[trotsky]

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?

[eggbrain]

Why use a car? Relies on:

  Gas to run
  You making sure everything is well maintained
  Expensive vs biking
  Auto mechanics needed if your car breaks down

Anyone in your area could easily steal your car or explode it rendering it useless.

Doesn't seem like a very good risk/reward ratio to me.

Kidding aside, you must not have read very carefully, since it has NFC and Bluetooth as backups. The DDOS scenario would require a targeted attack, and wouldn't render it useless anyways as per the above. The device works for renters who can't change their lock, but still want some convenience.

Yes, it has some drawbacks. But I think it is an incredibly well thought out device that I'm jumping on.

[trotsky]

wouldn't it be more like why make a coal driven steam engine when diesel models had been out for 30 years?

[eggbrain]

The device offers many features current lock-and-key models don't, and can be used by a wide variety of people (whereas you cant use custom locks for apartments). Your analogy above really makes no sense.

But going back to your original post, at least two of your drawbacks were wrong, and the others seemed to be nay saying for simply the joy of doing so. A DDOS attack on someones wireless to stop them from getting in?

  A) Something that wouldn't have affected the lock since Bluetooth and NFC works

  B) A targeted scenario that might as well be "well locks don't protect against rocks thrown through windows!

Why use a laptop to write notes (that requires your laptop to have power/working correctly) when a simple pen and paper will do? We can trivialize anything using that methodology.

[veemjeem]

I don't understand why you're so negative. It's a new product that has new benefits, and new drawbacks. The same could be said about the calculator when it first came out. You couldn't even compute logarithms on the first calculator model, but the slide rule had no problems. Most people were faster using the slide rule so it felt like the calculator was a backwards technological progression.

Should we try to innovate on the calculator or go back to using slide rules?

[tripzilch]

Great example. While the calculator is a great invention, it's also caused many people over two generations of not being able to perform simple arithmetic in their head. Of course, we're hackers and we try to keep our minds fresh by doing simple tricks such as calculating the total value on the receipt before checkout (or the ubiquitous 35% off stickers a certain Dutch supermarket has)--don't we ;) And almost nobody knows how to use a slide rule any more.

And while that's sad, it doesn't make the calculator less great.

[philwebster]

There are more advantages to this than you realize. For instance, my father is a quadriplegic and has limited dexterity so it is extremely difficult for him to handle keys. If he wanted the ability to lock a door on his way out, it would be much easier for him to make a few taps on his iPad and be on his way.

[bduerst]

I'd say it's analogous to making a diesel engine when standard combustion engines already exist.

[Charles__L]

Yes, but what are ways it is possible to break into a car? Break a window (drawback: sets off a car alarm)

Duplicate the a key (drawback: requires original key) Steal car when open (drawback: not many people leave there car open)

How could you break in a key

[Charles__L]

Yes, but what are ways it is possible to break into a car?

  Break a window (drawback: sets off a car alarm)
  
  Duplicate or steal the a key (drawback: requires original key)

  Steal car when open (drawback: not many people leave there car open)

How could you break in a Lockitron (or prevent someone from using it)?

  Steal a persons phone (much easier than stealing a key. A phone  is taken out more often than a set of keys)

  Cut telephone wires for wi-fi (a little extreme, but possible)

  Hack there password.

Besides, how much motion does it require to open a lock with a key? I guess it makes sense to use it to unlock or lock your house remotely, but when have you been in that kind of situation? If someone needs a key, just give them a copy.

[TeMPOraL]

> relies on

> (...)

> their datacenter

> their website software

This is a thing I find increasingly bewildering/disturbing about new hacks like that. Why do we route signals around the whole world to communicate two devices that are few meters apart? Also, having to go through third party's computer infrastructure sounds like a huge waste of resources. Bluetooth, NFC or WLANs are the tools we should be using.

[SoftwareMaven]

How do I tell it to let my cousin Bob in who just texted me saying he's in town for a conference and wants to meet while I'm at work?

The device has BT4, but that doesn't mean there is no value in the wifi.

[tripzilch]

Personally I'd feel more in control if I could text him a special code to get in, than by remotely locking or unlocking my doors.

Remotely unlocking my doors? I feel unsafe already from the mere idea :) :) It'd be different for an office but there's an emotional thing with my home, I'd just be worried. If I lock it again, maybe the door was ajar and it couldn't lock? But I can't see because I'm not there!

[SoftwareMaven]

You are giving Bob the ability to unlock it himself. You temporarily add him to "the group that can enter my house" and then, without you being involved, Bob can get in or, more importantly, lock the door if he leaves when you aren't there.

My dad has a casita on his house that he frequently lets people use. Dealing with the key is always annoying, though. With this, he could say "My son will be here on the 10th-14th, my nephew will be here the 21st and 22nd, etc" and never have to worry that the key gets lost or copied.

Now they just need to tie in with alarm systems so it will deactivate the alarm at the same time it unlocks it (or at least provide a temporary code that the guest can use).

[kin]

The use case for WiFi would be if I were at work and wanted to let someone in.

[jlgreco]

(I think the traditional wording of the phrase is a tad harsh, but..) I think it is a case of "When you really love your hammer, everything looks like a nail."

[netcan]

I like analogies that aren't necessarily dismissive.

How about If you're a carpenter, you tend to make things out of wood."

You can make a lot of stuff out of wood, if you're good. You need relatively few general purpose tools. It's not always the best, but in many cases it's good enough. The first Apple had a wooden body. Early cars too.

Technology is giving us a lot of stuff which we call "tools" but we might also call "materials." Like physical tools and materials, they all take time to learn and much longer to understand well. Sometimes we use chisels & planks when welding pipes or casting iron would be better because we have a woodworking setup in the garage.

[jlgreco]

Good call. The feel of that analogy is closer to what I had in mind.

[netcan]

I like analogies that aren't necessarily dismissive.

How about If you're a carpenter, you tend to make things out of wood."

You can make a lot of stuff out of wood, if you're good. You need relatively few general purpose tools. It's not always the best, but in many cases it's good enough. The first Apple had a wooden body. Early cars too.

[7952]

Strangely routing things around the world like this often works better. You get to use an already established communication path that probably already works and is switched on. It also reduces the number of new protocols that would need to be designed and secured.

[paulgerhardt]

With the Bluetooth 4 radio it only relies on a Bluetooth 4 enabled device (like your phone) and the door lock itself.

[trotsky]

yeah, I missed that the first time around and that definitely nullifies pretty much all of my issues - i had a visceral reaction when i read phone...website...lock... and managed to bring up a bunch of non-issues

[apawloski]

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.

[run4yourlives]

It doesn't disable the key, so you can still hide one under the mat. But now you know if anyone uses it.

[nollidge]

Or bluetooth or NFC, which to me are far more enticing.

[eco]

The website says it works with both Bluetooth and NFC.

[veemjeem]

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]

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.

[nollidge]

Right, sorry, that's what I meant to indicate. Should've quoted the part I was responding to.

[xutopia]

The advantage for me is that I don't have to get my keys out if I'm carrying groceries or one of my kids. The bluetooth receiver means it will open the door automatically for me.