9 ms·

Lockitron: Keyless entry using your phone

329 points by tylerhowarth 14y ago

showerst 14y ago
Neat idea, but what makes this worth 150 bucks?
- peterwwillis 14y ago
  If you've never lost your house keys twice ($75 per visit for a locksmith) then it's not worth it. However, you could give multiple people access to the door this way, which would be cheaper/easier than making copies of keys. Also, with normal keys if you lose one you have to replace the cylinder and all the keys if you're worried about someone using the lost key. This would prevent that expense. I will say, though: if $150 is the discount price, i'm afraid to learn what the regular price is. Businesses seem like the only place this becomes cost effective.
  - showerst 14y ago
    Ah, that makes sense to me. I hadn't thought about the multiple people access problem since I've never needed more than one set of guest keys at a time, and the offices I've worked in were all big enough to use keycards. Come to think of it, the market for 'Needs to give multiple people rotating revocable access' is a great fit for AirBnB type services.
- nine_k 14y ago
  Value? Enough people are happy to pay $150 for it. Things should never be priced based on actual expense unless your margins are infinitely slim.
  - bartonfink 14y ago
    I certainly wouldn't pay $150 for that, and was asking myself the same ?. It's not going to appreciably increase the value of my home, so an argument that it's home improvement doesn't hold water for me. It doesn't seem to have that much hardware, which would help me understand the price point even if I still wouldn't pay for it. It simply doesn't solve a problem I have, and at $150, I'm not likely to give it a shot to see if locking my doors manually is really that much of an inconvenience (I doubt it is). I might pay $50, but even then that's a stretch because, as I said, it doesn't solve a problem I've got.
    - Me1000 14y ago
      Since no one is forcing you to buy it, I would simply suggest not buying it and going on with your life. Perhaps that sounds harsh, but there are plenty of products out there that cost a lot of money (much more than $150) which won't bring you any additional value. The new Lockitron will certainly bring value to a lot of people, including renters.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- mdip 14y ago
  When I was 16, I was given a car without keyless entry and I was willing to pluck down $200 (that included installation) for the luxury. I could see spending $150 to get similar functionality plus the ability to unlock my home remotely and check the state of the lock on the only door I enter/exit from. My family shares a vacation home up north and I'm tempted to buy this for there as well. Because of its proximity to town (two blocks walk) we've already had plenty of trouble with people locking themselves out because they're not taking their car to the tavern in town and simply forgot their keys in the process. We'd have to get in the habit of only using the deadbolt, or replace the door handle with a non-locking door handle, but it might be worth it to me.
cwe 14y ago
Unikey[1] on Shark Tank last season blew me away, I couldn't wait to see it in action, and be available. This looks like an easier installation process than that, but Unikey has some big names attached to it (Black & Decker). Can't wait to see this tech take off, good luck guys! [1] http://www.unikeytech.com/ http://www.unikeytech.com/
georgespencer 14y ago
We have one of these for our office. It's great.
savrajsingh 14y ago
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-working spaces need this. ;)
- larrys 14y ago
  I just looked at wattvision.com (your company) after seeing your profile. It looks interesting. However - - Your website is much to slow. - Remove the whois privacy from your domain. You're a business with a business address. No reason to hide your business location.
- catch23 14y ago
  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.
  - paulgerhardt 14y ago
    Continuously connected? No. We'd last about two weeks. We poll infrequently during off hours and more frequently when people are likely to be coming and going. Knocking also wakes it up. Bluetooth 4.0 gets us the rest of the way. It's instant for iPhone 4s and 5 users and we should have rudimentary support for the Android devices with BT4 by March.
    - catch23 14y ago
      So what happens when a packet is sent when you're in sleep mode? Does the device have to renegotiate the connection when waking up? What if you sold a separate device that plugged in the wall and had a constant wifi connection, then used BT4 for communicating with the lock powered by 4xAA? Then you wouldn't even need wifi on the lock. Also, why an arduino mega? Are you using that many I/O pins or is it because your code needs the 256KB of flash?
jcarden 14y ago
Lockitron user here. Love it!
cjoh 14y ago
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 is super handy, whether it be for guests, contractors or what not. But what's really handy? Never worrying about locking yourself out of your house again. If I could just get rid of my car key, I'd be thrilled. [1]http://micasaverde.com/ http://micasaverde.com/ [2]http://amzn.to/QGn2Im http://amzn.to/QGn2Im
- eggbrain 14y ago
  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.
- cjoh 14y ago
  The integration with other things is a big deal fwiw. I'm currently playing with NFC and doing things like "when I tap my phone on my night stand, make sure all the doors are locked and turn off all the lights except for the bedroom" We're headed towards the Internet of Things but right now they're all sort of talking with their own software. A house with the Nest thermometer and the Lockitron lock won't be able to execute on the scenario I described above -- and if you're a homeowner you may want to think more long term than investing in one-off solutions for every latest thing a chip goes in to.
bcx 14y ago
We have one of these for our office too, and it works great :-). My only problem is that I want one for my apartment too, so I can stop carrying keys altogether.
klinquist 14y ago
As a renter - the fact that it will now clip onto my existing lock is huge.
pg 14y ago
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.
- larrys 14y ago
  "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 spare key.
  - jevinskie 14y ago
    But the lockbox has been working just fine for hundreds of years and isn't technological enough!
    - ChuckMcM 14y ago
      Remote disable is a killer feature that the lockbox has never really achieved.
      - xradionut 14y ago
        Lockbox + Security system with different pin or code = win
  - majormajor 14y ago
    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.)
Semaphor 14y ago
Sadly most doors in Germany have a normal key access installed on the inside as well :/
- gwillen 14y ago
  Those have become less popular in the US with rising fire-safety awareness, I think. (They are likely to trap inhabitants in the event of a fire.) Given that the device claims to work with almost any deadbolt, and therefore can't be too picky about shape, my guess is it wouldn't be hard to adapt it for your lock. (Just permanently install a key with some handle attached to it for the device to grip.)
iAinsley 14y ago
Kickstarter project, without the kickstarter! It's kickstarter-lite. umm - did the value of Kickstarter just go down? ;)
- RandallBrown 14y ago
  I believe this is ACTUALLY a preorder, rather than an investment that includes a "prize" if they actually succeed.
  - paulgerhardt 14y ago
    It's so we know how many to make. We won't charge anyone's card until they are ready to ship.
    - rdl 14y ago
      I'd seriously consider doing kickstarter too -- once you've got 250-500 preorders outside kickstarter, and popularity on HN, you should be in a great position to have an "overfunded" kickstarter. Yes, they take a cut, but the exposure from kickstarter is probably worth it -- just bump prices 10% if you must. I know I buy a lot of gadgets I might not otherwise know about due to seeing them in my activity feed on kickstarter. Seemed to work well for Pebble...
