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Hardware Hacking Technology

The Intelligent Door Handle 227

Posted by CowboyNeal from the opening-stuff-smarter dept.
Poromenos writes "Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed the intelligent door handle. It combines a camera, buzzer, RFID locks and various other systems inside the door, making keys obsolete. RFID chips for opening doors will offer 'added advantages for elderly or handicapped people, saving them the trouble of wielding keys or holding the door open in order to get inside the building.'"
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The Intelligent Door Handle More

The Intelligent Door Handle

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  • Technology for technologies sake (Score:4, Insightful)

    by LiquidCoooled ( 634315 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @11:56AM (#13746843) Homepage Journal
    Keys are a tried and tested, secure and relatively intelligent way to secure a house.
    I would hate to be locked out of my house because of a power cut (battery charge doesn't last forever), or ignored because I'm drenched (and can't be recognised).

    This is a solution searching for a problem.

    (Having said that, electronic locks in addition to manual gives best of both worlds (like incar central locking)

    • Re:Technology for technologies sake (Score:4, Interesting)

      by dptalia ( 804960 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:01PM (#13746867) Journal
      My friend has a new BMW 325i, and it doesn't use keys, but has an RFID chip to unlock the doors when she's in proximity. I agree with your worries, but maybe we should look into what BMW has done to engineer for the elements?

      • Re:Technology for technologies sake (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Thing 1 ( 178996 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:23PM (#13746965) Journal
        I used to have a Corvette with a similar feature, but one problem was when I parked too close to the house, walking around inside would make the Vette flash its lights constantly. ;-)

        I turned it off after that. However, it was a neat feature at a parking lot -- just walk up to your car, open the door and hop in. Now, if the RFID would also activate the ingition, and there was just a button instead of a keyhole, it would have been even nicer since you would never have to take your keys out of your pocket to drive.

        And if that became the case, then "keys" might transform into something easier to carry, like a credit card that you could just put in your wallet (like we used to have at work, a proximity badge for security access).

        • Re:Technology for technologies sake (Score:5, Interesting)

          by sahrss ( 565657 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:43PM (#13747027)
          The prius already has this feature! It's really cool.
          Push Button Start

          Prius ignition is the start of a new generation. Instead of a conventional key-start, the Prius gives you a simple, ergonomic push-button start. Your key is just for security. Simply insert it in the keyslot, and press the Start button. In fact, with the i-Tech Option Pack, you don't even need to take the key out of your pocket. As long as it's in your possession, simply press Start and you're driving.

          From
          http://prius.toyota.com.au/toyota/vehicle/Content/ 0,4664,1766_622,00.html [toyota.com.au]
          .au because it came up first in Google...

          • I don't know about you... (Score:5, Funny)

            by cp.tar ( 871488 ) <cp.tar.bz2@gmail.com> on Saturday October 08, 2005 @02:15PM (#13747360) Journal
            ... but I wouldn't trust a car with a Start button.

          • Simply insert it in the keyslot, and press the Start button.

            Bad. It's likely you will forget to put your key in occasionally. With current keyed ignitions, this is all but impossible. And I really don't see how this would be any easier than combining the key slot and the start button to gain the advantage of making it impossible to forget to put the key in (it could be mostly identical to a standard ignition: you merely turn the key to "start" or "on" rather than turn and hold to turn the engine), th

            • I have a Prius with the RFID key option. It is quite impressive... no need to get anything out to unlock the doors, nor do you have to do anything once your in besides press the "Start" button. The RFID tag will also not allow you to lock your keys in the car either. If any set of keys are inside the car, the Prius will refuse to lock the doors.
          • Huh? How is this special?

            I'm not trolling, just curious - is this really a "cool new" feature in the US? Here in Europe, most new cars from middle-class upwards have this. Just carry your keycard in your wallet and press the Start button.
            • Here in Europe, most new cars from middle-class upwards have this.

              Shhhhh! Don't tell the yanks! They're finally getting it now, only it's an expensive new feature. They're starting to catch up. They even got Fanta a few years ago!

              To answer your questions though, yes, it is indeed a "cool new feature" in the states. This is straight out of the movies technology, as seen in The Transporter.
    • I do see this as an interesting idea.

      I'm sure there are bugs/flaws now, but give it some time.

      I personally love innovation and research.

      Just imagine if all those who poo-poo'd the idea of the Internet/World Wide Web had their way.

      • In other news, scientists have invented a new way you can lock yourself out!

        Seriously though, I can see this being used for businesses where they might want records of who's coming in and out, but I certainly wont be buying one for my house.

