remote entry

[john todd]

has anyone ever heard why we still use keys for houses and and other locked items?  i really hate having to jimmy a key into the lock on my house while i have an arm load of stuff and wondered why house locks haven't moved in the same direction as cars.

i know anyone with a radio scanner can pick up your code and open your car, but if anyone was really worried about that we wouldn't use it on our cars.

[Morgbug]

In building our new house, we were shown some remotes that do just what you suggest.  It's an interesting idea, but we didn't feel like being the first one out there with it.  It's coming, but I think for the same reasons you mention most people won't opt in. 

[Tracy]

A few of our neighbors have remote entries on their garage doors.  Inside of the box there is a compartment where you can keep a spare house key.  They use it mainly so their (older) kids can let themselves in when they get home from school and for someone to feed their pets when they are away.  You can buy those at most home improvement stores.  A more primative form of remote entries.  I think some home security systems offer keyless remotes to turn on your lights and open your doors when you get home.

[john todd]

cool... so maybe its coming down the pike or maybe even available, but not cheap enough for home depot.

[JoshEEE]

I wouldn't mind some sort of password style entry system that you could change on a whim, but generic frequency style access would worry me a bit. Thieves would get all high tech, real fast. With the right tools, they could break into your house without ever touching the door.  I can just see little black boxes that scan frequencies showing up on Ebay for 200 bucks or whatever.


As someone who's had a break-in, I think there's still something to be said for a nice deadbolt.

[john todd]

i guess i never really worry that much about that, i figure long before anyone  tries to generate the code to my front door they are just gonna kick it in or bust out the window and just turn the lock on the back door.

they do make combination lock door latches, but what i was really wanting was something more like my trunk where i push the button and it not only unlatches, but opens some too.

[Imperial Outpost]

I was at a business meeting a few weeks ago and met a guy who runs his own biometrics company with all the fingerprint scanner entry instead of keys. He said it was mainly large businesses that were using it at the minute, but it'll only be a matter of time before we can open our houses by touching a pad.

[Morgbug]

Oh great, now people will be stealing and replicating our fingerprints.  Or worse, our fingres

[Jedi Idej]

but what i was really wanting was something more like my trunk where i push the button and it not only unlatches, but opens some too.

I think the costs are prohibitive. I can see this at around $300+ (hardware, installation). Considering most people buy locksets under $30, it's not hard to imagine why noone's pushing this in the marketplace.

[JoshEEE]

Oh great, now people will be stealing and replicating our fingerprints.  Or worse, our fingres

I've got a fingerprint reader for my computer.  It's handy for not having to remember passwords, until I accidentally slice my hand off or something.

[Tracy]

Is this the same technology I'm beginning to see in retail?  I'm seeing a lot of grocery stores and pharmacies pushing "Bio pay".  I haven't looked into it -- but I believe the ad says that once you sign up you just use your fingerprint at the store to debit your account.

[JoshEEE]

I think so, although mine's a much cheaper version of the reader.

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/productdetails.aspx?pid=036

[john todd]

[quote author=Jedi Idej
I think the costs are prohibitive. I can see this at around $300+ (hardware, installation). Considering most people buy locksets under $30, it's not hard to imagine why noone's pushing this in the marketplace.

i agree on existing houses.  if you wanted you could probably hollow out your door frame and add an actuator build for a car, but that would be pretty expensive and a big pain in the ass.  on a new house on the other hand, $300 for keyless entry probably wouldn't even add $1 to your mortgage.  and, once it is the rage there, others would be jealous and spring for the $300.

i think it is just up to someone to position it and market it correctly for it to be the next big thing.  ten years ago you probably would have scoffed at the idea of paying extra for keyless on your car, but now most people wouldn't buy one without it.

i don't think i would really be into the finger print scanner thing, though.  it has been noted far too often on tv and in the movies that you don't actually need the person or even their whole hand to get past a finger print scanner.  same with eyes.

[JoshEEE]

i don't think i would really be into the finger print scanner thing, though.  it has been noted far too often on tv and in the movies that you don't actually need the person or even their whole hand to get past a finger print scanner.  same with eyes.

I'm not sure if everything on TV is real, but I suppose someone could access my computer with a piece of tape and a glass I touched once.

If so...I suppose they can log into JD and post even more random stuff than I do. 

[john todd]

i was referring to cutting your finger off, but i suppose the superglue vapors on a glass thing might work too.