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> Again, Apple/Siri is just a front end Sort-of. It's also a remote-capable front-end. I can turn my lights on/off from an arbitrary internet connection throug

> Again, Apple/Siri is just a front end Sort-of. It's also a remote-capable front-end. I can turn my lights on/off from an arbitrary internet connection through it which means it's also a cloud service of some kind. This is the issue though and it's the same issue we have with smart-displays/TVs. There are way too many ways to accomplish the same thing. You want to turn volume up with an AppleTV connected to a display? Maybe it works through the volume on the Apple remote, maybe it doesn't. Do you have a remote control for the TV? That should work except you have HomePods or a soundbar or ... something. Bringing it back to smart locks: Do the locks support only NFC or is NFC one of the options? If it supports WiFi, is it also calling out to its own cloud endpoint while playing nicely with these other ecosystems? Why do we have more than one mechanism to access the lock? From a purely security standpoint, each additional mechanism offers yet another weakness. From a consumer (prosumer?) standpoint, it's more options for convenience. The market will often choose convenience and we end up where we are today. I have a little smart plug/power meter that I love. It's great at what it does but there is one huge flaw: when it isn't plugged in, it shows the last status (on/off) in the home app and in the app specific to the tech. Let's just say I learned not to plug a refrigerator into it. This leads me to know that status mechanisms are definitely not fool-proof in this ecosystem. Then I consider a smart-lock and think, "nope, not for me."

seanmcdirmid 3y ago
The Level 1 lock supports Wi-Fi along with NFC. But you can disable the Wi-Fi if you want. But it is a software disable so you have to still trust the software. At least on a Yale lock, the Wi-Fi module is optional and removable. But having it in enables most of the nice features (otherwise it’s just a lock with a passcode you type in). For me, I feel like I’m gaining more security than I’m losing, so it’s still worth it.

seanmcdirmid 3y ago

The Level 1 lock supports Wi-Fi along with NFC. But you can disable the Wi-Fi if you want. But it is a software disable so you have to still trust the software. At least on a Yale lock, the Wi-Fi module is optional and removable. But having it in enables most of the nice features (otherwise it’s just a lock with a passcode you type in). For me, I feel like I’m gaining more security than I’m losing, so it’s still worth it.