    • Re:Actually you have it completely backwards (Score:5, Insightful)

      by technoextreme ( 885694 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:04PM (#13746887)
      An RFID key is extremely useful to my family. My mother has really bad arthritis in her hands which makes it difficult for her sometimes to hold items like keys. My grandpa is also better off holding on to his walker instead of reaching out to keys. Though this doesn't take into consideration the fact that both are technologically inept.

      • Re:Actually you have it completely backwards (Score:4, Insightful)

        by QuestorTapes ( 663783 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:14PM (#13746928)
        > An RFID key is extremely useful to my family. My mother has really
        > bad arthritis in her hands which makes it difficult for her sometimes
        > to hold items like keys. My grandpa is also better off holding on
        > to his walker instead of reaching out to keys.

        Two excellent examples. Despite my own preference for mechanical keys and locks, this example indicates that something like this can provide real value to a lot of people.
      • Give Mom a pretty bracelet with an RFID tag in it, and tape one to the top bar of Grandpa's walker. They can just arrive at the door and wave at it/bump against it. A device to pop the latch itself, not just the lock, and swing the door open an inch would make this great.

        Still, like someone else mentioned, in a fire all this tech would be useless.
      • And if this technology was as sufficiently advanced as they claim, it wouldn't matter how technologically "ept" or otherwise your parents are. It would simply be, like Clark says, indistinguishable from magic (although preferably without the muttered incantations.)

        • And if this technology was as sufficiently advanced as they claim, it wouldn't matter how technologically "ept" or otherwise your parents are. It would simply be, like Clark says, indistinguishable from magic (although preferably without the muttered incantations.)

          Inept probably was not the word I was thinking off. Im thinking horribly slow adopters. The most advance piece of technology my grandpa has is probably his pacemaker because he is an eighty year old farmer. He refuses to get cable even though

          • I can understand his not wanting cable. He'd have to learn a complicated piece of equipment, sure, but I'll bet he doesn't really want the stimulation of all those channels. As we age, our desire for the new and different wanes, and we become more creatures of habit. But truly advanced tech is as transparent to the user as that pacemaker is. Most people don't object to something new if makes them have to do or think less than they did before.
          • What the hell is wrong with not wanting cable? Have you watched TV lately? It's all crap. I don't want cable either, and it has nothing to do with being an 'slow adopter' or not.
            • Wrong. There is a ton of great television right now. You stop watching American Idol long enough to find it.
              • Come on. I've got satellite here, so I receive probably almost 50,000 program-hours per week. Of that, I know of about two hours of regularly-scheduled, worthwhile programming per week (and one of those is currently preempted by postseason baseball). On the other hand, it was good when BBC America ran through the Blackadder series.
              • As another one who gave up on TV because it's apparently mindless pap, please provide examples.

                Don't say BSG or SG:A. Checked them out, didn't like them. Same goes for Lost. All "reality" TV is an instant zero, as are prime-time soap operas.

                Enlighten me.
                • Good Eats, Arrested Development, SG: SG-1, Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Jimmy Nutron, The Fairly Odd Parents, South Park, Spongebob Squarepants, Danny Phantom, Lazy Town, That 70's Show, Street Smarts, Scrubs.

                  There are many others that people are telling me are "Quality" programs, that I am not familar with as I havn't watched them, or they are not my families demographics. My Name is Earl, Lost, Surface...

                  Then their are all of the one-off programs produced on the Big Head channels, like History,
                  • I don't have kids, which wipes out about half of your list right there.

                    I used to be a fan of SG1, and was kind of irked when the main cast started playing "Who can be on camera the least."

                    "Scrubs" is mildly amusing, but not worth actually making the effort to watch. Nothing grabs the attention anymore the way Firefly did, or makes me laugh incessantly like Tripping the Rift did.
                    • There is a difference between "Quality" and "What I like". That includes childrens shows. I left all off all of the shows that I like, but are not what I would call "Quality" shows.

                      Tripping the Rift is still on the air. The new season started a few weeks ago. While I do watch it, it is not what I would call "quality" TV. I do think that the old SG1 cast was getting tired of the show, and it was coming through. I also think that once the Farscape cast gets settled in, they will be as good as the ori
                    • There is a difference between "Quality" and "What I like".

                      Actually, there isn't. Both are entirely subjective.

                      That includes childrens shows.

                      While I have no problem in concept with educational TV (anyone else fondly remember Square One TV?), current offerings don't hold a candle to shows like Mr. Wizard's World, instead following the lead of the U.S. educational system in viewing children as babbling morons. And yes, I have been forced to endure them on occasion, thanks to the result of my sister's indiscret
      • Granted, things like this can really IMPROVE daily life for the disabled.