apawloski 14y ago
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 flash a new image (which includes a rogue key) onto the device?
- schiffern 14y ago
  Your threat model seems a bit out of whack. Picking your conventional lock has a much better cost/benefit ratio for a thief.
  - apawloski 14y ago
    Not necessarily, but I see your point. The threat model you suggest seems to be for a "one and done" event (which is a perfectly valid scenario). But the initial threat model was geared towards repeated, quick, and relatively inconspicuous access to a secure facility.
  - nickbarnwell 14y ago
    Breaking a window is actually a far more effective (and common) method of entry for thieves than bothering to pick a lock.
- catch23 14y ago
  probably not. it uses an arduino mega according to the video, so you'd need serial access to reprogram the arduino.
  - apawloski 14y ago
    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 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.
DannoHung 14y ago
Looks neat. Don't think it'll work with my deadbolt though :(
- apawloski 14y ago
  Here's the supported lock types: https://lockitron.com/help/compatibility https://lockitron.com/help/compatibility It looks like this is compatible with through-hole deadbolts, but not rim deadbolts.
bluetidepro 14y ago
So, do people who use something like this just never lock your bottom handle lock? I live in a busy city and lock both to keep my place secure. I'm not sure I would like just being able to lock the deadbolt but not the handle lock.
- RandallBrown 14y ago
  My handle doesn't have a lock. I only have a deadbolt. I also have an RFID fob to get in my building and I need to type a code in to my elevator to get to my floor, so I'm not too worried about it.
  - bluetidepro 14y ago
    Yeah, that's not too bad but I would still be a bit worried since my place has a door that is accessible from outside. You are lucky with that sort of "double secure" entrance! Haha
- plusbryan 14y ago
  Having taken a lock picking course, I can say that one lock is approximately the same security as two - even after 15 minutes of instruction, with the right tools I could unlock most any standard house lock in moments. Home door locks are a deterrent more than anything else, so I'd opt for convenience.
  - bluetidepro 14y ago
    Oh, okay. That's actually really interesting, I had no idea. Haha Thanks! :)
  - jeltz 14y ago
    This is not true everywhere. For example here in Sweden the second lock is usually a lever tumbler lock or some variant thereof. Way harder to pick than pin tumbler locks. What matters is the type of lock, not the number of locks.
plusbryan 14y ago
Looks great, but I'm reticent to replace my mortise-style door lock. Maybe future versions will support this type of lock? Other than sizing considerations, I don't see why not.
larrys 14y ago
Right now, the website is down or perhaps cloudflare is having issues. I did get a look and was going to make a comment (which I wanted to verify) that the site in no way shows that the company had built another product (at least not from a quick look). Now I can't even get a look at the site. This isn't 1996. Why are people having so many issues with delivering simple reliability to a 1 page website?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- tylerhowarth 14y ago
  This is their second product. The original Lockitron came out in 2011 or so. I know many people who installed them in their offices.
trotsky 14y ago
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 14y ago
  [deleted]
- apawloski 14y ago
  To be fair (I share some of your hesitance), the old-fashioned key still works, so if for some reason one of these dependencies was unmet, then you're not totally out of luck.
- nollidge 14y ago
  Or bluetooth or NFC, which to me are far more enticing.
  - eco 14y ago
    The website says it works with both Bluetooth and NFC.
    - veemjeem 14y ago
      Probably not NFC though. You need a much smaller distance to read NFC (or a much bigger antenna). I doubt it could read a NFC keycard through the thickness of the door. I'm sure all that metal in the lock would act as a great RF shield too. It uses more power than BT4, and all devices that have NFC also have BT4 so it probably wouldn't make sense to power both.
      - bradtgmurray 14y ago
        They have an external NFC tag that you can place near your front door that triggers the app on your phone to unlock your door through the web.
psychotik 14y ago
Why not use a lock with a keycode instead? I don't see a single scenario where Lockitron works better. http://consumer.schlage.com/Products/Pages/category-landing.aspx?category=Electronic+Keypad+Locks http://consumer.schlage.com/Products/Pages/category-landing....
- plusbryan 14y ago
  For me, it'd be about guest access. Sure, you could give out your codes, and then change them later, but that's a pain (with the Schlage products at least).
  - psychotik 14y ago
    FWIW, I find it simple enough to add/remove codes as needed. I can see how punching ~15 buttons can be a pain, but I don't find it so.
    - veemjeem 14y ago
      I think the main benefit here is that it works with your existing lock, so it could work on apartments, dorm rooms, office doors, etc. Those key code deadlocks have always existed, but never very popular.
      - khairulzaman 14y ago
        In the US, maybe. Here in Seoul it's everywhere. Practically all apartment units come with them pre-installed.
- dmpatierno 14y ago
  Renters. Lockitron isn't viewable from the outside.
- s_henry_paulson 14y ago
  The user codes for these products are 4 digits, and 4 digit codes do not offer much security. I had a 4 digit Master lock in 7th grade, and an 8th grader spent a little bit of time with the lock, determined the passcode (chosen at random), and then changed the combination. I wouldn't put one of these locks on my home, or on anything that I wanted to actually "lock"
ssharp 14y ago
It's pretty obvious that more and more things are converging to the phone. We've already seen how modern smartphones have markets like the point-and-shoot camera and portable music player. It makes sense to carry around one device that does as much as possible. And I love the extension of the smartphone into these home automation areas (though I realize locks have a significantly greater market than just that). What troubles me right now is the fracturing, but that's inevitable in emerging markets. It would just be nice to have a really great product line that I could use to unlock deadbolts, open my garage door, automate my lights, control switches / outlets, program my thermostat, etc.
jared314 14y ago
I love the idea, but, now, when I loose my phone I will be cashless, unable to call someone for help, and locked out of my home. I also hope they salt their password hashes.
polshaw 14y ago
> 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.
- arkonaut 14y ago
  i think this is quite smart. it's not just the hype, but similar to app.net, it's guaranteeing there is a minimum threshold of demand. what do you mean by 'ballsy to sidestep kickstarter.' has kickstarter become some kind of sole-arbiter of product development? FWIW, if this style of e-commerce continues, someone should develop the API for this/app.net type of sales instead of each building the billing system from scratch.
  - polshaw 14y ago
    Kickstarter is definitely the existing sole-arbiter of crowd sourcing funding. They have brought massive crowds to YC companies so i think it is a significant move to walk away from that to save 5%.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
tripngroove 14y ago
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.
rflrob 14y ago
