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The future is keyless: Introducing Nexkey
- airencracken 8y agoApparently the future can't talk to its database. "Error establishing a database connection"
- crooked-v 8y ago> And the off-the-shelf battery is user replaceable (from outside!) with a single set screw. This is an incredibly terrible idea. "Replaceable from the outside" also means "can be stolen from the outside", at which point you only need a single jerk with a screwdriver to leave people locked out of their homes or businesses.
- DenisM 8y agoA jerk with a box of matches can jam several locks right now.
- jmgao 8y agoThat's generally true already, though? It's pretty trivial to make a lock unusable: just fill it with super glue.
- crooked-v 8y agoFilling a lock with glue doesn't get you free batteries.
- minitoar 8y agoI'm imagining an elaborate battery black market. One vendor specializes in 9Vs. Sure, they're partially discharged, but if you're unscrupulous you can get mobile power for cheap...
- crooked-v 8y agoFor context, consider that I live in a city where homeless people can regularly be seen hoarding multiple partialy disassembled bicycles that were almost always stolen off the street. https://bikeportland.org/2018/08/16/portlands-most-prolific-bike-thief-steals-again-gets-25-months-in-prison-287608/amp https://bikeportland.org/2018/08/16/portlands-most-prolific-... Mere battery theft would be inevitable.
- lostmsu 8y agoBatteries are orders of magnitude cheaper.
- Someone 8y agoI thought the same, but that’s not a new vulnerability. With conventional locks, that jerk can use a screwdriver or cyanoacrylate glue to the same effect. Some safes with electronic locks have external electric contact pads that allow one to temporarily attach a battery to power the lock if the battery is dead, but of course, that may open a new vulnerability: an attacker who applies high-voltage to those contacts.
- crooked-v 8y agoFilling a lock with glue doesn't get you free batteries.
- NikolaNovak 8y agoIt seems easy these days to find a complex, "powerful", "cloud based" security system. What I've been struggling to find is a reliable, simple, easy to use, residential FOB system for 1-5 doors and 1-5 users. Problem statement: my father-in-law has never locked the door in his life; if I want to change this habit, it has to be as simple and easy as possible. A FOB would be ideal - just tap his keychain/wallet/whatever and go. But I'm struggling to find something that isn't wireless and complex and server/cloud based... :-<
- magnetic 8y agoThis is what I have at home: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Z19E0C https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Z19E0C It's not perfect, but it's reasonable. No cloud, and no traditional key option/alternative (that was my requirement: if you want to prevent lock picking/bumping, don't have a key option at all!).
- schrodingersket 8y agoHa! You beat me to my comment. I have the same lock. It's really great (:
- schrodingersket 8y agoI got a Samsung NFC lock recently so I could unlock my house with an NFC chip I had implanted in my hand about a year ago. Awesomeness of having my house key in my hand aside, the lock itself is very capable, and I'm quite happy with it as a standalone device. It comes with 5 NFC FOBs which will unlock the door, and each one is tied to a unique PIN combination. If you can't find your FOB, you can still use the PIN. It's been really effective at my house and for house guests.
- necrodome 8y agoThat's interesting. What are other uses for your implant?
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- legulere 8y agoI had to stop reading at this point: “cloud-based [...] secure”. For me being cloud-based means that you don’t take security serious enough.
- falsedan 8y agoI stopped reading at the “history of keys” introduction. Press releases aren’t essays, you don’t need to bury the lede.
- hamandcheese 8y agoI’ve experienced consumer smart locks (Kevo and August). I firmly believe any “Key” that must be network connected to the lock will never be a better experience than an ordinary key. If there’s a network glitch and it takes 5s to connect, that’s a terrible experience. If I have to open an app, terrible experience. The smart lock holy grail, for me, would be medium-long range RFID. I want my presence to unlock the door, with ultra low latency and ultra high reliability. Smart locks available to consumers now are acceptable for infrequent visitors at best.
- rubatuga 8y agoWhy do you need ultra low latency? Unless you mean in the order of 0.1s - 1s, that seems reasonable. I'm thinking low latencies with a context of gaming, where the best latencies are 0.001s - 0.01s.
- hamandcheese 8y agoI mean ultra low compared to physically inserting a key. Kevo takes considerably longer than that, especially if you are accustomed to already having your keys out and ready as you approach your door.
- rubatuga 8y agoOh, what technologies does Kevo use? I feel that with time of flight and a handshake, it should be able to quickly unlock the door.
- icebraining 8y agoWhat I don't get is why these locks all seem to do real time connections, when we have public key crypto! The "key" should just be a certificate signed by the owner's, which could then by verified offline by the lock. You'd just need a periodical sync to get revocations (if you needed to kick someone off the place prematurely). It's old, well established tech!
- compsciphd 8y ago
- Tsubasachan 8y agoSomeone needs to play Deus Ex.
- johnklos 8y agoOops. Their web site is down. Any company making products like this is going to need to do much more to prove it takes security seriously. Too many companies have shown that marketing matters significantly more than security.
- djsumdog 8y agoWhat a terrible idea. I sometimes forgot my cellphone at home. With a regular RFID keyfob, you go to the main desk and can check out a replacement you return at the end of the day. Key cards don't ever run out of battery. Your fob reader can cache access in case it gets disconnected from the network (many have battery backups). I didn't see standard keyfob support in there, but I can't image they'd launch it without that. I mean, the cellphone aspect is just gimmicky. I don't see any other value adds here. And all locks are pretty much deterrents. If someone wants to steal your TV, they're going to use a rock or a crowbar. No one is going to bother picking a lock unless they don't want you to know they've been there.
- imhoguy 8y agoEverything may break or get lost, RFID, key, card demagnetize etc. But these are isolated cases. What worries me is that "cloud" bit. What when one day the company closes its doors? Oh, what the ironic SPOF.
- icebraining 8y agoIt's not a gimmick for Airbnbs and such. Giving out house keys is one of our biggest headaches, especially when people arrive late, since we don't live in the area.
- derekp7 8y agoI want my house lock to work like my car fob. Unlock when my hand touches the door handle if it senses the fob close by. And the fob should double as a batteryless RFID in case the battery dies. Oh, and can it be a bit slimmer than my car's fob please?