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Kwikset Launches 2nd Gen 'Kevo' Smart Lock With Improved Security [Updated]

Kevo

"Hey i'd like to sell you a door lock that connects to a network"

customer

"Great! Is it HomeKit compatible?"

Kevo

"Um we're looking into that but security really isn't our focus"

customer

"but....you're a door lock."


PASS
 
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Reactions: macduke and friedmud
Chupa Chupa said:
Not sure why Homekit compatibility is necessary w/ a lock. I have the non-Homekit version of the August lock and don't really see where Homekit would make it any easier. I have mine in my garage. When I'm near my house it unlocks automatically. Not having to pull out a key or device w/ a handfull of groceries is a beautiful thing.

I also have a Hue light that is geofenced and Homekit does come in handy there. When I go upstairs I just tell Siri to turn that light off.
Click to expand...

Homekit for the lock is useful for the same reason. While in bed at night: "Hey Siri lock the garage door". Plus the ability to do "scenes": "Hey Siri goodnight" (which will turn out all of your lights and lock all of your doors).

How can Siri integration with your lock NOT be a useful thing?
 
tasset said:
I have the original Kevo (originally on the front entrance, now on the back door) and now a Schlage Sense that does work great with HomeKit and Siri. At this point there is no excuse for Kwikset to not include HomeKit support other than they have their own ecosystem desires marginalized.
[doublepost=1472576610][/doublepost]

That may be great, but until the Watch is truly iPhone-independent it's not going to happen. Especially if you mean relying on bluetooth only. I don't see HomeKit/Siri ever not using wifi.
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I meant Bluetooth / NFC.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
I turned my garage door into a connected garage door by buying a $30 box that gives my garage door an internet connection.
Click to expand...

I'll bite - have any info on that? I'm looking for something I can check on remotely so I can satisfy myself that I did, indeed remember to close the garagae door when I left.
 
Iconoclysm said:
It's already beyond the point where you'd need the watch. You don't need to tap anything but have the phone nearby then tap the lock.
[doublepost=1472580068][/doublepost]

Windows are also easy to break. If a thief is well researched enough to be able to hack my lock after he figures out what it is, he should probably just get a job.
Click to expand...
I don't want to take the phone running with me when I jog...
 
PinkyMacGodess said:
The folks at blackhat say those locks are really easy to hack and break into. Not much 'protection'. And in that case, 'bumping' would be the least of the problem...
Click to expand...

Actually, the Kevo was the only lock that the hackers were unable to penetrate.
[doublepost=1472591370][/doublepost]
ksnell said:
I still don't understand how this technology works. What keeps someone from ringing the doorbell, having you walk to the door from the inside with your phone to check who it is, then they tap the lock and unlock the door from the outside?
Click to expand...

I have a Kevo... and that's the big feature. It's able to detect if your eKey (phone) is inside or outside... so it won't allow the touch to open to work if there's no valid key outside of the door.
[doublepost=1472591484][/doublepost]
nuckinfutz said:
Kevo

"Hey i'd like to sell you a door lock that connects to a network"

customer

"Great! Is it HomeKit compatible?"

Kevo

"Um we're looking into that but security really isn't our focus"

customer

"but....you're a door lock."


PASS
Click to expand...
HomeKit = security? As a Kevo user, I want Siri support too, lol, but I'd rather have Touch to Open over HomeKit any day. I don't want to have to talk to my lock, I want it to open passively.
 
MacRebellion said:
Actually, the Kevo was the only lock that the hackers were unable to penetrate.
[doublepost=1472591370][/doublepost]

I have a Kevo... and that's the big feature. It's able to detect if your eKey (phone) is inside or outside... so it won't allow the touch to open to work if there's no valid key outside of the door.
[doublepost=1472591484][/doublepost]
HomeKit = security? As a Kevo user, I want Siri support too, lol, but I'd rather have Touch to Open over HomeKit any day. I don't want to have to talk to my lock, I want it to open passively.
Click to expand...


Sounds pretty slick. Obviously everyone wants their door lock to be secure, but locks only keep the honest people out. If someone wants in, they are getting in. Pretty easy for someone to break a window or door and enter if they really wanted to.
 