Looks like a really cool product, but as a note to the marketing department: the product itself looks just a little bit too much like an iPhone. I got confused for a moment, and thought the device was an iPhone with a picture of the deadbolt on it. There's probably a way to make the materials somewhat clearer that the Lockitron is the big square bit, and not the C-shaped mounting adapter.
- watty 14y ago
  Are you kidding me? The only similarity to an iPhone is the rectangular shape.
  - wr1472 14y ago
    Isn't that close enough for getting a court order to ban sales?
cs702 14y ago
Great idea. However, I can't help but think that if Lockitron gains meaningful adoption, the various organized-crime groups operating on the web will try to hack the company's backend retrieve lock usage and location data or even gain the ability remotely to open customer locks. (Criminals already pay for stolen credit card information on the web; they would readily pay for lock usage and location data too. How valuable would it be for thieves to know when other people in their own city leave their homes?) I would want to understand how Lockitron might use and secure my lock-usage, location, and other personal information before using the device and service to lock anything important, like my office or my house.
- watty 14y ago
  Credit cards can be used by any thief, hacking tools cannot. A Lockitron hack tool would likely be more in the realm of Metasploit. I'm not saying there won't be hackers/thieves who could do it, just comparing to stolen credit cards is silly.
klinquist 14y ago
Lockitron guys: I would love a similar device for my garage door! Perhaps even integrated into one since most front door deadbolts are going to be within range of a garage door opener. It could support standard Genie/Liftmaster and get 80% of the market.
jamest 14y ago
We use Lockitron on the Firebase office door. I highly recommend it. Giving access to new employees is a couple of clicks, rather than making & tracking a new physical key.
zacharycohn 14y ago
Ahhh crap. I have been building this exact thing in my garage as we speak. Too slow! Well played, Lockitron.
- MortenK 14y ago
  There is always room for one more on the market.
mmmmax 14y ago
Hey, I just backed Lockitron, question: Will Sense work with multiple phones at a time?
stretchwithme 14y ago
I'd be fine with keyless entry over the web if it only worked when I have in my pocket something it also must detect in order to open. And when I actually do want to open it remotely, I get a call with a code I can enter. In other words, some sort of 2 step authentication. And I want to be notified by the app every time that door opens if I am not using the app right then to open it.
hackermani 14y ago
Kudos to the team. This is not a solution for everyone, but there are places (Airbnb, shared access, renter, maybe hotel) where this concept could be invaluable. Even if not for my main door I could use it on the side door to allow multiple access for my family and kids.
elviejo 14y ago
Really nice product can't wait to see it in production. One insignificant caveat: I don't like the interface on the phone to lock unlock. Why use two images, the lock and unlock padlock when one image would suffice.
rdl 14y ago
Wow, I'm amazed that they got wifi to work in the lock itself, vs. using a low-power thing like Zigbee to a base station with AC power. Also, BT 4.0 LE is perfect for this -- since there's no NFC in the iPhone 5, I suspect BT 4.0 LE will end up taking the place of NFC for a lot of "heavier duty" NFC applications -- not that the Bluetooth protocol is great or elegant, but it's a lot easier to work with than NFC, and now BT 4.0 LE exists on both major smartphone platforms. All my earlier criticism of not having a local ACL and local RF communication to the lock, vs. going to/from the Internet, is now resolved. The only thing they're missing is a BT 4.0 LE dongle (which I've seen on Kickstarter called "hone" http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/690528216/hone-for-iphone-4s-never-lose-your-keys-again http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/690528216/hone-for-iphon... -- you could put that on your keyring and use it as an expensive HID proxcard replacement. Same thing works for electronic leash. Now all they need to do is support 5-10 locksets in some kind of private/small business network (vs. putting in a HID access control system), for 0-99 users, and they'll be really innovative. Managing a single door with 0-5 people is comparatively easy; managing an office with turnover is a lot harder, and businesses would happily pay $1-2k for a system to cover their doors and employees with a nice LDAP/AD/FB/etc. interface. Since you can upload your own firmware, it would be entirely possible for a customer to build this.
tosh 14y ago
We're using lockitron at the apartments we stay in San Francisco. It works like a charm. Thinking about getting one for back home :)
thechut 14y ago
Was this a YC company?
MatthewB 14y ago
We use Lockitron at the 500startups offices. It worked well most of the time. The few times it didn't work was very annoying and I had to rely on someone else to open the door for me (from the inside). As long as you have a secondary option for opening the door, it's a great product.
- dfc 14y ago
  " As long as you have a secondary option for opening the door, it's a great product." I can't tell if that is sarcasm?
- avree 14y ago
  We use it at Getaround and it works well all the time. We once had our internet line go out and couldn't lock our office until we found the spare key, though.
icelancer 14y ago
I usually hate these gimmicks, but my god, this is extremely well done. Really need to consider it...
lambersley 14y ago
I'm trying to figure out what real business problem this solves. Help
codinghorror 14y ago
Kudos to the team. This looks fantastic, and I love that it's a v2 product! Preordering now. It could be more clear that the lockitron does two very interesting things, I had to watch the video to figure them out: - knock detection via microphone so you know someone is at the door (awesome) - auto-unlock based on nearby phone presence (presumably bluetooth) so you can just walk into your house. If it works like it's supposed to, this is seriously great.
aprasad 14y ago
I'd like something like this for my car.
bking 14y ago
So what happens when your lock requires holding the door with pressure to have the bolt slide freely? Does it just not lock, or does it tell you it won't lock?
samstave 14y ago
Personally, I would really like to see this attacked by TOOL and Schuyler Towne to see how vulnerable it is. I love the idea of this device, but I also love seeing locks defeated.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
jmjerlecki 14y ago
This looks great. Would love to see a version that has a camera on the front of lockitron so I can see who is at my front door. It sounds incredibly lazy, but being able to open the app and see who is at my front door would prove useful.
- andyjsong 14y ago
  since there is a knock sensor, maybe have a usb camera hooked up to the lock and the camera looking out of the peephole or aimed at the entrance.
spamizbad 14y ago
This looks really cool. One issue with the video around 0:40... Lockitron really needs to buy their hardware engineers some eye protection and magnification devices. You should never solder up close like that without eye protection. What they show in the video probably violates OSHA guidelines.
imtu80 14y ago
I cannot drive to work if I forget my keys. However, I have following idea. A cell phone case with an imbedded radio frequency chip that communicates with your key chain. The purpose of the device is to alert you if get too far away from your phone. This two way radio will not only help you locate your phone, but you can use it to locate your keys as well. You will be able to preset an approximate range boundary which will cause the case/keys to beep when they are too far apart. If you are close to the phone but can not see it, you can make the phone beep by pressing a button.
