Wyze has made a name for itself by delivering affordable smart home devices that punch well above their price tags, and its latest addition to its smart lock offerings continues that trend. The Wyze Palm Lock brings a more advanced form of biometric security to the front door, swapping a fingerprint sensor for a more advanced and hygienic alternative: palm vein recognition.
Using infrared imaging to identify the unique vein pattern beneath your skin, the lock can recognize users even if their hands are wet or dirty, mitigating a common weakness of fingerprint-based systems.
The Wyze Palm Lock looks and feels like a thoughtful blend of modern design and practical engineering. The outdoor assembly is mostly metal, giving it a solid, weather-resistant feel, with a single glass panel that combines the keypad and palm sensor into one sleek surface. Beneath this, a magnetic slide-down cover hides the keyway, a nice touch that preserves the lock’s clean aesthetic while keeping a mechanical backup within reach. The interior escutcheon is made of plastic with a sturdy metal thumb turn, and together with the exterior housing, it replaces your existing deadbolt entirely.
The design has been tested for real-world durability, achieving relatively modest results: It earned a weatherization rating of IP53. PCWorld’s IP code guide tells us that means it can keep enough dust out of its internal workings to prevent failure, and that it can withstand being sprayed with a water hose at up to a 60-degree angle on either side of vertical. Wyze Labs advertises the lock as being “BHMA 3 certified,” by which we assume they mean it’s rated ANSI grade 3, the lowest of the three ratings for commercial deadbolts, according to our lock durability guide. BHMA certifications are for residential deadbolts and consist of letter grades for security, durability, and finish.
Wyze gives you multiple ways to unlock the Palm Lock. The marquee method is its biometric palm vein recognition, which can store up to 50 unique palm profiles. There’s also a backlit keypad that supports up to 50 PIN codes, and a traditional key for backup use in the event the batteries die or the tech ever misbehaves.
The lock is powered by a dual-battery system: a removable lithium-ion battery good for up to six months of use, and a two-week backup battery that keeps the lock running while you recharge the main one. If both run out, a USB-C emergency port on the underside can provide temporary power from a portable charger (though the lack of a protective cover could leave it exposed to the elements). Wyze also built in a smart battery saver that uses millimeter-wave radar (the same tech used in self-driving cars) to detect when someone is nearby, so the lock wakes up only when needed.
The Palm Lock also includes a full suite of smart features that make it feel right at home in a connected ecosystem. It comes with built-in Wi-Fi, negating the need for a separate bridge, and it works with both Alexa and Google Assistant. For security, voice unlocking requires you to speak your pre-set PIN aloud before the command is carried out.
The Wyze app adds more control, with tamper and door-ajar alerts, an auto-lock feature powered by a built-in gyroscope, and customizable notifications. When paired with a Wyze video doorbell, you can even unlock your door directly from the live camera view, tying the whole front-door experience neatly together.
As the Palm Lock is designed as a direct replacement for a standard deadbolt, installation starts with removing your existing lock and its bolt. That should leave you with just an empty bore hole and side jam in your door.
From there, you first install the new Wyze bolt, then fit the outdoor assembly through the bore hole, feeding the single power cable beneath the bolt to the interior side. The indoor bracket attaches with two long machine screws, and the power cable connects to the interior escutcheon using clearly labeled, color-coded terminals. Once everything is secured, the indoor unit slides onto the bracket and locks in place with three short screws. With the hardware assembled, you insert the backup battery first, followed by the main rechargeable pack, then snap the battery cover into place. Wyze includes all the necessary hardware and a mounting template, making the process straightforward even for first-time installers. It took me about 25 minutes.
Afterward, setup continues in the Wyze app, which walks you through calibration and palm registration step by step. The app prompts you to open and close the door, create access codes, and scan your palms, with feedback confirming each step along the way.
In everyday use, I found unlocking the door to be nearly instantaneous. I’d just hover a hand near the reader and within a second or so I’d hear a chime confirming recognition and the whirring of the motorized bolt unlocking. The sensor worked reliably even when my hands weren’t particularly clean. With the auto-lock feature enabled, the door relocks either immediately on closing or after a short delay, depending on your setting.
The Wyze app is central to the Palm Lock experience. From it, you can lock or unlock the door, check its current status, and view a detailed activity history. It also shows battery levels for both the main and backup batteries. It provides generous access management: you can add up to 50 users and assign specific permissions, whether always-on, recurring on certain days, or active only within a defined time window. One-time codes are another handy option for guests or deliveries, and a “lock after hours” rule ensures your door is automatically secured at night.
The Wyze app also includes several several safeguards to prevent unauthorized access. A Failed Entry Lockout feature temporarily disables palm or code access for five minutes and sounds an alarm after five failed attempts. The lock can alert you to tampering or if the door is left ajar, using its built-in gyroscope to detect movement and position. The illuminated keypad supports Wyze’s anti-peep technology, which lets you enter extra digits before or after your code to prevent onlookers from memorizing it. Further, all biometric data is encrypted and stored locally on the device rather than in the cloud, and the Wyze app keeps a detailed history of every lock and unlock event.
This was my first experience with a smart lock, and I came away impressed. Connectivity was excellent throughout my testing. Commands from the app registered quickly, and notifications—like when someone unlocks the door—arrived promptly. Voice control through Alexa or Google Assistant also worked seamlessly. With two teenagers at home who routinely forget their house keys but never their phones, that reliability made the Palm Lock a welcome upgrade.
At $129.98, the Wyze Palm Lock delivers technology you’d normally expect in far pricier devices. Palm-vein recognition makes unlocking fast and reliable, and the setup and app experience are refreshingly simple. For Wyze users or else anyone seeking a secure, hands-free deadbolt upgrade without spending a fortune, the Palm Lock is an excellent value.
Author: Michael Ansaldo
Source: PCWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
