Apple Stops Selling iPhone-Connected Smart Locks from August and Kevo

[Skoal]

Cue loads of people moaning about how unsafe wireless locks are and how you can't get into your house when their phone dies etc etc etc zzzzzz

Spends hilarious amount on questionably better mousetrap. Justifies it with preemptive post about those who dissent.

 

[SlipperySlop]

Spends hilarious amount on questionably better mousetrap. Justifies it with preemptive post about those who dissent.

It's not questionable. The concept is great. Open remotely. Add codes. Set automations. Etc. Unfortunately, the Apple HomeKit bluetooth implementation, used remotely via apple tv, is very flakey. But z wave products are excellent. I actually feel more secure with this "better mousetrap" than with only a key.

As far as preemptive, I suspect he's anticipating all the bashing from those who haven't spent more than 10 seconds with one of these. Have you?

 

[cammackan]

I think one just needs to check the reviews on Amazon to understand why Apple pulled these 2 locks and kept the Schlage...

 

[cammackan]

The Kevo works great. But now I'm mad because I purchased it 3 weeks ago because Apple trotted it out at their conference saying it was made for HomeKit. I knew it wasn't fully compatible yet just like most of the HomeKit stuff but I figured it would work once the Kevo Plus was out. Now I'm stuck with a $200 lock that isn't compatible with the rest of my HomeKit stuff. Guess I'll try to take it back to Best Buy tomorrow and get the Schalge Sense. Too many devices have been announced as HomeKit only to later get pulled. They need to get their act together.

 

[Skoal]

It's not questionable. The concept is great. Open remotely. Add codes. Set automations. Etc. Unfortunately, the Apple HomeKit bluetooth implementation, used remotely via apple tv, is very flakey. But z wave products are excellent. I actually feel more secure with this "better mousetrap" than with only a key.

As far as preemptive, I suspect he's anticipating all the bashing from those who haven't spent more than 10 seconds with one of these. Have you?

Yes. I was a huge proponent of the August lock and got in early prior to its release. Waited and waited as the delivery date kept getting pushed back over and over. I didn't really mind as I wanted a solid product but when they finally arrived there were issues. No huge deal as I know what it means to be an early adopter. I sent them back after a few weeks of unreliability having decided the advantage of these locks just didn't trump the downsides I was dealing with.

I consider the idea of these locks to be great but actually being a benefit very questionable. Adding multiple points of failure to a simple, easily useable device is a step back for a small amount of convenience. Just my opinion and I may change it one day. As for the post I originally responded to. That was trolling plain and simple.

 

[JackANSI]

I really have no desire to bring electrical wires to my door. And then we would need a transformer to use it with the door lock. No thanks. Just as it would be a real job to bring electrical power to all of my smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. My camera requires a battery that I have to recharge. (I do use rechargeable batteries almost exclusively). My automatic soap dispensers use batteries.

Yes, batteries are a fact of life. I've learned to live with it. I set a yearly calendar event to remind me to change batteries in various devices such as the smoke detectors. I'll spend a 1/2 hour doing this, and I'm done for a year. Really, really isn't a big deal.

With the Schlage Connect, I can set up automations. At night, it will automatically lock the door in case I forgot and set a tamper alert. I had given some keys to my place to some people that I don't communicate with anymore and don't want to collect those keys. Now, I give a code to those people who need access (i.e. neighbor for emergency, pet sitter), and if they no longer need access in the future, I simply delete the code.

Everytime I open the app, I see a readout on the battery reserve. Really no significant risk of having the batteries run out without plenty of advance warning.

As far as still carrying a key around, again, not a big deal. I carry a fob for my car, a key to the garage, keys for work, etc. I'm now confident enough in this lock, that if I forgot to take my keys with me and locked the door behind me, I can easily get in without calling a locksmith or hoping a neighbor who had a copy of the key was home. And this has happened a few times in the past.

Yes, we have more choices to make regarding both simplifying, and at the same time complicating, our lives. I choose some and reject others. Many times the advantages far outweigh the negatives. That is the case for me using an electronic lock.

No "transformers" needed. My "perfect" situation was stated as PoE, which is plentiful in my house, my entire installed wired ethernet setup is PoE capable. I'd accept any wired variant as viable 2nd to wireless though. There is a pair of cat6 drops about 3 feet from front door already, one is being used with 1 of 2 wired outdoor IP cameras. Just need to get out the "bendy bit", poke a hole through a few studs, and punch down a splice in the existing box. Then to get it on the door: http://us.allegion.com/IRSTDocs/DataSheet/105006.pdf (simple matter of drilling into the door to get the wires from the hinge side)

Easy as pie and about 25 minutes. (Even if I had to run a new line from the rack, thats less than 30 extra minutes. 30 minutes and I'll never have to mess with it ever again, no batteries, no fussing around with getting a stable signal, least amount of delay.)

All my smoke/heat alarms are "powered" from the fire alarm panel... 1x 12v battery in that panel that only needs changed every 7 years. Same with my burglar alarm. No need to run "real power" anywhere at all. This is the way it has been done for years because it "just works every time".

You seem to have a real narrow view with little knowledge of how these things are done in real installations. Local wireless really isn't a part of an uptime critical installation, unless there is absolutely no other way. I definitely consider locks, fire alarms, and security as uptime critical.

The downfall of any non-licensed wireless can be described simply as "Wide acceptance/market penetration, more interference and problems." If Z-Wave became the leading standard and everyone started using it, as time progresses, it would become just as unreliable as wifi and bluetooth. No one needs that while trying to lock/unlock a door, turn on/off a light, etc...