andyjsong 14y ago
Lockitron even mentions that AirBnB is a great fit + they are both YC companies. Why isn't there a partnership already established between the two companies? Lockitron should be contacting all of AirBnB's most rented property owners to buy the lock.
bond 14y ago
Our company developed a product where you can enter a place just by calling a specific number. If your number is on the registered number's database it will unlock the door... Don't know why they don't do it like that instead of having to send a text...
- Lexarius 14y ago
  How do you deal with caller ID spoofing?
MortenK 14y ago
What happens if the iPhone runs out of battery? The site says it still works if you have "lost power", but I assume this means in the household?
- maxmcd 14y ago
  I assume you could still use a key. Nothing seems to be covering the deadbolt lock on the outside of the door. I have the same problem with two-factor authentication though, I guess you'll just always need a backup.
sly010 14y ago
Today if I loose my keys, I call a locksmith with my phone and pay him with my credit card. A year from now if my phone runs out of battery, I am homeless. :)
philwebster 14y ago
I made this point in another comment, but here it is again: This product can be about much more than solving the problem of forgetting your keys. People with limited dexterity (such as my father, a quadriplegic) would love a product like this. When leaving the house, he would be able to make a few taps on an iPad to lock things up. Right now we don't use a lock because it's behind a garage door, but this would allow us much more flexibility.
run4yourlives 14y ago
The best part about this entire thing is that you can use it on top of an existing lock. Genius.
wprater 14y ago
ripe for airbnb acquisition.
andreipop 14y ago
Haha this reminded me of our fb hackathon project. wrote about it here a while back: http://designcodelearn.com/2012/06/01/i-was-the-worst-coder-in-the-room/ http://designcodelearn.com/2012/06/01/i-was-the-worst-coder-...
com2kid 14y ago
It all sounded good until the "SMS" part. SMS messages are not encrypted and it is possible to sniff them (albeit it is not the simplest thing to do, but it is possible). Of course no one will have your actual house address, unless they cross reference your cell phone number with Facebook! Granted the risk there seems small, basically limited to people without a smart phone who are also in the market for a smart gadget like this. It is good to see that this is disabled by default, but it seems like a really unnecessary security hole.
akavi 14y ago
Is this their official launch? The company I've worked for has had one for a while... Regardless, I'm a fan. The fact that granting and revoking access is so trivial meant that when I was an intern I still had full ability to come and go regardless of the presence of a fulltimer (contrasting with other internships, where hesitance to give interns keys meant if I showed up too early I had to sit on my butt till someone arrived to let me in).
FredBrach 14y ago
Nice one (idea): in my pockets, I've still an iphone, a bunch of keys, credit cards and a pass card for the office...
pitt1980 14y ago
wasn't there a shark tank where something similar was pitched? Thought he said he had patents protecting the idea, who knows what that covered http://today.ucf.edu/ucf-engineering-alum-lands-500000-deal-on-shark-tank-finale/ http://today.ucf.edu/ucf-engineering-alum-lands-500000-deal-... http://abc.go.com/watch/shark-tank/SH559076/VD55203511/week-15 http://abc.go.com/watch/shark-tank/SH559076/VD55203511/week-...
prince_hakeem 14y ago
yawn solution looking for a problem just like Square's cardcase app... my keys work just fine and the security hole opened by putting my home lock on the internet is not something I'd feel comfortable with. Just like I don't want to "pay with my name" at the coffee shop. All these projects intended to save me seconds of time.. yawn
ruswick 14y ago
Is this a neat idea? Sure. But it's nowhere near $150 worth of value. (And, based on their "limited time" copy, it's likely going to rise to a more egregious price in the future.) I'm actually dumbstruck that they've sold 2500 of these. Admittedly, not having leave your couch to lock up or being able to check the status of your locks remotely is by all means a nice offering, but for the price, it's just not worth it. Incidentally, this is also just a workaround. It's a hack. It's likely not to work in all homes or with all locks. Moreover, this thing will likely look out of place and fairly undesirable on most doors, especially on older buildings. An actual installable lock would be incredibly more compelling due to the fact that it will be less bulky and intrusive.
- yinyinwu 14y ago
  I think this is a great idea, and would be really useful for any place where you need to give a lot of people access to the building. If you're renting your home out through Airbnb, being able to give people temp access to your home would be really convenient and also safer than giving them a physical key that they can copy. If you're renting out an apartment or office, lockitron will save the landlord from having to rekey the building after each tenant. The $150 cost is easily recouped if you consider the cost of getting new locks. When I'm expecting the maid to come over to my house, I would love to give them remote access if I'm not home. I'd expect the look of the lock to change substantially with updates, but the conveniences it brings is pretty amazing.
scragg 14y ago
Anyone else notice one of the engineers does not blink in the video?
tylerritchie 14y ago
How long do the batteries last?
Norlan1123 14y ago
patent issue, anyone? http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/22/after-surviving-the-shark-tank-unikey-technologies-raises-1-1m-in-equity-funding/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/22/after-surviving-the-shark-t...
Wistar 14y ago
When I saw that this thing fits over my existing deadbolt two things came to mind and in this order: 1. Wow, that device must have a lot of torque as many deadbolts, mine for example, actually requires some effort to turn, either to lock or unlock. This resistance is caused mainly by the springiness of the weather stripping which pushes back against the door when it is closed. 2. Sometimes, when sunlight falls upon—and heats—the door I need to push or pull slightly on the door in order to turn the deadbolt at all. The door is not dimensionally stable and deadbolt alignment changes. This makes me think that the system would not be reliable. I know my door and deadbolt are not unique in this regard.
stlhood 14y ago
We used the alpha version of Lockitron for over a year at Blockboard's office. Once it was set up everything ran smoothly. We loved it. The final version looks even slicker.
MicahWedemeyer 14y ago
I installed a punch code deadbolt on our front door. It has been a life-changing experience. I need neither phone nor keys and never worry about being locked out. I just have to replace the batteries every couple years. One of the biggest improvements, not offered by the Lockitron, is the lack of needing to fumble in your pockets for anything. If you've got a handful of groceries, it's much easier to shift a bag or two to get a hand free and punch the code than it is to go digging in your pockets.
- runaway 14y ago
  > One of the biggest improvements, not offered by the Lockitron, is the lack of needing to fumble in your pockets for anything Did you watch the full video? This version of Lockitron has proximity-based keyless entry like some cars do. No need to reach into your pockets or punch in a code.
- Simucal 14y ago
  Near the end of the video they demonstrate their newest feature: automatic proximity unlocking via BT 4.0. So in the "hands occupied by groceries" scenario you described, using the Lockitron would be even easier than a punch code.

