in the box that told me don't call the vendor, call them first. Why was the card there?

Then I asked him as long as I had him on the phone I have another issue. If someone has to get into the door but isn't there to have his fingerprint registered, how does he get in? Well the handle has a miniature allen screw that you have to take out, remove the handle and there's a key lock underneath. Why don't you just have a cap that you can pull off to expose the keyhole rather than having to keep a miniature allen wrench with the key you've hidden under the doormat? And believe me when I say miniature, the bolt is the size of a pin head. If you don't lose it as soon as you unscrew it, you surely will when you try to put it back.

Good news. They're coming out with a new model (same model number, just improved feature) where all you have to do is flick a switch and the handle exposes the keyhole. Great! Since mine is defective, can I just send it to you and have you send me the new one? No. You have to return it to Amazon. But they won't be shipped out till the end of the week and Amazon will only replace the defective unit with one from their stock.

So I got the replacement which can be programmed, but not easily. Still has the pinhead allen screw.

I have managed to get it to recognize my fingerprint, but haven't figured out how I can add and delete fingerprints (i.e. my girlfriend is moving out and I don't want to add her print if I can't remove it when she's gone.

There's a way to reset the whole system and clear everything out, but for reasons of security, they don't put it in the manual.

So if you like the idea, and you have limited people who are available to register their prints, you can make this work.

But if you're looking for a lock that can be accessed either by fingerprint or with a key, stay away from this thing. And when you set it up, make at least four of your fingers users, because it doesn't always work right. Just because it might recognize your fingerprint, it's only the one on the finger you registered, not all ten, as some buffoons might be led to believe.

So the idea gets 5 stars, the build quality and appearance gets 4 stars, the security gets 3 stars, the operation gets 2 stars, And the idiot who decided you need to remove an impossible allen screw to get to the keyhole gets 1 star.

I may take my Dremel and carve out a hole in the handle. It may not look so good but at least in an emergency someone can get in with a key. They give you 3 spare keys that look like they would be impossible to duplicate which is a plus.

The bio lock 333 is great once it gets going. If you make a mistake and need to reset it this will work, because you wont find help at the customer service hot line that's for sure. You will get an 18 year old reading from the manual that you have in front of you... SO DO THIS: Factory reset is Press the power key and the plus+ key and OK key at the same time for 3 seconds. Then you can start over if super master fingerprint will not work...

We purchased 4 of these locks and not one works properly. I have never written a review despite buying hundreds of thousands worth of product from Amazon. This piece of garbage being sold by Amazon and BioLock is the ultimate piece of Garbage and we dont want others to be conned to buy.

The Lock doesn't register the super master most of the time. Is very complex to setup and the Tech Support is lousy. They ask you to return the locks to Amazon. Very irresponsible operation and most of the positive reviews on this item are fake.

Strongly recommend that you not buy this lock ever -You will ruin your doors and house installing this and will get locked out needing to break open doors. This is the lousiest and only non working biometric lock being positioned by Amazon at the lowest price under $199 (You sure should know the reason by now -because it is worth $0). Don't waste your time with this junk "biometric" lock

This "lock" can be opened with a paperclip in about 3 seconds. NO SKILL REQUIRED. Don't use it to protect anything of value.

[...]

Watch this video, then never buy a product from this company. If they fail so hard at a simple engineering design, do you want this protecting your house and family?

A simple paperclip can be used to override the lock cylinder. There is nothing secure about this lock.

For me it was a waste of time. Uninstalled after a frustrating hour of trying to use it.I gave up when I could not get back in my house.!! dirty fingers or clean I had to try on average 2-3 times for it to read. The lock itself seams to be of quality and a good "feel" to it, but if the lock doesn't work right, it is useless.

Please review the Gizmodo article from DEFCON on this insecure lock. It can be opened with a paperclip. FYI.

[...]

From the Gizmodo Article:

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The $[...] Biometric Lock Versus a Paperclip

Another year, another DefCon, another litany of epic security fails. Like this here Biolock Model 333, a high-tech and high-priced bit of protection that surely requires expert tools and technique to override. Here's how it does against a paperclip:

The problem, as you can readily see, is that while the biometrics all seem to be in order, the manufacturer decided to pair it with a two-bit override lock. It is hilariously simple to crack if you don't own one, and terrifyingly so if you do.

While the Biolock Model 333 was the most egregious example of poor locksmithery, a smartkey deadbolt from Kwikset and the AMSEC electronic safe Model es1014 both also got the DefCon treatment with similar results.

Is DefCon providing an instruction manual for bad guys? Sure, in a sense. But the pros are already figuring this stuff out on their own; the important thing is that customers and companies know that their products are easily compromised, so they can do something about it. It's stories like these that make me glad I don't possess anything more valuable than three seasons volumes of Sports Night on DVD. [Wired]