Kwikset's Kevo Smart Door Lock Adds Free Guest eKeys, Scheduling for Standard eKeys

[kingtj]

re: carrying a key with you

I don't really understand your complaint here? If you're that worried about the iPhone not being sufficient for you as a reliable way to unlock or lock your front door, then this probably isn't a product targeting your needs in the first place.

I don't think they necessarily expect you to carry the physical key around with you all the time, but they probably do assume you can come up with some sort of safe, but accessible place to put that key. Perhaps even keep one with a next-door neighbor you trust? I know personally, I wouldn't even mind keeping the key on my keychain that I'm already going to have with me all the time because it has my car key on it, and my office key. The convenience comes in by just being able to tap on the lock to open it, without having to constantly fish for the key in my pocket.

The extra keys they're selling appear to be bluetooth electronic key-fobs, too. So THOSE are the ones you'd dole out to hired help (complete with ability to control when they're allowed in/out). They won't need an iOS device at all to use the fob -- and presumably, the batteries in those will last for something like a year without replacement.

Isn't the whole point of this lock to not carry a key with you?
If you have to carry a key, than why use the Iphone, when the key is readily available to stick into the jagged slot and turn it?

For $200 I would like to have a nicer solution than to carry the "Iphone key" and a manual backup with me.

It kind of misses the point of having a keyless lock.

If I had a maid or a janitor than either one of these people would also have to get a metal key in addition to the electronic one..... just in case their phone is low on juice. Hmmmmmmm

Do I have a suggestion to fix this? Not really. Just trying to imagine the lock being used by regular people.

And those of you suggesting to use a fake rock to hide a key in my garden..... I don't have a fake rock or a garden, or even a flower pot outside my door. I just have a door to an apartment in a building in New York

 

[Keane16]

So you are asking that some one build an firewall/router with integrated VPN? That's been available for decades already. They are not expensive and sold "everywhere". You might even own one now and not know it.

The way it works is you use a VPN into your home network, basically an encrypted tunnel. This is widely used technology and solves the exact problem you thought of. Many companies use it so there employees can access the company's internal network. It can be made VERY secure if you use things like one-time passwords that quickly expire.

What's needed is a way to allow people who don't understand the technology to set this up. But this is just a matter of interface design

Yes and no.

Yes to the VPN type security. We know this stuff exists, along with other web security measures which allow us to bank, shop etc. online quite safely.

But as with everything, that's just part of the equation. My last line:

"But if they could sit behind something provided by Apple it should help security and allow for all these devices to be controlled by 1 interface."

It's more than just an interface.

It doesn't have to be Apple. (I'd prefer that as I am in the Apple ecosystem at the moment with my mobile and desktop devices). But having something trusted doing the dirty work is ideal for people like me who don't want to spend time and tinker with things too much.

Ultimately a 'Home' app that functions like the new Health app would be great. The theoretical Home app could be the central hub which all my appliances would link into. This Home app would do the basics - turn things on and off with a nice simple UI. If I wanted to do something more complex I could launch the device's app - to set timers or whatever (although with iOS 8's extensions I probably wouldn't even have to launch the app).

Centralising things like this could allow for smart groupings, similar to how my Harmony remote can turn a number of related devices on/off with the press of one button. In the same way in the future I could group all my locks - windows, doors, shed etc. in one pile and lock all at once if for example I am going on a weekend trip. This would also mean I could buy my locks from different vendors and not have to worry about cross-compatibility. As long as they work with the theoretical Home app they should all be controllable together. And we can then have APIs which allow for TouchID authentication.

Also imagine the HomeKit server linking to your iCloud account - with a section on iCloud.com allowing you to control these devices from any device with a browser.

This are just ideas off the top of my head. The potential if done right is huge.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

They still need to connect wifi to this,not just Bluetooth. They need to make so you can lock or unlock your door (same with August) from ANY desktop or smartphone with Internet access.
What if I'm out for a jog,I take my phone and the batter dies?
What if I loose my cellphone?

What if my wife leaves her cell in the house and is locked out? It would be nice to send a signal from another phone to unlock the door. Or go to a neighbors house,use their computer,login and unlock your front door.
Just like my garage door opener. I can open it from any smartphone or PC.

When they accomplish that,I'll be the first to buy one.

If you lose your cellphone, your physical key still works. What if you lose the key to your house? You still need a "key" or pick (or rock) to get in. It doesn't matter if the key is real or virtual, you always need a "backup" plan.

What if your wife leaves her key in the house and gets locked out? Again, doesn't matter if the key is real or virtual.

What if you go jogging and your real key pops out of your pocket?

I can think of any # of scenarios where it doesn't make a difference if the key is real or virtual.

Here is your answer though: hide a key where no one would find it without a good hunt OR leave one with a trusted friend, family member or neighbor.

 

[Locoboof]

If you lose your cellphone, your physical key still works. What if you lose the key to your house? You still need a "key" or pick (or rock) to get in. It doesn't matter if the key is real or virtual, you always need a "backup" plan.

What if your wife leaves her key in the house and gets locked out? Again, doesn't matter if the key is real or virtual.

What if you go jogging and your real key pops out of your pocket?

I can think of any # of scenarios where it doesn't make a difference if the key is real or virtual.

Here is your answer though: hide a key where no one would find it without a good hunt OR leave one with a trusted friend, family member or neighbor.

I'll say this again..... The scenarios I mentioned are in relation to ME buying THIS product!!!!! Jesus.... By your logic,no one would need this lock at all. So what I said 3 times already.... For ME to buy THIS product I would need the feature I mentioned.