329 points by tylerhowarth 14y ago

showerst 14y ago

Neat idea, but what makes this worth 150 bucks?

peterwwillis 14y ago
If you've never lost your house keys twice ($75 per visit for a locksmith) then it's not worth it. However, you could give multiple people access to the door this way, which would be cheaper/easier than making copies of keys. Also, with normal keys if you lose one you have to replace the cylinder and all the keys if you're worried about someone using the lost key. This would prevent that expense. I will say, though: if $150 is the discount price, i'm afraid to learn what the regular price is. Businesses seem like the only place this becomes cost effective.
- showerst 14y ago
  Ah, that makes sense to me. I hadn't thought about the multiple people access problem since I've never needed more than one set of guest keys at a time, and the offices I've worked in were all big enough to use keycards. Come to think of it, the market for 'Needs to give multiple people rotating revocable access' is a great fit for AirBnB type services.
nine_k 14y ago
Value? Enough people are happy to pay $150 for it. Things should never be priced based on actual expense unless your margins are infinitely slim.
- bartonfink 14y ago
  I certainly wouldn't pay $150 for that, and was asking myself the same ?. It's not going to appreciably increase the value of my home, so an argument that it's home improvement doesn't hold water for me. It doesn't seem to have that much hardware, which would help me understand the price point even if I still wouldn't pay for it. It simply doesn't solve a problem I have, and at $150, I'm not likely to give it a shot to see if locking my doors manually is really that much of an inconvenience (I doubt it is). I might pay $50, but even then that's a stretch because, as I said, it doesn't solve a problem I've got.
  - Me1000 14y ago
    Since no one is forcing you to buy it, I would simply suggest not buying it and going on with your life. Perhaps that sounds harsh, but there are plenty of products out there that cost a lot of money (much more than $150) which won't bring you any additional value. The new Lockitron will certainly bring value to a lot of people, including renters.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
mdip 14y ago
When I was 16, I was given a car without keyless entry and I was willing to pluck down $200 (that included installation) for the luxury. I could see spending $150 to get similar functionality plus the ability to unlock my home remotely and check the state of the lock on the only door I enter/exit from. My family shares a vacation home up north and I'm tempted to buy this for there as well. Because of its proximity to town (two blocks walk) we've already had plenty of trouble with people locking themselves out because they're not taking their car to the tavern in town and simply forgot their keys in the process. We'd have to get in the habit of only using the deadbolt, or replace the door handle with a non-locking door handle, but it might be worth it to me.

cwe 14y ago

Unikey[1] on Shark Tank last season blew me away, I couldn't wait to see it in action, and be available. This looks like an easier installation process than that, but Unikey has some big names attached to it (Black & Decker). Can't wait to see this tech take off, good luck guys! [1] http://www.unikeytech.com/ http://www.unikeytech.com/

georgespencer 14y ago

We have one of these for our office. It's great.

savrajsingh 14y ago

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-working spaces need this. ;)

larrys 14y ago
I just looked at wattvision.com (your company) after seeing your profile. It looks interesting. However - - Your website is much to slow. - Remove the whois privacy from your domain. You're a business with a business address. No reason to hide your business location.
catch23 14y ago
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.
- paulgerhardt 14y ago
  Continuously connected? No. We'd last about two weeks. We poll infrequently during off hours and more frequently when people are likely to be coming and going. Knocking also wakes it up. Bluetooth 4.0 gets us the rest of the way. It's instant for iPhone 4s and 5 users and we should have rudimentary support for the Android devices with BT4 by March.
  - catch23 14y ago
    So what happens when a packet is sent when you're in sleep mode? Does the device have to renegotiate the connection when waking up? What if you sold a separate device that plugged in the wall and had a constant wifi connection, then used BT4 for communicating with the lock powered by 4xAA? Then you wouldn't even need wifi on the lock. Also, why an arduino mega? Are you using that many I/O pins or is it because your code needs the 256KB of flash?

jcarden 14y ago

Lockitron user here. Love it!

cjoh 14y ago

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 is super handy, whether it be for guests, contractors or what not. But what's really handy? Never worrying about locking yourself out of your house again. If I could just get rid of my car key, I'd be thrilled. [1]http://micasaverde.com/ http://micasaverde.com/ [2]http://amzn.to/QGn2Im http://amzn.to/QGn2Im

eggbrain 14y ago
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.
cjoh 14y ago
The integration with other things is a big deal fwiw. I'm currently playing with NFC and doing things like "when I tap my phone on my night stand, make sure all the doors are locked and turn off all the lights except for the bedroom" We're headed towards the Internet of Things but right now they're all sort of talking with their own software. A house with the Nest thermometer and the Lockitron lock won't be able to execute on the scenario I described above -- and if you're a homeowner you may want to think more long term than investing in one-off solutions for every latest thing a chip goes in to.

bcx 14y ago

We have one of these for our office too, and it works great :-). My only problem is that I want one for my apartment too, so I can stop carrying keys altogether.

klinquist 14y ago

As a renter - the fact that it will now clip onto my existing lock is huge.

pg 14y ago

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.

larrys 14y ago
"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 spare key.
- jevinskie 14y ago
  But the lockbox has been working just fine for hundreds of years and isn't technological enough!
  - ChuckMcM 14y ago
    Remote disable is a killer feature that the lockbox has never really achieved.
    - xradionut 14y ago
      Lockbox + Security system with different pin or code = win
- majormajor 14y ago
  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.)

Semaphor 14y ago

Sadly most doors in Germany have a normal key access installed on the inside as well :/

gwillen 14y ago
Those have become less popular in the US with rising fire-safety awareness, I think. (They are likely to trap inhabitants in the event of a fire.) Given that the device claims to work with almost any deadbolt, and therefore can't be too picky about shape, my guess is it wouldn't be hard to adapt it for your lock. (Just permanently install a key with some handle attached to it for the device to grip.)

iAinsley 14y ago

Kickstarter project, without the kickstarter! It's kickstarter-lite. umm - did the value of Kickstarter just go down? ;)

RandallBrown 14y ago
I believe this is ACTUALLY a preorder, rather than an investment that includes a "prize" if they actually succeed.
- paulgerhardt 14y ago
  It's so we know how many to make. We won't charge anyone's card until they are ready to ship.
  - rdl 14y ago
    I'd seriously consider doing kickstarter too -- once you've got 250-500 preorders outside kickstarter, and popularity on HN, you should be in a great position to have an "overfunded" kickstarter. Yes, they take a cut, but the exposure from kickstarter is probably worth it -- just bump prices 10% if you must. I know I buy a lot of gadgets I might not otherwise know about due to seeing them in my activity feed on kickstarter. Seemed to work well for Pebble...

apawloski 14y ago

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 flash a new image (which includes a rogue key) onto the device?

schiffern 14y ago
Your threat model seems a bit out of whack. Picking your conventional lock has a much better cost/benefit ratio for a thief.
- apawloski 14y ago
  Not necessarily, but I see your point. The threat model you suggest seems to be for a "one and done" event (which is a perfectly valid scenario). But the initial threat model was geared towards repeated, quick, and relatively inconspicuous access to a secure facility.
- nickbarnwell 14y ago
  Breaking a window is actually a far more effective (and common) method of entry for thieves than bothering to pick a lock.
catch23 14y ago
probably not. it uses an arduino mega according to the video, so you'd need serial access to reprogram the arduino.
- apawloski 14y ago
  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 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.

