Akuvox SmartPlus

Call-to-Unlock Feature Is Such a Lifesaver for Me! This app is seriously so user-friendly, and I have to rave about its call-to-unlock function—it’s become a daily lifesaver for my busy routine. Just last week, I was buried in back-to-back work meetings at the office when my mom texted saying she’d arrived at my apartment building with homemade meals. She’d forgotten her access card, and I was stuck in a crucial discussion with no way to dash downstairs to let her in. Normally, this would’ve meant her waiting around for an hour until my meeting ended, but then I remembered this app. As soon as her intercom call popped up on my phone, the clear video interface loaded instantly—I could see her standing right by the door, waving at the camera. After a quick chat to confirm it was her, I tapped the unlock button once, and that was it. No extra steps, no lag, just smooth, instant access. The operation is so straightforward, even someone who’s not great with tech could use it without a second thought. Remote door opening has never been this easy, and I can’t imagine going back to the old days of rushing around to let people in anymore.

As someone who regularly books access to public spaces—whether it’s office lobbies, shared meeting rooms, or co-working hubs—SmartPlus has become my go-to access control app, and it absolutely deserves a full score! Its **public space booking feature** is a total game-changer: I can pre-select my desired time slot, link it to the specific access permission for the area I need, and when I arrive, there’s no waiting around for admin approval. A quick tap on my booked details unlocks the door instantly, saving me tons of time that used to be wasted on queues or back-and-forth with managers. But what really elevates the experience is the **Liveview function**. Before heading to the space, I can pull up the real-time camera feed of the access control area right in the app—no more showing up to find unexpected crowds or locked doors due to last-minute issues. Even after unlocking, a quick Liveview check lets me confirm the area is secure, adding an extra layer of peace of mind. I’ve already told my company’s facilities team and fellow co-workers about it—if you need a reliable, user-friendly access control solution for public spaces, SmartPlus is a must-have!

Update June 2023: Added 2 stars. They updated the software so that it now vibrates your phone, which is a big improvement. Much fewer missed calls. Plus they made an update to the app, which is a positive. Still a bit slow and laggy, but otherwise it’s a good option and has held up well over the last year (no issues).I am on the board of a small condo building in a major city, and we had an akuvox r29 installed in august 2022. Overall, it’s been a big improvement over our prior wired system (keyless entry is great, ability to remotely open the door is great), but there are a few major drawbacks: -the app is pretty slow. It takes on average 5-10 seconds from the time someone rings the doorbell to the time I can see them on the monitor and let them in. Not all delivery drivers are that patient. -it’s easy to miss calls. I have an iPhone and leave my phone on vibrate, and unless I’m looking at my phone, I don’t see it ringing, so I miss about half the calls. I got an Apple Watch which has helped and my live-in girlfriend will catch some of the ones I miss, but there really should be a way for the app to trigger the iPhone OS to vibrate or make a noise when your phone is set to vibrate (like a regular phone call). I emailed them and asked about this, and they said they are exploring “call kit” which would allow it to to ring like a regular phone call, but nothing has been done as of yet Which brings me to my last point - as others have mentioned, the customer support is basically non-existent because they’re all in China. I haven’t seen one app update since I downloaded the app in august 2022, which leads me to believe that they just don’t have many developers/support people working to make it a better experience. It’s a shame because the hardware is excellent - super responsive and reliable, with lots of features. If they made some improvements to the software, I would recommend the system. It’s definitely an improvement over a wired system, but if starting over I’d probably look for a system with better reviews and a support team. As an fyi, I found the butterflymx website reviews to be pretty accurate and unbiased for those doing their homework.