Right. And he wanted to have the comings and goings recorded.
There is an RFID system available for HomeSeer that does exactly this. Rather pricey, and wouldn't work unless PC and program running.
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I considered it while they had a 2-fer during the beta testing. At current retail it is too expensive because owing to how my house is constructed, I'd need numerous detectors to be useful.
A reactively "obscure" system like this *may* be OK for a while longer, but RFID can be surreptitiously read far beyond the rate distances under the right circumstances.
They can easily be opened with a Bic type pen. Stick the plastic shaft in where the key goes and simply turn. It will open. Kryptonite got some pretty bad publicity, so they have to exchange all the locks. You can read about it here:
Cripes! That's good to know. I've forwarded it to some cyclists friends. I have the old, flat key Kryptonite lock. I'll bet you can open that one with the shirt clip part of the cap to a Bic pen.
What a day this has been. Tonight I learned that a heinous form of macroalgae in the Mediterranean, the California coast, and Australia. Caulerpa taxifolia, was accidentally introduced into the Mediterranean at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco while Jacques Cousteau was director. Now it's killed half of the fish in that Mediterranean because it's poisonous to eat.
The superlock is crap, the father of ocean conservancy may have killed off the world's oceans with toxic seaweed:
Here's a cool looking RFID lock for $299. It runs on batteries, and has contacts on the outside for a 9 volt battery should the internal batteries die unexpectedly...
Unless your insurance policy specifically mandates otherwise (and most do not) you are not even required to lock your door to be able to collect. The fact is a significant percentage of home burglaries do not involve breaking -- just illegal entry. The thief tries a bunch of doors until he finds one that isn't locked, walks in and grabs whatever he can. Insurers regularly pay out on claims which arise from this type of crime.
That's true. Most of the electronic door locks that are worth anything at all cost several hundred dollars. Napco Security's Alarm Lock division makes some pretty decent ones. I sell one or two every so often but their price keeps them out of the mainstream. Securtron makes a SABL (stands for "Stand Alone Battery Lock") series that's likewise robust and just as spendy.
That sounds reasonable on the surface but it's really not correct. Insurance is for when things go wrong, including failed hardware or software. If the insurers could get out of paying every time an alarm company failed to notify the police or fire department in time to catch the thief or save the house they'd almost never have to pay a claim.
Good point, Marc. The answer is that if a door strike fails locked it will not prevent egress. The strike only retains the latch while it is engaged. With or without power the door can be opened from the inside (assuming there's a conventional lock and knob or handle in place).
Powered *locks* are another matter. Conventional electromagnetic locks simply unlock whenever they lose power. Sites which rely on these for primary security should include a battery backed power supply of sufficient size to keep the door secure until the power restores or someone is able to implement another locking means.
Some of the automated locks which I carry are able to function manually without power. The lock can be opened from the inside by pressing the handle or turning the knob. Some also provide a backup keyway on the exterior to allow access without power or as an alternate means for those who are issued a key. Following are a couple of links (my web site) to information on the subject.
I don't know about the "no other option". The HAI Omni/lt (keypad outside) will do the logging, limit access control to times and dates, and operate a device such as a RFID and electric strike plate. It's also a full featured home security system.
I myself wouldn't worry about RFID being insecure, so is the glass in your windows, and they're much likelier to be broken than someone reading your RFID from afar.
we have a biometric system that will do what you want.
It is a wireless Biometric reader which can be powered either by battery or direct power. Error rate is under 1%. it uses keylog hopping 'des' encryption for its comms and works in the following manor.
un known finger pritn = ring doorbell
known finger print = unlock door.
you can also get bio fobs which work on the same technique. price for 1 reader, unit, strick and doorbell=$680Aus
I've been Googling on automated door locks and couldn't help resurrecting this thread to point out that I've never seen firemen take too long to get into a burning home, whether the door was unlocked or not. That's what those huge axes are for! :-)
Seriously, though, it's probably best if electric door locks behave as similarly to their manual counterparts as possible.
What I want in a system is:
1) Proximity cards that can be cancelled at will
2) A latch secure enough to withstand a kick or prybar attack. I recently bought an electric door strike, but those work with the doorknob-type locks and they are nowhere near as secure as a double-deadbolt style lock where the lock body attached to the back of the door with four big screws and the receiver is mortised into the door frame. If you make sure the door frame is reinforced (I routed out enough of it to install some slotted angle iron under the door moulding. Installed thusly, double deadbolts are highly resistant to prybar and kick attacks.
3) An internal lever to operate the deadbolt in case of power failure
4) An external keyhole to operate the lock in case of power failure or lost key fob.
Thanks! I had never really considered IR as a possibility. Were you able to hack into it so that you could operate it remotely from the inside of the house?
I'll bet a good case could be made for either technology. I think I prefer RF, but I'm not sure I know all the parameters to compare.
That's clearly an advantage over some other technologies. I'm trying to rig up something for my Dad whose arthritis is so bad that he sometimes can't manage to fumble for the keys or use them. I was looking at the Smarthome proximity tags.
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That would eliminate keyfob fumbling but would not be nearly as secure, at least from what I can tell.
That's a big plus, too.
What's the range on the RF? If I could mount a fob by Dad's bedside he could unlock the door remotely when the cleaning lady or a repairman comes.
Or anything else that can open and close the relays, correct?
Way cool!
Very cool indeed. Can you read the status of the lock remotely?
Talk about synchronicity, I had just found the NOKEY site and had homed in on this lock:
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but say it's no longer being manufactured. Makes me wonder if the Smarthome site is incorrect in describing the product or whether they have a supply salted away.
I think you might find it for a bit less elsewhere. I got mine from Future Standard before Brian went out of business. I used a stronger strike plate than the one that comes with the lock.
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