DannoHung 14y ago

Looks neat. Don't think it'll work with my deadbolt though :(

apawloski 14y ago
Here's the supported lock types: https://lockitron.com/help/compatibility https://lockitron.com/help/compatibility It looks like this is compatible with through-hole deadbolts, but not rim deadbolts.

bluetidepro 14y ago

So, do people who use something like this just never lock your bottom handle lock? I live in a busy city and lock both to keep my place secure. I'm not sure I would like just being able to lock the deadbolt but not the handle lock.

RandallBrown 14y ago
My handle doesn't have a lock. I only have a deadbolt. I also have an RFID fob to get in my building and I need to type a code in to my elevator to get to my floor, so I'm not too worried about it.
- bluetidepro 14y ago
  Yeah, that's not too bad but I would still be a bit worried since my place has a door that is accessible from outside. You are lucky with that sort of "double secure" entrance! Haha
plusbryan 14y ago
Having taken a lock picking course, I can say that one lock is approximately the same security as two - even after 15 minutes of instruction, with the right tools I could unlock most any standard house lock in moments. Home door locks are a deterrent more than anything else, so I'd opt for convenience.
- bluetidepro 14y ago
  Oh, okay. That's actually really interesting, I had no idea. Haha Thanks! :)
- jeltz 14y ago
  This is not true everywhere. For example here in Sweden the second lock is usually a lever tumbler lock or some variant thereof. Way harder to pick than pin tumbler locks. What matters is the type of lock, not the number of locks.

plusbryan 14y ago

Looks great, but I'm reticent to replace my mortise-style door lock. Maybe future versions will support this type of lock? Other than sizing considerations, I don't see why not.

larrys 14y ago

Right now, the website is down or perhaps cloudflare is having issues. I did get a look and was going to make a comment (which I wanted to verify) that the site in no way shows that the company had built another product (at least not from a quick look). Now I can't even get a look at the site. This isn't 1996. Why are people having so many issues with delivering simple reliability to a 1 page website?

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
tylerhowarth 14y ago
This is their second product. The original Lockitron came out in 2011 or so. I know many people who installed them in their offices.

trotsky 14y ago

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 14y ago
[deleted]
apawloski 14y ago
To be fair (I share some of your hesitance), the old-fashioned key still works, so if for some reason one of these dependencies was unmet, then you're not totally out of luck.
nollidge 14y ago
Or bluetooth or NFC, which to me are far more enticing.
- eco 14y ago
  The website says it works with both Bluetooth and NFC.
  - veemjeem 14y ago
    Probably not NFC though. You need a much smaller distance to read NFC (or a much bigger antenna). I doubt it could read a NFC keycard through the thickness of the door. I'm sure all that metal in the lock would act as a great RF shield too. It uses more power than BT4, and all devices that have NFC also have BT4 so it probably wouldn't make sense to power both.
    - bradtgmurray 14y ago
      They have an external NFC tag that you can place near your front door that triggers the app on your phone to unlock your door through the web.

psychotik 14y ago

Why not use a lock with a keycode instead? I don't see a single scenario where Lockitron works better. http://consumer.schlage.com/Products/Pages/category-landing.aspx?category=Electronic+Keypad+Locks http://consumer.schlage.com/Products/Pages/category-landing....

plusbryan 14y ago
For me, it'd be about guest access. Sure, you could give out your codes, and then change them later, but that's a pain (with the Schlage products at least).
- psychotik 14y ago
  FWIW, I find it simple enough to add/remove codes as needed. I can see how punching ~15 buttons can be a pain, but I don't find it so.
  - veemjeem 14y ago
    I think the main benefit here is that it works with your existing lock, so it could work on apartments, dorm rooms, office doors, etc. Those key code deadlocks have always existed, but never very popular.
    - khairulzaman 14y ago
      In the US, maybe. Here in Seoul it's everywhere. Practically all apartment units come with them pre-installed.
dmpatierno 14y ago
Renters. Lockitron isn't viewable from the outside.
s_henry_paulson 14y ago
The user codes for these products are 4 digits, and 4 digit codes do not offer much security. I had a 4 digit Master lock in 7th grade, and an 8th grader spent a little bit of time with the lock, determined the passcode (chosen at random), and then changed the combination. I wouldn't put one of these locks on my home, or on anything that I wanted to actually "lock"

ssharp 14y ago

It's pretty obvious that more and more things are converging to the phone. We've already seen how modern smartphones have markets like the point-and-shoot camera and portable music player. It makes sense to carry around one device that does as much as possible. And I love the extension of the smartphone into these home automation areas (though I realize locks have a significantly greater market than just that). What troubles me right now is the fracturing, but that's inevitable in emerging markets. It would just be nice to have a really great product line that I could use to unlock deadbolts, open my garage door, automate my lights, control switches / outlets, program my thermostat, etc.

jared314 14y ago

I love the idea, but, now, when I loose my phone I will be cashless, unable to call someone for help, and locked out of my home. I also hope they salt their password hashes.

polshaw 14y ago

> 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.

arkonaut 14y ago
i think this is quite smart. it's not just the hype, but similar to app.net, it's guaranteeing there is a minimum threshold of demand. what do you mean by 'ballsy to sidestep kickstarter.' has kickstarter become some kind of sole-arbiter of product development? FWIW, if this style of e-commerce continues, someone should develop the API for this/app.net type of sales instead of each building the billing system from scratch.
- polshaw 14y ago
  Kickstarter is definitely the existing sole-arbiter of crowd sourcing funding. They have brought massive crowds to YC companies so i think it is a significant move to walk away from that to save 5%.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]

tripngroove 14y ago

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.

