Lockitron: the smartest door lock in the world

Equipped with WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and its own page on the Internet, Lockitron uses an Android or iOS compatible phone instead of a key, tells the owner when someone opens it or just knocks on the door, allows you to open and close the door thousands of kilometers away from it and give out digital access keys to friends or employees so that they can open it with their phone.

At the same time, it meets the rather strict requirements of fault tolerance, backward compatibility and security - in the absence of the Internet, electricity, Bluetooth, NFC, batteries and a telephone, it can be opened with a regular key. Moreover, the key can not even be changed when installing the lock - it can be put literally on top of the old one in a couple of minutes.

How is it arranged? Lockitron looks like a regular mortise lock with a patch box on the inside of the door. This box can be installed separately, subject to mechanical compatibility of the old lock handle and Lockitron actuator. Normal operation mode is via WiFi (a mini-server is included in the package).
In this mode, a maximum of functions is available - remote control, notifications, access control for guests or relatives. If you can’t connect via WiFi - they turned off the electricity or the Internet in the house, or the server is unavailable - you can open the lock if the phone supports Bluetooth or NFC. Moreover, you can program it so that it opens automatically as soon as the host phone appears in the network visibility area. That is, you can enter the house without removing the phone from your pocket.

If the phone is lost, you can restore access from any device connected to the Internet through the web interface. And finally, when the battery runs down (and this, according to the manufacturers, happens about once a year, and the lock informs it well in advance), you will have to use the usual key.

All Lockitron traffic goes through https, the iron part uses the same standards as car electronic locks, and letters to security@lockitron.com can be encrypted with PGP if desired, using the key published on the site. So it’s much easier to physically crack the door than to gain wireless access to the lock or steal digital keys. Moreover, it is recommended to install Lockitron on wooden doors - iron can shield the signal.

The lock has a simple API and even the possibility of flashing (inside - the ATMega microcontroller familiar to every arduino). You can order such a lock for $ 149 (delivery outside the United States - separately). First deliveries are expected in March 2013.