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Anyone own or looking into a Smart Lock?


Metropolis
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I can't count the number of times I've left the house thinking did I lock the door. Time permitting I'll circle back and check. I've only done it once, but that doesn't stop it from going through my mind. I figured a smart lock would solve that, but I with about it getting hacked. I've seen positive reviews, but don't know anyone who actually has one.

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My neighbor has one for the condo next to me. I think he has it so he can rent it out on AirBnB. They call him and he unlocks the door when they arrive so he doesn't have to be here to let the people staying get in. A key is left on the counter. He's had to come out twice to let his people in though because the battery went out or it's unreliable connection through the internet doesn't flip the lock in four years.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

My neighbor has one for the condo next to me. I think he has it so he can rent it out on AirBnB. They call him and he unlocks the door when they arrive so he doesn't have to be here to let the people staying get in. A key is left on the counter. He's had to come out twice to let his people in though because the battery went out or it's unreliable connection through the internet doesn't flip the lock in four years.

 

 

I haven't worked with a smart lock as described by Met before, so I have no input on that per se. But I have worked with Onity locks using both key cards and key pads, so I have to imagine there is some degree of shared technology there. Onity locks use standard 9v batteries in the door lock, and when i would have to fix a door that wasn't unlocking, the most common reason was the battery was dead or dying. So, my OCD personality would compel me to ensure the batteries on any smart lock I use would be changed regularly, like once every 3 months, whether it needed it or not.

 

As to your neighbor being unable to unlock the door remotely, it could just as easily be a network connection issue that interrupted the unlock command. Which means it may not necessarily be the lock's fault, but the phone carrier (or ISP?). But that is all a guess on my part.

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Yup. I think it was never the lock itself that fault of the things the item relies on to work. My neighbor is super lazy so I can see him not checking the batteries. I don't know what was up with the internet connection. If the free wifi he offered his AirBnBers was through AT&T DSL that maybe the culprit. I want to change to a different company because AT&T is being dickishly dumb with my internet. I was without internet all day Sunday and they were super unhelpful. He likes his unit on his door for a smart lock.

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I did some reading and basically they are hackable because anything is hackable. The odds are dependant on the level of criminal. My atm and credit cards are more likely to be compromised than the lock.

 

I know someone who knows someone who has one on their condo door. Though his is just a touchpad with a pin. Not app enabled.

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Guest El Chalupacabra

I did some reading and basically they are hackable because anything is hackable. The odds are dependant on the level of criminal. My atm and credit cards are more likely to be compromised than the lock.

 

I know someone who knows someone who has one on their condo door. Though his is just a touchpad with a pin. Not app enabled.

Yeah, that is an unfortunate reality: anything that has been engineered can be reverse-engineered, right? There are security services out there that you can subscribe to that offer smart locks, as well as encryption and 2 factor authentication.

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I'm off the theory it only takes one. We live in a pretty safe neighborhood, but I'd never leave my doors unlocked. It's the well to do white kids you have to worry about. :p

 

An easy hack for the smart lock I saw was someone standing outside a window yelling "Alexa open the door". Think about that for a second.

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III be had two people buy me Amazon Echos, and I've returned or sold both. I also have Siri turned off.

 

These companies know enough about me without letting them listen to every word we say.

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I'm off the theory it only takes one. We live in a pretty safe neighborhood, but I'd never leave my doors unlocked. It's the well to do white kids you have to worry about. :p

 

 

We all like to tell ourselves that we feel so safe keeping the doors unlocked because we're surrounded by nice people... but it's also pretty well known that it's a rural area filled with hunters. Who have all manner of deadly weapons. And the law on their side when it comes to dealing with home intruders however they deem fit. Any sane person would pause and re-think a robbery if framed like that.
That being said, my area is filled with old Polish Catholic farmers and young families who want big yards and good schools... if I lived in a meth county, like the counties directly above and below me, I'd be locking my doors for sure.
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