rflrob 14y ago

Looks like a really cool product, but as a note to the marketing department: the product itself looks just a little bit too much like an iPhone. I got confused for a moment, and thought the device was an iPhone with a picture of the deadbolt on it. There's probably a way to make the materials somewhat clearer that the Lockitron is the big square bit, and not the C-shaped mounting adapter.

watty 14y ago
Are you kidding me? The only similarity to an iPhone is the rectangular shape.
- wr1472 14y ago
  Isn't that close enough for getting a court order to ban sales?

cs702 14y ago

Great idea. However, I can't help but think that if Lockitron gains meaningful adoption, the various organized-crime groups operating on the web will try to hack the company's backend retrieve lock usage and location data or even gain the ability remotely to open customer locks. (Criminals already pay for stolen credit card information on the web; they would readily pay for lock usage and location data too. How valuable would it be for thieves to know when other people in their own city leave their homes?) I would want to understand how Lockitron might use and secure my lock-usage, location, and other personal information before using the device and service to lock anything important, like my office or my house.

watty 14y ago
Credit cards can be used by any thief, hacking tools cannot. A Lockitron hack tool would likely be more in the realm of Metasploit. I'm not saying there won't be hackers/thieves who could do it, just comparing to stolen credit cards is silly.

klinquist 14y ago

Lockitron guys: I would love a similar device for my garage door! Perhaps even integrated into one since most front door deadbolts are going to be within range of a garage door opener. It could support standard Genie/Liftmaster and get 80% of the market.

jamest 14y ago

We use Lockitron on the Firebase office door. I highly recommend it. Giving access to new employees is a couple of clicks, rather than making & tracking a new physical key.

zacharycohn 14y ago

Ahhh crap. I have been building this exact thing in my garage as we speak. Too slow! Well played, Lockitron.

MortenK 14y ago
There is always room for one more on the market.

mmmmax 14y ago

Hey, I just backed Lockitron, question: Will Sense work with multiple phones at a time?

stretchwithme 14y ago

I'd be fine with keyless entry over the web if it only worked when I have in my pocket something it also must detect in order to open. And when I actually do want to open it remotely, I get a call with a code I can enter. In other words, some sort of 2 step authentication. And I want to be notified by the app every time that door opens if I am not using the app right then to open it.

hackermani 14y ago

Kudos to the team. This is not a solution for everyone, but there are places (Airbnb, shared access, renter, maybe hotel) where this concept could be invaluable. Even if not for my main door I could use it on the side door to allow multiple access for my family and kids.

elviejo 14y ago

Really nice product can't wait to see it in production. One insignificant caveat: I don't like the interface on the phone to lock unlock. Why use two images, the lock and unlock padlock when one image would suffice.

rdl 14y ago

Wow, I'm amazed that they got wifi to work in the lock itself, vs. using a low-power thing like Zigbee to a base station with AC power. Also, BT 4.0 LE is perfect for this -- since there's no NFC in the iPhone 5, I suspect BT 4.0 LE will end up taking the place of NFC for a lot of "heavier duty" NFC applications -- not that the Bluetooth protocol is great or elegant, but it's a lot easier to work with than NFC, and now BT 4.0 LE exists on both major smartphone platforms. All my earlier criticism of not having a local ACL and local RF communication to the lock, vs. going to/from the Internet, is now resolved. The only thing they're missing is a BT 4.0 LE dongle (which I've seen on Kickstarter called "hone" http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/690528216/hone-for-iphone-4s-never-lose-your-keys-again http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/690528216/hone-for-iphon... -- you could put that on your keyring and use it as an expensive HID proxcard replacement. Same thing works for electronic leash. Now all they need to do is support 5-10 locksets in some kind of private/small business network (vs. putting in a HID access control system), for 0-99 users, and they'll be really innovative. Managing a single door with 0-5 people is comparatively easy; managing an office with turnover is a lot harder, and businesses would happily pay $1-2k for a system to cover their doors and employees with a nice LDAP/AD/FB/etc. interface. Since you can upload your own firmware, it would be entirely possible for a customer to build this.

tosh 14y ago

We're using lockitron at the apartments we stay in San Francisco. It works like a charm. Thinking about getting one for back home :)

thechut 14y ago

Was this a YC company?

MatthewB 14y ago

We use Lockitron at the 500startups offices. It worked well most of the time. The few times it didn't work was very annoying and I had to rely on someone else to open the door for me (from the inside). As long as you have a secondary option for opening the door, it's a great product.

dfc 14y ago
" As long as you have a secondary option for opening the door, it's a great product." I can't tell if that is sarcasm?
avree 14y ago
We use it at Getaround and it works well all the time. We once had our internet line go out and couldn't lock our office until we found the spare key, though.

icelancer 14y ago

I usually hate these gimmicks, but my god, this is extremely well done. Really need to consider it...

lambersley 14y ago

I'm trying to figure out what real business problem this solves. Help

codinghorror 14y ago

Kudos to the team. This looks fantastic, and I love that it's a v2 product! Preordering now. It could be more clear that the lockitron does two very interesting things, I had to watch the video to figure them out: - knock detection via microphone so you know someone is at the door (awesome) - auto-unlock based on nearby phone presence (presumably bluetooth) so you can just walk into your house. If it works like it's supposed to, this is seriously great.

aprasad 14y ago

I'd like something like this for my car.

bking 14y ago

So what happens when your lock requires holding the door with pressure to have the bolt slide freely? Does it just not lock, or does it tell you it won't lock?

samstave 14y ago

Personally, I would really like to see this attacked by TOOL and Schuyler Towne to see how vulnerable it is. I love the idea of this device, but I also love seeing locks defeated.

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

jmjerlecki 14y ago

This looks great. Would love to see a version that has a camera on the front of lockitron so I can see who is at my front door. It sounds incredibly lazy, but being able to open the app and see who is at my front door would prove useful.

andyjsong 14y ago
since there is a knock sensor, maybe have a usb camera hooked up to the lock and the camera looking out of the peephole or aimed at the entrance.

spamizbad 14y ago

This looks really cool. One issue with the video around 0:40... Lockitron really needs to buy their hardware engineers some eye protection and magnification devices. You should never solder up close like that without eye protection. What they show in the video probably violates OSHA guidelines.

imtu80 14y ago

I cannot drive to work if I forget my keys. However, I have following idea. A cell phone case with an imbedded radio frequency chip that communicates with your key chain. The purpose of the device is to alert you if get too far away from your phone. This two way radio will not only help you locate your phone, but you can use it to locate your keys as well. You will be able to preset an approximate range boundary which will cause the case/keys to beep when they are too far apart. If you are close to the phone but can not see it, you can make the phone beep by pressing a button.

andyjsong 14y ago

Lockitron even mentions that AirBnB is a great fit + they are both YC companies. Why isn't there a partnership already established between the two companies? Lockitron should be contacting all of AirBnB's most rented property owners to buy the lock.

bond 14y ago

Our company developed a product where you can enter a place just by calling a specific number. If your number is on the registered number's database it will unlock the door... Don't know why they don't do it like that instead of having to send a text...

