Evan Moore, friend of ZNF, has penned a post on the upcoming wave of so-called smart locks. While this home automation concept isn’t new, a variety of startups are attempting to take the tech mainstream — more accessible and with improved aesthetics. So Evan’s pulled together a comparison matrix that breaks down the features of Kevo, August, Lockitron, and Goji (with all expected to run about $200).
For my household, I’m not sure a connected deadbolt solves a problem we currently have. Also, with many of these new technologies, its continued operation may be dependent on a company’s survival. And, of course, many will have security concerns prohibiting them from taking their locks into the digital age.
Having said that, the Lockitron is the most flexible solution – essentially facehugging your existing deadbolt. Yet, I’m not sure it’d pass the WAF. Related, while I have the most interest in the UniKey-powered Kwikset solution, in terms of longevity and security, the initial Kevo rev may not comply with my HOA guidelines. Which leaves the Yves Behar-designed August Smart Lock as my only potential solution in 2013. If I cared more…
We have a keypad for the garage door, and a keypad from the garage into the house. And I have programmed them to different combinations, so even if you could guess one number, you can’t get into the house. When we’re traveling, I set the garage door to lockout the remote, so that no one could use that to break into the house. This works well enough, and I’m not dependent on some startup with an uncertain future.
Fringe benefit: my 10-year-old son doesn’t need to remember a key to get into the house.