        But then we better stop acting so surprised when people who take advantage of such improvements to live, then have trouble surviving in cases of disaster or emergency when these items generally fail.

        I'm glad your mother and grandfather find this a generally less painful and safer way to handle doors. However, you need to understand that if a storm comes, and knocks out the power and they can't get out to flag down help, or to exit the
      • While I appreciate the attractiveness of simply waving one's keys and having the door unlock, a barcode or magstripe would be almost as easy and it would afford you much greater protection. Passive RFID can be read at a distance of 6-18 feet--more if a yagi or parabolic antenna is employed. Even the active RFID systems tend to have rather pathetic encryption. RFID for secure identification is just a bad idea, plain and simple. The only reason people are advocating it over other tried and true electronic
    • Having said that, electronic locks in addition to manual gives best of both worlds (like incar central locking

      Except that you're now subject to the vulnerabilities of BOTH systems.
    • Keys are a tried and tested, secure and relatively intelligent way to secure a house.

      I guess you have never seen someone pick a lock then.

      I would hate to be locked out of my house because of a power cut (battery charge doesn't last forever), or ignored because I'm drenched (and can't be recognised).

      Or a wiring malfunction. I would say reliability is a concern here. RFID snooping though is also a problem. I.e. what if I hold up a life-size picture of your head in front of the camera and use the RFID key
      • In practice almost nobody bothers with picking locks. Breaking the lock, the door, the wall (since lots of people add srengthened doors to cardboard walls) or the window is much simpler.
        • In practice almost nobody bothers with picking locks. Breaking the lock, the door, the wall (since lots of people add srengthened doors to cardboard walls) or the window is much simpler.

          At least in the US. And that is a valid point. Also, think of sliding glass doors....

          However.... We put up with these because our country is relatively secure. I would suggest that anyone who doubts this go travel to a country like Brazil, Ecuador, or Indonesia to see what *real* home security looks like for the middle c
    • I agree with you 100%, but let me take this one step furthur. Why must new technolgy promise to make something obsolete? I mean, even with cars, trains, and planes, you can still find places that will give you a horse drawn carriage ride: http://www.woodacresfarm.com/ [woodacresfarm.com]

      Point is, things like locks will hang around for a long time, especially if the alternative is too expensive for some people.

    • I agree, in general, and my first question was about power failures as well. However, I think with some careful planning, this could be mitigated. Although the article is a little short on all the technical details, it seems like this could be modified to augment an existing key system, rather than replacing it. That is, you can open the door either via keys, or via the RFID tag.

      Therefore, if the power fails, you can still get access through the traditional method (keys). I may be misremembering, but I seem
    • Also, what happens if you lock yourself out? Or lose your RFID "key"? You don't even have the option of having a locksmith pick it for you.

    • Has anybody thought about the dramatic difference in the difficulty of making a copy of someones physical key unless you have a very large timeslot for the metal cutting duplication as opposed to the relitive ease of activating and capturing the RFID tags resonse?

      It seems to me that it's a matter of security that the metal key is difficult to copy and must be physically present for the amount of time it takes to make the dupe. That's a good feature as far as I'm concerned and losing that by going over to a
    • I would hate to be locked out of my house because of a power cut

      I'd hate to be locked in my burning house because the door had suffered a malfunction (perhaps due to the fire).

      That said, I'm all for high tech gizmos, so as long as they can iron out the obvious potential problems, I say go for it.
    • Keys are a tried and tested, secure and relatively intelligent way to secure a house.

      Sure, mechanical locks are secure [crypto.com].

      I would hate to be locked out of my house because of a power cut

      Something I would hate more is if a power cut made me lose my work on the computer. I would love to invent a power supply that couldn't be interrupted. I'd call it an Uninterruptable Power Supply, or UPS for short. Wonder if I could patent the idea?

      battery charge doesn't last forever

      rfid doesn't have batteries, it's powered by

  • question about design.. (not answered in article) (Score:5, Insightful)

    by yagu ( 721525 ) * <yayagu.gmail@com> on Saturday October 08, 2005 @11:56AM (#13746844) Journal

    When it comes to something so fundamental and critical to a building in terms of entering and leaving (access) one criterion comes to mind as necessary. I don't see any mention in the article, I've got to assume this is considered. Does anyone know if there is code to this requirement?

    My question is this: what is the behavior of a door with that kind of technology in total failure mode? What happens in a fire or some catastrophic event where the door

    • loses power,
    • faces extreme heat
    • or cold,
    • gets wet, etc.?