Lexarius 14y ago
How do you deal with caller ID spoofing?

MortenK 14y ago

What happens if the iPhone runs out of battery? The site says it still works if you have "lost power", but I assume this means in the household?

maxmcd 14y ago
I assume you could still use a key. Nothing seems to be covering the deadbolt lock on the outside of the door. I have the same problem with two-factor authentication though, I guess you'll just always need a backup.

sly010 14y ago

Today if I loose my keys, I call a locksmith with my phone and pay him with my credit card. A year from now if my phone runs out of battery, I am homeless. :)

philwebster 14y ago

I made this point in another comment, but here it is again: This product can be about much more than solving the problem of forgetting your keys. People with limited dexterity (such as my father, a quadriplegic) would love a product like this. When leaving the house, he would be able to make a few taps on an iPad to lock things up. Right now we don't use a lock because it's behind a garage door, but this would allow us much more flexibility.

run4yourlives 14y ago

The best part about this entire thing is that you can use it on top of an existing lock. Genius.

wprater 14y ago

ripe for airbnb acquisition.

andreipop 14y ago

Haha this reminded me of our fb hackathon project. wrote about it here a while back: http://designcodelearn.com/2012/06/01/i-was-the-worst-coder-in-the-room/ http://designcodelearn.com/2012/06/01/i-was-the-worst-coder-...

com2kid 14y ago

It all sounded good until the "SMS" part. SMS messages are not encrypted and it is possible to sniff them (albeit it is not the simplest thing to do, but it is possible). Of course no one will have your actual house address, unless they cross reference your cell phone number with Facebook! Granted the risk there seems small, basically limited to people without a smart phone who are also in the market for a smart gadget like this. It is good to see that this is disabled by default, but it seems like a really unnecessary security hole.

akavi 14y ago

Is this their official launch? The company I've worked for has had one for a while... Regardless, I'm a fan. The fact that granting and revoking access is so trivial meant that when I was an intern I still had full ability to come and go regardless of the presence of a fulltimer (contrasting with other internships, where hesitance to give interns keys meant if I showed up too early I had to sit on my butt till someone arrived to let me in).

FredBrach 14y ago

Nice one (idea): in my pockets, I've still an iphone, a bunch of keys, credit cards and a pass card for the office...

pitt1980 14y ago

wasn't there a shark tank where something similar was pitched? Thought he said he had patents protecting the idea, who knows what that covered http://today.ucf.edu/ucf-engineering-alum-lands-500000-deal-on-shark-tank-finale/ http://today.ucf.edu/ucf-engineering-alum-lands-500000-deal-... http://abc.go.com/watch/shark-tank/SH559076/VD55203511/week-15 http://abc.go.com/watch/shark-tank/SH559076/VD55203511/week-...

prince_hakeem 14y ago

yawn solution looking for a problem just like Square's cardcase app... my keys work just fine and the security hole opened by putting my home lock on the internet is not something I'd feel comfortable with. Just like I don't want to "pay with my name" at the coffee shop. All these projects intended to save me seconds of time.. yawn

ruswick 14y ago

Is this a neat idea? Sure. But it's nowhere near $150 worth of value. (And, based on their "limited time" copy, it's likely going to rise to a more egregious price in the future.) I'm actually dumbstruck that they've sold 2500 of these. Admittedly, not having leave your couch to lock up or being able to check the status of your locks remotely is by all means a nice offering, but for the price, it's just not worth it. Incidentally, this is also just a workaround. It's a hack. It's likely not to work in all homes or with all locks. Moreover, this thing will likely look out of place and fairly undesirable on most doors, especially on older buildings. An actual installable lock would be incredibly more compelling due to the fact that it will be less bulky and intrusive.

yinyinwu 14y ago
I think this is a great idea, and would be really useful for any place where you need to give a lot of people access to the building. If you're renting your home out through Airbnb, being able to give people temp access to your home would be really convenient and also safer than giving them a physical key that they can copy. If you're renting out an apartment or office, lockitron will save the landlord from having to rekey the building after each tenant. The $150 cost is easily recouped if you consider the cost of getting new locks. When I'm expecting the maid to come over to my house, I would love to give them remote access if I'm not home. I'd expect the look of the lock to change substantially with updates, but the conveniences it brings is pretty amazing.

scragg 14y ago

Anyone else notice one of the engineers does not blink in the video?

tylerritchie 14y ago

How long do the batteries last?

Norlan1123 14y ago

patent issue, anyone? http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/22/after-surviving-the-shark-tank-unikey-technologies-raises-1-1m-in-equity-funding/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/06/22/after-surviving-the-shark-t...

Wistar 14y ago

When I saw that this thing fits over my existing deadbolt two things came to mind and in this order: 1. Wow, that device must have a lot of torque as many deadbolts, mine for example, actually requires some effort to turn, either to lock or unlock. This resistance is caused mainly by the springiness of the weather stripping which pushes back against the door when it is closed. 2. Sometimes, when sunlight falls upon—and heats—the door I need to push or pull slightly on the door in order to turn the deadbolt at all. The door is not dimensionally stable and deadbolt alignment changes. This makes me think that the system would not be reliable. I know my door and deadbolt are not unique in this regard.

stlhood 14y ago

We used the alpha version of Lockitron for over a year at Blockboard's office. Once it was set up everything ran smoothly. We loved it. The final version looks even slicker.

MicahWedemeyer 14y ago

I installed a punch code deadbolt on our front door. It has been a life-changing experience. I need neither phone nor keys and never worry about being locked out. I just have to replace the batteries every couple years. One of the biggest improvements, not offered by the Lockitron, is the lack of needing to fumble in your pockets for anything. If you've got a handful of groceries, it's much easier to shift a bag or two to get a hand free and punch the code than it is to go digging in your pockets.

runaway 14y ago
> One of the biggest improvements, not offered by the Lockitron, is the lack of needing to fumble in your pockets for anything Did you watch the full video? This version of Lockitron has proximity-based keyless entry like some cars do. No need to reach into your pockets or punch in a code.
Simucal 14y ago
Near the end of the video they demonstrate their newest feature: automatic proximity unlocking via BT 4.0. So in the "hands occupied by groceries" scenario you described, using the Lockitron would be even easier than a punch code.