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Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

lockitron.com

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Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#51

Post by eggbrain »

cjoh wrote: post #7

I've been using a MiCasa Verde[1], alongside the compatible KwikSet Deadbolts[2], an android app called Automator to accomplish the same thing. It's actually a little pricier but you get: a. Remote entry -- unlock your door from afar. b. A nice home automation system (mine's expanded to control lights and thermostat now) c. Keypad and key-entry as backups I love it. Being able to remotely lock and unlock your doors i…

Regarding your first point, the video for Lockitron mentioned that you'd be able to remotely open your door from anywhere.

I'm really excited about this -- I've always wanted to do this for my door, but as a renter I can't exactly just change the locks without my landlord being pretty disapproving.

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#53

Post by majormajor »

larrys wrote: post #34
pg wrote: post #10

We use Lockitron on our offices and it has saved us a lot of trouble. Empirically people are a lot less likely to forget their phone than to forget keys, presumably because you use your phone for so many other things whereas most keys do nothing but get you into a single building.

"Empirically people are a lot less likely to forget their phone than to forget keys," That also varies on whether you drive a car or take public transportation. If you drive, leaving your house requires taking your keys and it becomes a habit. Same with leaving work. If you drove there you need your keys to leave. A good way around forgetting keys also is a realtor style lockbox either on the door or hidden with a sp…

Except for a year in a dorm where I couldn't disable my dorm room door's automatically-lock-when-shut behavior, I've developed a simple habit that's kept me from ever locking myself out of my car or home since: never lock the place/vehicle from the inside, or let it lock itself. I can't lock the deadbolt on my apartment when I leave without the key. And I can't lock my car from outside without the key. It's a way of forcing me to always have my keys.

So while I love the convenience this idea provides for shared access to places, and for frictionless don't-even-have-to-get-out-my-keys access, locking oneself out is a solved problem in my book. (Sure, I could lose my keys, but I could also lose my phone—and the redundancy here is another nice and fun thing provided by this system.)

(This habit was largely inspired by getting a car which refused to let me lock myself out: if I pushed the lock button down on the driver's door while the door was open, and then shut the door, it unlocked itself. Previously I'd had one where you held the handle out to override this behavior, but this one insisted on being locked from the outside. And then I noticed that this was keeping my from locking myself out like I had a few times with the old one.)

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#54

Post by apawloski »

catch23 wrote: post #50
apawloski wrote: post #13

Cool and interesting idea, but for obvious reasons* I have some slight reluctance with using a service like this for my home. For less valuable targets though -- like a conference room or shared workspace -- this is a really clever solution to sharing keys. *I hate it when people say that so I'll expand. Simply put, I'm worried about it getting hacked. For instance, could you gain access to someone's wifi and then fl…

probably not. it uses an arduino mega according to the video, so you'd need serial access to reprogram the arduino.

From the FAQ [1]:

"However, if you would like to access Lockitron only via your local network, then we welcome you to flash your base-station with a new image that gives you full access to develop as you see fit"

https://lockitron.com/faq

Obviously I've done about as much research as you so far, so it's very possible the scenario that I describe is unlikely. The point of my initial post was simply to reflect on the fact that in some cases I'd love to use this, and in other cases, maybe not so much.

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#55

Post by nickbarnwell »

schiffern wrote: post #31
apawloski wrote: post #13

Cool and interesting idea, but for obvious reasons* I have some slight reluctance with using a service like this for my home. For less valuable targets though -- like a conference room or shared workspace -- this is a really clever solution to sharing keys. *I hate it when people say that so I'll expand. Simply put, I'm worried about it getting hacked. For instance, could you gain access to someone's wifi and then fl…

Your threat model seems a bit out of whack. Picking your conventional lock has a much better cost/benefit ratio for a thief.

Breaking a window is actually a far more effective (and common) method of entry for thieves than bothering to pick a lock.

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#56

Post by [deleted] »

trotsky wrote: post #21

relies on your phone working 2.4 Ghz your internet connection your power their datacenter their website software to avoid carrying a key? anyone in the area could easily ddos off your wireless more or less permanently by spamming disconnect. doesn't seem like a very good risk/reward ratio to me. whats the problem with a more traditional (read local) keyless approach? door too thick?

[deleted]

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#57

Post by polshaw »

> We won’t charge your card until your Lockitron is ready

Interesting.. so you don't even need the money for the first production run, pure crowd-hype marketing. Also very ballsy of YC to sidestep kickstarter like this.. although i suppose 1000 pre-sales isn't huge.

As for the product, some nice feature improvements over v1.0, although i'm not a fan of the new plasticy design-- i would not want to see that thing on my door unless I had to, for any price.

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#58

Post by catch23 »

savrajsingh wrote: post #5

We use lockitron at the Tigerlabs co-working space in Princeton. It's awesome! The provisioning, the ease of use, and the reliability are amazing. The team has done a great job of focusing on, and absolutely nailing the future-of-locks scenario. We've been happily using Lockitron 1 -- Lockitron 2 appears to eliminate the 'base station' and the custom lock, and now works with your existing lock. All Airbnb's and Co-wo…

Does the 4-AA batteries actually last a full year? I'm not sure how those batteries can maintain a steady wifi connection and survive for a full year. The lowest power wifi chips I know still draw 40mA in RX mode.

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#59

Post by tripngroove »

We used Lockitron at the Cloudkick office. Super convenient, as it let anyone at the office buzz a guest/delivery through our outer door without leaving their desk. Also awesome: the ability to give visitors temporary access without having to keep track of making keys, ensuring they're returned, blah blah blah. Lockitron eliminated the dumb, day-to-day-headache-type-stuff involved in getting people in and out of our space.

Re: Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

#60

Post by klochner »

atlbeer wrote: post #44
s_henry_paulson wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm interested how you are using the product since it does not seem to be available to the public yet.

Well, I was interested as to why Lockitron had a pre-order page up as I own one as well. It's differently (visually) than the version that is on the website now but, it's certainly a Lockitron lock which I purchased almost a year ago. Looks like they are rebooting their company with a new model and fundraising via Kickstarter.

Not quite - looks more like they're just launching a new product and taking pre-orders, no fundraising or rebooting.
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