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Order and orient the keys on your keychain

(practicalbetterments.com)
67 points surprisetalk | 1 comments | 22 Oct 24 16:29 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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whirlwin ◴[26 Oct 24 21:24 UTC] No.41957837[source]▶
I haven't owned a keychain for many years now. After renovating our house, we installed a Yale Doorman. It's the best $300 investment I've done that I can think of: - Don't have to carry a keychain at all anymore - I can give strangers (think AirBnb, or cleaners) time-bound access codes - I can remotely unlock/lock the door for someone if they need immediate access - Kids can get home without a key - Kids losing their key not a worry anymore - Work office is keyless too (xlock) - We always keep a small 9V battery outside in case the battery goes flat

It was after a painful deadlock situation that we initially retro-fitted an electronic lock into the old front door which we carried over to the new door once we renovated the entire floor.

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mxuribe ◴[26 Oct 24 21:53 UTC] No.41958010[source]▶
I've always been tempted/curious to adopt a sort keyless of approach. I dislike carrying keys...and have had to carry (what to me feels like too many) keys always throughout my life. But without really researching the option you referenced, i have fears about failure modes for this type of keyless kock. For example...

* If/When the battery dies, does the lock default to locked setting? I assume so, but how annoying would this be?

* Being a privacy nut, does the lock come with a pre-determined code, or can you generate your own? I assume you should be able to create your own, but figuried I'd ask.

Instead of answering my questions, if you have an online reference that you might have used to decide going this route, would be great if you could share. Thanks!

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1. cyberax ◴[26 Oct 24 22:36 UTC] No.41958233[source]▶
> * If/When the battery dies, does the lock default to locked setting? I assume so, but how annoying would this be?

Typically, the home locks are just actuated mechanical locks. So the lock will stay in whatever state it was when the battery died. If you want to get into commercial-grade locks, there are magnetic locks that can be configured to fail open or close on power loss.

Anyway, the battery is not a big deal. I have a Kwikset lock with a ZigBee module, it runs on 4 AAA batteries. I switched to Li-ion rechargables several years ago, and they last for about 6 months between recharges with moderate door use. It's even longer if the lock is not used often.

And the lock starts beeping annoyingly after opening/closing when the batteries get down to 30%, giving you plenty of time to replace them.

> * Being a privacy nut, does the lock come with a pre-determined code, or can you generate your own?

You always can set your own combinations. And there are biometric locks.