Furthermore if I was worried about leaving "breadcrumbs" on a friends computer who could potentially go behind me and do something devious, isn't a friend. Not by my definition of a friend anyways.

So,you ask why would anyone want to do this or leave potential risks out there into their home? Well thousands have already with the chamberlain wifi connected garage door opener.....which I currently have. I can login from any smartphone or computer and open my garage and I have no complaints.
So...if my wife is jogging and she did loose her key how you suggested,it'd be nice to be able to let her in via my smart phone or her logging into a neighbors PC. But,that's only in relations to if I specifically bought this lock.

I do have a hidden key around my house as well. For the 4th time,I was just saying in order for me to buy a 220.00 lock,it would be nice to see the remote feature added. To let in a contractor or whom ever at my rental property or wherever.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

I'll say this again..... The scenarios I mentioned are in relation to ME buying THIS product!!!!! Jesus.... By your logic,no one would need this lock at all. So what I said 3 times already.... For ME to buy THIS product I would need the feature I mentioned.

That's fine if the lock isn't of use to you, but that wasn't the point of my response. You posed very general "what if" questions, which I answered, it would literally be the same as not having your physical key.

The purpose of these locks is simply as a convenience very much like keyless entry many cars now how. If your car has that then you understand this product. If not I understand why you don't "get it." That's all. The point of these locks is not to eliminate physical keys -- which interestingly enough many keyless car fobs do do.

 

[Locoboof]

That's fine if the lock isn't of use to you, but that wasn't the point of my response. You posed very general "what if" questions, which I answered, it would literally be the same as not having your physical key.



The purpose of these locks is simply as a convenience very much like keyless entry many cars now how. If your car has that then you understand this product. If not I understand why you don't "get it." That's all.

My car does have it,but if it didn't and they wanted 220.00 for it....I might need more in order for me to justify the purchase. That's my point. If you didn't understand that,then I can see how you didn't "get it"

 

[linuxcooldude]

I currently have the Kevo lock. I downloaded the updated app, but you have to update the locks firmware that allows for the iphone apps Guest key & scheduling feature to work.

Currently it seems its not out yet or the application would let me know. I upgraded the locks firmware once before.

 

[GTDaveMac]

I currently have the Kevo lock. I downloaded the updated app, but you have to update the locks firmware that allows for the iphone apps Guest key & scheduling feature to work.

Currently it seems its not out yet or the application would let me know. I upgraded the locks firmware once before.

From the Kevo email: "*Requires the latest mobile app and lock software update. Current Kevo owners will be receiving an email notification with more details and their lock software update in the upcoming weeks. Look for the red notification icons in your Kevo app."

 

[mdelvecchio]

My biggest gripe with sending people the eKeys is actually that the user has to install the app AND sign up with their email address! That kind of offsets the temporary convenience factor in my opinion.

yeah that's a deal breaker. thanks for the info.

 

[dilbert99]

Considering the Iphone battery life which never lasts a full day without recharging, I can see myself or my houseguest sleeping on the doormat just because there is no way to power up the Iphone to open my darn door.

What a life. I can imagine spending my day running around the city and planning smart use of my smart phone so that I can open the door to my home at nite, before it shuts down due to empty battery. It is ridiculous, really.

.

Just stick the bluetooth fob on your car keyring, problem solved

 

[0098386]

Seems a bit silly. I wouldn't spend that much on something that has the potential to lose wifi signal, be unusable when my phone dies. I'll stick to a normal key and lock system.

 

[macosxuser01]

That's really cool and practical. The future is almost here.

You've been able to do this for over a year with alarm.com app. Not only can you unlock and lock the door remotely from your phone but you can also set it up using geo-fencing such as if your on your way home from work and once you enter that 1 mile radius, your door will automaticly unlock for you without having to do anything

Alarm.com: Geo-Services

 

[Ugg]

Considering the Iphone battery life which never lasts a full day without recharging, I can see myself or my houseguest sleeping on the doormat just because there is no way to power up the Iphone to open my darn door.

What a life. I can imagine spending my day running around the city and planning smart use of my smart phone so that I can open the door to my home at nite, before it shuts down due to empty battery. It is ridiculous, really.

.

You don't have a charger in your car?

Besides, it's not as though iPhone chargers are a rare commodity.

 

[0098386]

Bunch of great stories here such as entering a car to charge your phone so you can enter your house, and taking a key with you just in case negating the point of this fancy lock, or keep your house keys hidden around the outside of the house. Solid ideas.

When you've got to plan contingencies and do more than you normally would, the "new tech" has failed.

 

[MacGeek1987]

Really cool technology, but I plan on waiting a few years for it to improve before investing.

 

[GSPice]

No wifi
Inconvenient eKey paradigm
Only 3 stars on Amazon = no deal.

 

[flash84x]

Can't most of these issues (What if I leave inside, lose, forget etc) be applied to normal keys as well??

Yes, but are normal keys capable of remotely unlocking their lock? No.

We're not here to argue what normal keys are and aren't capable of doing. These door locks are more than capable of being controlled via the Internet.

 

[dannys1]

Yes, but are normal keys capable of remotely unlocking their lock? No.

We're not here to argue what normal keys are and aren't capable of doing. These door locks are more than capable of being controlled via the Internet.

But that wasn't your point - your whole post was "what happens if I lose my phone, have it stolen, etc etc"

The only valid point you've got is what happens if your phone runs out of a battery. Thats the only difference between these and looking after normal keys (which id really rather not have to carry with me if at all possible, but that won't happen until cars become keyless too - which will happen)