By It was almost a full year ago we told you guys about Lockitron, a “smart” deadbolt locking system that allowed you to unlock your door using nothing but your phone. Today, the inventors announced the all new sequel and it’s looking better than ever.
Gone is the lengthy installation process. The new Lockitron fits right over your existing deadbolt, so there’s no longer a need to replace the whole system. Because it’s WiFi connected, the new Lockitron can be accessed anywhere in the world using their newly updated application for both Android and iOS. The new app will let you add multiple users, deciding who has access to your home and when.
There’s also built-in Bluetooth 4.0 and an NFC sensor that can push a notification to your phone when someone’s knocking at your door, or if someone’s kicked it in while you’re off at work (anything’s possible). It operates on 4 AA batteries that last a full year and when they run low, they’ll notify you to replace ’em. Since it’s also Bluetooth connected, Lockitron can “sense” you coming, and unlock the door as you approach or you can simply use the NFC capabilities on your phone to unlock the old fashioned way.
The all new Lockitron went up for pre-order today for $150 and hit their $150,000 goal in just a few hours. They’re promising to ship out first batches by March, so if you’re looking to get into the smartdoor scene, now’s your chance.
[Lockitron | AllThingsD]
Just Awesome
Cool as hell!
This is very cool
Suddenly: Coming home with no battery left…
It fits over your existing lock. Just use the key to unlock it.
Needs to be paintable. That color just ain’t meshing with most peoples interior.
For those of you wowed by the coolness of this device, you might want to take a look at Vera from MiCasaVerde. Not only have I been unlocking my door from my phone for a couple of years now, but I’ve also been adjusting the thermostat, turning lights off & on, etc, etc. The only extra thing this device has is the NFC function, but I’m not sure I’d want the possibility of someone who just stole my phone to also be able to waltz into my house!
not to be a downer (im sure Vera is a great system), but looking at the site it seems like there is a lot of work getting it up and running. the device mentioned in the article slips over your deadbolt…simple, easy, and takes no time at all. “Not only have I been unlocking my door from my phone…”
“but I’m not sure I’d want the possibility of someone who just stole my phone to also be able to waltz into my house!”
slightly contradicting yourself here.
Once again, not putting down Vera, but seems like a simpler solution with lockitron.
Vera’s pretty easy to set up, it hangs as a device off your router. Once plugged in, you go to the website and it locates it for you. If the Lockitron is wireless, then it’s also going to require setup to hook it to the router, and presumably (I hope!) has some kind of security setup required, too.
There’s no contradiction in my statement about a thief getting into the house. With the NFC mechanism, the door will unlock as soon as the phone is placed near enough to the door. With Vera, you need to unlock the phone, start the app, then unlock the door, so it’s pretty secure (assuming you lock your phone).
Gottcha. I assume you have to buy a separate lock for your door? i guess that’s where i was confused on their site.
Yeah, think of Vera as a wireless router for z-wave devices instead of ip devices. You pair a device to it and it shows up on the (browser or app) screen. The lock I have is a Schlage z-wave lock. If you take a look at them, Schlage will also sell you their own controller, but with that you have to operate through their website and most services charge a monthly fee. With Vera, although it does operate via MiCasa’s servers for security reasons when you’re remote, it’s much more like just using your own wireless router, when you’re on your home wifi network the app talks directly to Vera. It’s a much neater solution if you’re thinking about having more than one device, and it’s worth it just to have ultimate control over your thermostats (mine are Trane), you can have an infinite number of heating/cooling programs rather than the usual morning, noon & night ones, saves quite a bit of money on the electricity bill!
4 aa batteries is what holds me back
I could be wrong, but I don’t see them lasting a year
Lucky if they last a month.
Rechargeable batteries.
Ah yes…batteries that require 12-hours to recharge and require changing all the time….super useful!
/s
cool, but my house use one of those require a key on both side of the lock…
I’d buy it if I had the funds.
Wow the iOS version must suck compared to Android I guess Apple did forget to install NFC.