4 ms·

> This is only going to get worse. Manual operation seems perfectly understandable in this context. Odds of some AirBnB driving off accidentally with the remo

• dheera 3y ago
  If that really happens you can factory reset a garage door opener which will unpair all existing remotes. Re-keying the front door is arguably a bigger pain in the ass, and many Airbnbs just lend you the front door keys.
  • ska 3y ago
    Right but then you have to buy a new remote, lather rinse repeat. I can see why an AirBnB host wouldn't bother after 1st or 2nd time, is all I'm saying. Agree the front door key is a bigger pain, but less likely to accidentally happen. I mean, I would have a slight preference to have a functioning remote but it's not going to ruin a stay. In the same way that if I went to a place that didn't have an automatic opener at all I wouldn't find it odd.
• Kirby64 3y ago
  Honestly, a bigger worry imo is cars that have something like homelink. You can copy a garage door opener, and basically give yourself a garage door opener access whenever you want. I did this accidentally to an old rental house I lived in. When I moved out later I drove by one time and … turns out the homelink still worked. For a criminal, it’d be a very easy way to get back in without any trace.
  • dheera 3y ago
    Yeah but in reality former tenants are statistically unlikely to be criminals -- you probably ran a background check on them prior to them moving in, didn't you? Former tenants could have copied front door keys after all, and probably did for noble reasons like SOs, etc. The garage door remote I modified with the Zigbee relay is a remote I purchased and paired with my rental unit's garage door opener, and then took apart for modification. I don't own the property or the garage door opener, I just looked up which model of remote it used, bought one, and paired it. I also have the landlord-provided remote as a backup. I don't think HomeLink is particularly dangerous in this regard; anyone can purchase additional remotes and pair them, they don't need a car with HomeLink. If you're really worried as a landlord, reset your garage door openers for every new tenant re-pair the remotes they presumably returned to you, and re-key your front door locks while you're at it. Microscopic cost compared to what the tenant probably paid you.
    • Kirby64 3y ago
      We’re talking about Airbnb here. I don’t know of any vetting you really do for an Airbnb. And, unlike a key, you can copy a garage door to homelink without do almost any work. Add to that the fact that garages tend to be less covered from a camera perspective (usually there’s a doorbell camera at the door) and it’s a bit of a blind spot for homeowners I’d think.
      • CamperBob2 3y ago
        AirBnB vets users the same way hotels do. When signing up as a tenant, you have to send them a copy of your state ID with photo and provide a third-party payment method. It seems to work well enough for the most part, a few isolated horror stories aside.
  • lazide 3y ago
    Just wait until you see how easy it is to copy keys - and how basically zero landlords ever change them between tenants.
  • CamperBob2 3y ago
    Not a concern for AirBnB hosts and the like, because once they let the bad guy into their house, it's game over anyway. However, one thing that is interesting is when you get a loaner car from the dealership, and not only is there a valid Homelink recording, but the nav system still shows the start and end points for the last trip(s) the previous person took. Bonus if their phone's contact list is still there. Always use the vehicle handover function whenever turning in a rental or loaner car, folks.