    Is it designed to quiesce to a state whereby it behaves as an unlocked and openable door? I get nervous sometimes when I see technology used this way. (I'm pretty comfortable with the old pin/tumbler systems, and am perfectly aware they're not foolproof, nor the most convenient...)


    • "...in the unlikely event of power loss or a RoboDoor(tm) failure, you have also been supplied with a RoboKey(tm), which is based on a time-tested RoboCylinder(tm) technology. It is suggested that you hide the RoboKey in a secure yet accessible location, such as a magnetic case under the bumper of your car or a plastic rock in your garden."

    • That's pretty simple, really... (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      It would be just like a normal door on that front. If you want to get out, you just open it. If you want to get in, you have to unlock it.

      There's no need for a failure mode or anything else. The internal knob would have a bog-standard mechanism that opens the door despite the lock. The external knob would be affected by the lock. An electronic lock still has a mechanical lock at its heart. It can unlock that mechanism by activating a solenoid, but there's no reason not to have all the usual levers in place.
      • It depends on the lock. Some are as you describe, in which case it is perfectly safe for them to "fail secure". Others can be electromagnetic locks (usually these can be forced by kicking the door, but they are always "fail safe" anyway), or in high security situations, deadbolts. Normally deadbolts have to be fail safe or have an override key (on an exit door, a copy will usually be kept behind a "break the glass in emergency" panel next to the door). There are a few exceptions, like prisons, where all loc
    • Well, in America most houses are built from dirt and recycled cardboard, so entering via a hole in the wall is even easier than going through a door...
    • My question is this: what is the behavior of a door with that kind of technology in total failure mode?

      You know, my initial reaction to this idea of a RFID door is "that's pretty cool, and would make a couple of my jobs a lot easier." I've been working at some form of a locked psychiatric facility, on and off again for a couple of years now, and locks and keys are a BIG DEAL. If security gets comprimised, it can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace all the locks in an institution. An RFID signal w

  • Keys are keys (Score:3, Insightful)

    by The MAZZTer ( 911996 ) <megazzt.gmail@com> on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:01PM (#13746870) Homepage
    RFID chips are just another kind of key. We've been using them on campus longer than I've been here for dorm access. We use normal metal keys for room access.

    Only significant differences I can see is that the RFID chip will eventually run out of juice and die (my ID card has been going strong for over two years so far tho), and it's alot easier to "change the locks" if you lose your RFID key.

    • Re:Keys are keys (Score:2, Informative)

      by bytesmythe ( 58644 )
      RFID enabled devices like that don't have power. They receive all the energy they need via induction from the scanning device.

    • Re:Keys are keys (Score:4, Informative)

      by bbrack ( 842686 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:25PM (#13746972)
      FYI, low powered RFID devices don't need any battery, so they should last pretty much forever - the transponders are powered by induction from the scanner

      MTTF on the circuit is probably in the dozens (if not the hundreds) of years

      Have you ever tried to get in a dorm if/when the power happens to go out?

      [I was locked once locked out of my dorm for a few hours in freezing weather when the power went out halfway through my freshman year]
      • GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. RFID is bad enough, but unpowered ("passive") RFID tags are an obscenely bad idea. If it's a passive tag, then it cannot be encrypted. How long until crimminals develop a yagi antenna for "door-driving"? The typical range *without* a specialized antenna is over a dozen feet. At least with active RFID you still have the possiblity of *some* encryption, though size and power requirements will probably ensure that it is fairly weak. If you want an electronic door lock, use magstripes o
  • Does anybody know of a system out there to fit something similar to this to your vehicle? Something akin to the new Mercedes which detects the card-key in your pocket and unlocks the door with a button to start the vehicle.

  • A bit too late (Score:3, Funny)

    by gunpowda ( 825571 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:03PM (#13746879)
    It combines a camera, buzzer, RFID locks and various other systems inside the door...

    Maybe they're compensating for the lack of DRM in the MP3 [fraunhofer.de] format!

  • Interesting (Score:2, Interesting)

    by giorgiofr ( 887762 )
    I always find these kind of things quite cool. You can store your chip in a badge or implant it in your hand (I'd personally go for this and there are pages on the web about a guy who's done it). The system can be designed to withstand notable cold/heat, and please note that nowadays' locks are unusable when it is cold/hot enough, so we're not losing functionality here.
    These are the things that, one by one, will make our world look like "Deus Ex" crossed with "The 5th element", "The Matrix" and what have y

  • That's nice, but... (Score:5, Funny)

    by sopuli ( 459663 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:05PM (#13746890)
    does it make a 'wooosh' sound?