Why are these things always deadbolts? I'd much rather leave my deadboat "dead" as in unpowered and have my door handle lock be smart and convenient.
 
PinkyMacGodess said:
I may be wrong. Apparently the Kevo with the Kevo Plus unit are 'the best choice for the homeowner'. I'm wondering which one was the worst then. Thought for sure it was the Kwikset. But the Shlage is an ANSI grade 1 lock. :confused:

Hmm... Apparently: "The Kwikset Kevo Doorlock – a $200 deadbolt – can be opened with a flathead screwdriver."
Click to expand...

Yeah I read that, too! It is concerning but I think anyone can get into the actual house if we're talking a brute force attack. I googled it and see that CNET and others report it's fixed in new Kevo and more secure than the first, so they say.

http://www.cnet.com/products/kwikset-kevo-2nd-gen-bluetooth-smart-lock/
 
I have some Hue lights, and I like them a lot. It's great that they're HomeKit enabled, though Siri has missed enough times (not a lot, but enough), that I usually opt the one of the several Hue dimmer switches nearby. The security exposure is that someone could make my living room kind of bright, so I'm not too worried.

But I absolutely would not want an electronically-controlled remotely-activated door lock, HomeKit or otherwise, any time in the next five years (I'd say "ever", but then I'd have to finish this post with "you kids get off my lawn") - the benefit is not great, the risks are too high, and there's way too much non-secure consumer hardware out there these days - locks like these would need to earn my trust (maybe take it to the Black Hat conference and show the folks there being foiled by it). Being able to set my living room lights easily to a near infinite variety of settings/colors is a useful benefit, but I just don't see the big win for electronic door locks on a house.
 
I would be more interested to see the security features to make this a fail safe for a first time buyer, at least a piece of mind with this price tag.
 
macduke said:
I bought the Schlage Sense lock for my new home a couple months ago and it has been fantastic. I love using my Apple Watch to open my door when I get home, and it's great for our in-home daycare because I can set passcodes for all the parents during daycare hours and they can easily let themselves in and go downstairs to drop off or pick up their kid.
Click to expand...

i agree the schlage is much better overall secure lock. i love my schlage sense lock:)
 
most apartment buildings have fobs. fobs work because they are high cost but have many users. The reason keys and locks work fine is because they don't require technology and are cheap enough for single users to install where needed without that tech link being required.

This system is pointless because it's not secure, it installs in doors that are too weak and aren't lock picked anyway. It's expensive and only single user.

If I were this company I would invest in businesses not consumers. I'd offer a system for fobs, iPhones and android. You could make serious money if you supplied door entry systems not these gimmick versions.
 
UAV said:
i agree the schlage is much better overall secure lock. i love my schlage sense lock:)
Click to expand...
I was hesitant because of some of the early reviews, but I think they've got the kinks worked out by now. The Bluetooth range is actually pretty decent. I turned on Airplane Mode and turned Bluetooth back on, and it even worked downstairs in many areas towards the back of my house with my iPhone 6s. It bridges fine to my Apple TV in my living room, which is about 25ft away. Only issue I've had is that about once every three weeks Siri doesn't connect to it on first try but it always works the second time.

The only things I'd like improved are the capability to adjust some additional setttings:

The first is to increase the time limit for auto-lock, as I bought it for our in-home daycare and sometimes parents don't get in and out within the 4 minute time limit, which just means they have an extra step to unlock the door while they're carrying their kid, diaper bag and whatever else out the door. Just a little inconvenient. Even just a bump to 6-8 minutes would be great. I'm not sure why it's not just an input value where we can put whatever we want, but I noticed when I used a third party homekit app, I could "over crank" it to 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Why is that significant? Because that's 255 seconds, and 255 is often used as a limit in basic chipsets, so it might not be possible to adjust this. However, I'm not sure why I couldn't just set a Homekit scheduled action instead to lock the door a set period after it has been unlocked.

