Nuki lock usability in case of Nuki servers going offline, and some other questions

Hi,

I was directed here by the Nuki sales support gentleman called Tobias.
I’m looking into buying a Nuki lock for my new door. I’ve got Home Assistant setup at home and am thinking of adding the lock to this setup at some point.

I do have a few questions and concerns:

  • If I understand correctly, the lock itself only has bluetooth communication capabilities. If you want WiFi you have to use the additional Bridge device, correct?
  • I’ve seen that an Android phone could also serve as a bridge replacement. Are there any particular downsides to that?

Then the big question: what happens if tomorrow Nuki completely discontinues support for my lock? Company servers go down, company goes under, competition buys Nuki and devices to terminate product,…
Will my lock still be usable?

  • Will I be able to download the app? (unlikely)
  • What can I do, without the app?
  • Even if I have the app, can I still:
    • Use the bridge (HW or Android) to connect to lock remotely?
    • Assign/revoke permissions to new users?
    • Receive notifications?

I can see all the benefits of the smart lock system, but I’m also extremely wary of any downsides.

Disclaimer: I don’t work for Nuki. What I write below is my understanding of the system.

If I understand correctly, the lock itself only has bluetooth communication capabilities. If you want WiFi you have to use the additional Bridge device, correct?

Correct. The Nuki Lock (and Opener) only have Bluetooth. The Bridge does what the name says and bridges Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing Lock and Opener to be reachable through Nuki’s services on the Internet (or through an HTTP API in the local network).

Will I be able to download the app? (unlikely)

Depends on if the Company specifically asks Google/Apple to delete them (and how Google/Apple handle defunct companies). In Android’s case, you can grab the APK and back it up for later use (as long as Android itself doesn’t advance too much to make it fully incompatible and prevent it from being reinstalled).

  • What can I do, without the app?

If you have the Bridge, you can use the HTTP API to talk to it via the network and all functions documented there: Bridge HTTP-API (checking lock status, locking, unlocking, …) There are existing software libraries that make this easier (PyNuki for example) and even software that includes functionality that relies on this API (Home Assistant for example).

You can also write your own Bluetooth app to talk directly to the lock using the BT API and its commands:
https://developer.nuki.io/page/nuki-smart-lock-api-210/2#heading--authorize-app

Even if I have the app, can I still:

  • Use the bridge (HW or Android) to connect to lock remotely?

You wouldn’t be able to use the app to go through the Nuki servers to lock/unlock remotely. You would have to write your own interface/app to talk directly to the Bridge. (e.g. a Home Assistant server in the same network that you can access remotely, …)

  • Assign/revoke permissions to new users?

With the Nuki infrastructure gone, there would be no “users” on their end to add/remove. If you still have the app, you can probably still authorise it to the lock locally (it’s all BT) and remove other authorised BT devices/apps. If you’re using your own solution to locally talk to the Bridge with an HTTP API, access management of that solution would be up to you (e.g. Home Assistant users, …).

  • Receive notifications?

With the Nuki infrastructure gone, the Bridge would have no way of sending you notifications through it. You would probably need to leverage the Bridge HTTP API and set up local infrastructure that does that. (e.g. local server registers a callback with the Bridge and handles sending the notifications when that callback occurs).

Hi Michael,

What you wrote pretty much confirms what I assumed, thanks a lot for your answer.

So in summary, if I have a local backup of the nuki .apk and am using Home Assistant as the local logic, I should be relatively good even in the event of an inconceivable disappearance of Nuki, since I’d be having Home Assistant as a replacement.
Thankfully my family is Android-only :slight_smile:

Can we get a confirmation/correction from someone @Nuki if this is all accurate (not that I really doubt Michael, but maybe there’s something extra)?

@steltek is right.

Setup, local pairing (= adding new devices via BLE) and using the Smart Lock and its accessories (Fob, Keypad) does not require any servers. Bridge pairing and using the local bridge API does also work without servers.

This is quite unique to Nuki: Hardly any other “smart” product that offers you a full ecosystem has so much flexibility built into it.

Thanks @Juergen.

So far, so good. I think you may have gotten a new customer :slight_smile:

By the way, since I’m on a deciding streak: is the V2 Nuki a product that will remain current for the foreseeable future or is there a V3 just around the corner? :wink:

We don’t comment about future product features or releases here in the forum. The Nuki blog & newsletter are good sources for general news about Nuki.

Fair enough :slight_smile:
I figured as much. Just thought to give it a try.

Thank you for your answers and help.