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Comment by twblalock | Hacker News Reader

Stuff like this is why I don't own any "smart" devices.

I never think about my deadbolt unless I am opening my door. I never think about my smoke alarm unless starts to chirp because of a low battery. I never think about my light bulbs unless they burn out.

Any "smart" features, like notifications or a phone app, are going to make me spend more time thinking about these products than I care to, even if they are working perfectly. Failed OTA updates make things even worse. That door lock is going to need to introduce an extremely compelling new feature to convince me to spend time thinking about such a basic component of my home's infrastructure.

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I think the feature is fairly compelling in this case. Smart locks allow airbnb hosts to grant limited entry to guests without sharing their house keys. Any frequent airbnb renter runs the risk of their keys being duped and used for illicit access later on. While the implementation still needs work (obviously), the core idea is sound.

My neo-luddite instincts told me to agree with parent, but you make a good point. Copying keys is trivial (I used an automated booth in a pharmacy that was android based the other week, cost like 10 bucks for 3 copies) when having to deal with potentially malicious guests adding complexity to the simple act of locking serves a real purpose.

My initial reaction on reading this was "Bahahahah stupid smart locks, internet of shit blah blah blah," but I am compelled to agree with your statement. Any lock is merely a deterrent, and adding complexity to a deterrent inherently increases it's security, especially when the threat profile of a door lock is generally "idiot burglar."

For the most part, adding complexity to anything increases the chance of failure. For average people (who don't generally give out their keys) it's not a great idea, but for airbnb hosts, making a key that is hard to copy is a good idea.

However, I've seen some airbnbs that have a pin door code or a key fob, which are arguably more secure than a regular key lock but have less chance of failure in my experience.

Sounds like the argument for locks that are easy to re-key and doing it yourself after each guest.

There are lock brands that have service keys that will allow you to pull and change a cylinder, from the outside, without having to take the door/lock apart. A property management company and a set of cylinders to rotate through solves this problem easily.

Worth noting that nearly every hotel has used smart locks for years. This is essentially the same.

Every hotel has on-prem staff for dealing with faulty locks and keys.

Many Airbnb owners do not.

Not always successfully, though :

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120823/10320820137/hotel...

I have a mechanical deadbolt with a keypad that can be opened by anyone with the right combination. It's handy when I'm not at home but need to let someone in.

For Airbnb, etc., you'd have to change the combination regularly (which is easily done in about 30 seconds) but at least I don't have to worry about getting locked out if I forget my phone, it's battery is drained, cell service is out, etc.

What sort? I've seen types of those that look complex but can brute force in an hour or two.

Although not as convenient as a smart lock, I can re-key my kwikset deadbolts to any key that fits the lock very easily using a provided tool: https://www.kwikset.com/smart-security.aspx .

I have to admit, I'm coming around to your way of thinking. I have a bunch of Nest smoke alarms and I think I've reached the point where I just want to rip them out. Too many false alarms, too many emails, too much noise, too many "Hi from Nest!" alerts. It's gotten to the point where my dog goes crazy, my daughter seems to have developed anxiety and my neighbours must all hate me ... all for the sake of a smoke alarm.

I'm 100% with you on smoke alarms and lightbulbs.

But I've been quite happy with my smart thermostat and sprinkler controller.

Maybe the difference is in these cases, a controller has been replaced with a smarter controller.

It's a natural line of progress, and there have been obvious deficiencies with the logic of the "dumb" controllers since their inception (heating the home when you're away, watering while it rains)

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