The second is to allow scheduling of the door alarm and chime settings. During daycare hours, it's handy to have the chime set so my wife knows when a parent is coming down. I'd really like to have the door alarm switch to off in the evening, and then switch to alarm mode later in the evening and overnight without having to go into the settings to change it every day. I'm hopeful that they can make this setting available to HomeKit via an update, as right now it's only showing a setting to completely turn it on or off. Then it's just a matter of setting up a schedule. I wish I knew more about how HomeKit works, because maybe these third party apps just aren't picking up what the auto lock timer setting does so they don't display it? Anyone know? The apps I've tried are the Eve app and the iDevices app.
 
Yuniverse said:
How do these compare with the 2nd generation(Homekit enabled) August locks? Other than the Home-kit, does the August locks have bump-protection?
[doublepost=1472576298][/doublepost]

the point about the LED is dead-on. Why be conspicuous? It could actually attract criminals.
BTW, which $30 box are you using on your garage door?
Click to expand...

iwbyte said:
I'll bite - have any info on that? I'm looking for something I can check on remotely so I can satisfy myself that I did, indeed remember to close the garagae door when I left.
Click to expand...

It was a MyQ Bridge Internet Gateway or something like that. It was in the garage opener and motors section of Home Depot.

You sync it to your motor just like any other garage opener (IE, the one built into your car), then you plug it into your modem to give it an internet connection. Set up an account on line and you're able to view your garage status and open or close it from anywhere with an internet connection. Also has the ability to set alarms and notifications and whatnot if your garage is opened at an odd hour, or left open for a long time, etc.

Nobody on the outside knows I have it unless I tell them though. It's all inside my house, behind my garage door. You have no idea what motor I have when my garage door is shut. In contrast to this thing, which almost couldn't be louder with its branding.
 
I still like the Schlage Sense lock with a keypad better. We bought a home in January and installed it within days. We had different contractors coming over to the house to do various projects since then and I can give them a unique access code to use with the keypad and limit what days and times that code will work.
 
tasset said:
Surely Alarm.com requires cloud (and therefore connected to a phone or wifi) to be able to do that, and also requres an Alarm.com subscription service.
Click to expand...
It uses it's own cellular connection. So it doesn't require use your home's wifi network. Yes there is a subscription service but Alarm.com can do SOOO much more then Apple Homekit or Samsung SmartThings.
For example you can created a rule when you unlock the Front Door, the Security system will disarm and hall lights will turn on. Even supports geo-fencing so if I leave my garage open when I leave my fence, Alarm.com will send a push notification letting me know that I left it open. It's even support by Amazon Echo which is really cool!
 
macduke said:
I bought the Schlage Sense lock for my new home a couple months ago and it has been fantastic. I love using my Apple Watch to open my door when I get home, and it's great for our in-home daycare because I can set passcodes for all the parents during daycare hours and they can easily let themselves in and go downstairs to drop off or pick up their kid.
Click to expand...
macduke said:
I bought the Schlage Sense lock for my new home a couple months ago and it has been fantastic. I love using my Apple Watch to open my door when I get home, and it's great for our in-home daycare because I can set passcodes for all the parents during daycare hours and they can easily let themselves in and go downstairs to drop off or pick up their kid.
Click to expand...
was going to get that too...then found this..locked bumped in less than 5 seconds and no alarm goes off
[doublepost=1483995457][/doublepost]
ckurt25 said:
I still like the Schlage Sense lock with a keypad better. We bought a home in January and installed it within days. We had different contractors coming over to the house to do various projects since then and I can give them a unique access code to use with the keypad and limit what days and times that code will work.
Click to expand...
tweeted to schlage today..this lock can be bumped in 5 seconds with no alarm going off either.
 
Lock picking and bumping have become more common around my neighborhood. It's still less common than entry through an unlocked door or an open window in the summer. I caught a guy trying my front door on security camera. Just walked right up and tried it. Didn't get in, so onto the next house he went. Just as brazen as package theft, also caught on camera.

Ask your local police department for a security audit. You might be surprised at what they'll find you can improve on. A deadbolt is just one part of a bigger picture of security: Deter, Monitor, Insure.
 
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