Friday, July 19, 2013

WiFi doorlock

Not a new project or a new product for that matter. WiFi enabled doorlocks are already out there on the market for some time. However, Lockitron is having something cool and nice to it. Lockitron is growd funded project for the development of a wifi enabled lock, or more so, a wifi enabled part you can add to your already existing lock and helps you open and close it via your mobile phone or via a webportal. Next to this Lockitron is using bluetooth as a "near field communication" methode to open the door for you when you are close to the door.

Already other companies are producing WiFi enabled locks, take for example lockstate, the difference however with Lockitron is that lockstate is selling a full lock where Lockitron is providing a piece which you can add to your already existing lock.

Now the main question is if you want to put a WiFi enabled lock on your front door. There might be some security issues with that and I am not sure what insurance companies state about using such a lock. However, for a true tech lover I can imagine you want to play with such a solution and as it is not requiring you to change your lock it is a good way to start experimenting with such a locking device.



Fun thing is that when you start working with network enabled locks you can potentially add this to your full home automation solution. There are a lot of solutions in place to automate parts of your house, adding locks to this will in the future be something almost every house will have. This will also make that your phone becomes more and more important. We are already starting to pay with your phone, start the music in your house, controle you lighting and heating..... and within some time opening your doors with your phone will become very normal in my opinion.

keyless security,..... will Lockitron and the likes be the companies who are at the forefront of this new wave of connected things. I think doors will get a very well respected place in the internet of things. What I am missing at Lockitron, or I did not see it, is an API to add this to other services or get reports of your lock usage out of it. This would enable developers to create nice and cool new features for Lockitron where the current people of Lockitron might not even have thought about.

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