Smart Lock - Rim/Gate Lock (R5)

A rim lock: it bolts onto the face of the door rather than into a mortise cut through it. That is why it goes on a gate, a steel door or a rental flat where nobody wants a carpenter making holes.

• Why a rim lock goes where a mortise cannot
• Five ways in
• Fitting a smart gate lock outdoors
• Power
• Which side of the gate is dry

Five ways in: fingerprint, code, IC card, mechanical key and the Tuya app. The reader is the illuminated ring at the top of the panel.The outside panel is 168 x 59 mm and 34 mm deep, and an ABS rain cover is supplied because the panel goes outside. The indoor unit is not weatherproof, so on a gate the back box must sit on the sheltered side.It is universal handed: right push, right pull, left push and left pull are all set on site, and it suits doors 40 to 70 mm thick.Four AA cells run it, and there is a DC 12 V input as well as a micro USB port for emergency power. Batteries are not included.

Why a rim lock goes where a mortise cannot

A smart gate lock of this type bolts onto the face of the door instead of being cut into its edge. That is the whole point of it. A steel gate, a folded metal door or a rented flat has either no edge deep enough to take a mortise or no permission to cut one, and a rim lock needs neither.Fitting is a matter of drilling through the leaf for the spindle and screwing the back box on, so it goes on and comes off without a carpenter.

Five ways in

Fingerprint, code, IC card, mechanical key and the Tuya app. The reader is the illuminated ring at the top of the outside panel, which is 168 x 59 mm and 34 mm deep, with the lock body 127 mm wide.

Fitting a smart gate lock outdoors

An ABS rain cover is supplied for the outside panel, because on a gate that panel is in the weather. The indoor unit is not weatherproof, so the back box has to sit on the sheltered side. That is the one rule to plan around before ordering, and if both faces of your gate are fully exposed you should tell us so we can point you at something rated throughout.It is universal handed. Right push, right pull, left push and left pull are all set on site, so there is no version to specify, and it takes doors 40 to 70 mm thick.

Power

Four AA cells run it, and they are not included. There is a DC 12 V input if you would rather wire it, and a micro USB port on the underside for a power bank in an emergency. Black and silver finishes.

Which side of the gate is dry

That is the question to answer before ordering. The outside panel has a rain cover, but the indoor unit is not weatherproof, so the back box has to sit on the sheltered side. On a gate standing fully in the open on both faces, say so and we will tell you honestly whether to buy this one.Otherwise it is a straightforward fit: bolts to the face of the door, handed on site, no mortise cut, doors 40 to 70 mm. Batteries are not included. More in smart locks, app notes at tuya.com.