Duplicate your House Keys with your Phone • Hacker News Board

Re: Duplicate your House Keys with your Phone

#81

Post by kleiba » Tue, Apr 23, 2013, 11:21 PM UTC

namdnay wrote: post #63

kleiba wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. I once tried to get a copy of a key to a security lock (a fact I didn't know) in Germany. The guy in this tiny little shop (which I'm sure would otherwise be happy for every customer) had one look at the key, then handed it back to me straight away. He wouldn't do it. Maybe I should have just gone to a couple of other shops?

Did you have proof of (home I suppose) ownership with you? If not he didn't do it because it would have been against the law.

No, as I said, I wasn't even aware that it was a secure key. I can't remember exactly what the key was for, presumably to the door of my rental apartment.

Re: Duplicate your House Keys with your Phone

#82

Post by ryan-c » Wed, Apr 24, 2013, 12:23 AM UTC

EvanAnderson wrote: post #11

ryan-c wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume they're supporting Schlage SC1 and Kwikset KW1 keys which fit the two most common types of five pin locks in the US. Both of these keys have a pin coding - each of the five pins has a value from, IIRC, 1 to 9. With a little practice, one can decode keys visually in a few seconds, I can't imagine it being hard to write an image processing algorithm to do it.

I think you're right on the money. I've decoded keys that I've seen people carrying on rings on their belts (and, in many cases, the pin values are stamped right on the key). I don't carry keys where people can see them, but I'm a little bit paranoid. With the advent of this service it probably pays to be a bit more paranoid, since somebody could take a picture of your key, send $5, and get a copy w/o knowing anythin…

I've actually seen 3D printable keys for KW1 and SC1 which accept the pin values as a parameter - I think it was on hackaday a few years ago.

Re: Duplicate your House Keys with your Phone

#83

Post by namdnay » Wed, Apr 24, 2013, 4:41 AM UTC

kleiba wrote: post #81

namdnay wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you have proof of (home I suppose) ownership with you? If not he didn't do it because it would have been against the law.

No, as I said, I wasn't even aware that it was a secure key. I can't remember exactly what the key was for, presumably to the door of my rental apartment.

If I remember correctly, the renter isn't allowed to copy keys (presumably because he could then use them to break in to the flat a few years later).

Re: Duplicate your House Keys with your Phone

#84

Post by namdnay » Wed, Apr 24, 2013, 4:44 AM UTC

perlgeek wrote: post #49

csmattryder wrote: post #48

So i'm about to move out next week, I take a snapshot of the key (that's in my possession right now), pay with a prepaid Visa, and take next occupants stuff. Easily s/apartment/office. Flawless, proof that just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

Exactly the same thing can be done by visiting a hardware store, or any other store that makes copies of keys.

I don't know how it works in the US, but here in Europe you wouldn't be allowed to copy a home key without proof of ownership.