  • And your point is? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by icefaerie ( 827772 )
    What's the big deal? RFID has been used to open doors for quite some time now. To get into my dorm, all I have to do is wave my wallet at a sensor by the door.

    The problem is, of course, what happens when you lose your ID card...

  • but (Score:2, Insightful)

    by snib ( 911978 )
    How much does it cost? Would anyone honestly pay an extra $1000 just to not have to turn a key?

  • Things that make you go "what were they thinking?" (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Fallen Kell ( 165468 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:18PM (#13746943)
    Well, others have probably already said it, but I will repeat. What in the world happens when you lose power? Take the New Orleans area, which many places STILL do not have power after weeks of time. No battery pack will last that long, I am sorry. So what happens when it loses all the power? Will it lock everyone inside? Will it lock everyone out? If they are locked out, that is worse then them being locked inside, especially when you look at the fact that this is aimed at the elderly! I can see the news reports already, "Elderly man freezes to death outside home because his door wouldn't open".
    • my ibutton door knob on my back door has lasted 2 years without power so far. it has a lithium battery and only uses juice when an ibutton is touched to it for reading and when it needs to pull the tiny solenoid to allow the door handle to turn. The manula said I will not need to replace it until the red led start blinking and then I have 1 month to replace it.

      If they can not make the rfid devices as good as the really old Ibutton door handles then they need to quit now.
    • a. kick a hole in the wall, next to the door. b. break a window and climb in. c. kick the door in. d. kick the door on the lock, so that the jamb splinters and the door stys in one piece. e. ...
    • I've seen several locks that address that exact issue. The 'normal' way to get in is to use the combination / RFID / swipe cards / whatever hi-tech system, but if that fails, there's a keyhole in the lock that can be used to manually override the lock with a key.

      Also, in commercial buildings, it's quite common to have multiple entrances. Usually they will put electronic locks and magclamps on the 'public' entrances, and leave yale locks on the others, so that security guards are able to get in and overrid

  • I'm away a great deal, and have need of being able to have someone pick up my post/water my plants etc, it is very convienient to drop a key off to someone so they can get in. Far more so than inviting someone round and getting there details into the locking software's database.

    However I can see that once the info is in the database there could be an ability to set which of the people are allowed in, blocking priviledges to certain people at one time, and granting another. This would make the system idea

  • "LINAIDH Is Not An Intelligent Door Handle"

  • Did these guys see 2001? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    2001: A space odyssey should serve as a warning to science that you never never ever put the computer in charge of the doors.

    And we had been worried about some top down centralized approach to AI where some military computer took over the world. The truth will turn out more bottom up and this simple step will be how the revolution will start. Before long the knobs will be silently communicating and making plans. When the end comes, we will find ourselves locked out of our homes and business and sent off to

  • Cool, but... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by nathan s ( 719490 )
    ...as others have commented, what happens when the power's cut and/or the batteries die? This is all nifty, but there is a lot to be said for the biomechanical lock (powered by a human arm, turning a key in a mechanical lock). I'd hope that the door at least has a non-electronic backup lock, although that wouldn't help much if your keys got locked inside...

  • GPP? (Score:3, Funny)

    by yulek ( 202118 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:35PM (#13747003) Homepage Journal
    obligatory:

    after opening does it say: "Thank you for making a simple door very happy?"

  • hmm (Score:2, Interesting)

    by ImTheDarkcyde ( 759406 )
    What about hackers? I mean it doesn't take an idiot to download a program off of the internet that lets them crack your doors encryption
     
    Besides, what kind of future door doesn't sigh.

  • Just a general response to people.... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by CuCullin ( 551104 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @12:38PM (#13747012) Homepage

    Ok, some people have expressed some very basic concerns in regards to emergency situations. I would like to point a few simple things out.

    1) House locks keep people OUT not IN, which is the goal here as well. I'm sure there would be simple mechanical method of opening the door in case of emergency, like turning the same deadbolt style lock that exists now. Difference is, this has the option of being opened from the outside using some tech and a motor.
    2) LOCKS KEEP EMERGENCY PERSONNEL OUT NOW. This is why we carry such things as a rabbit tool, spreaders, and the traditional set of irons (axe + halligan). We break the damn lock. No problem.

    Ok, so I came up with two simple points. But they are good ones nonetheless :)

    • "1) House locks keep people OUT not IN, which is the goal here as well. I'm sure there would be simple mechanical method of opening the door in case of emergency, like turning the same deadbolt style lock that exists now. Difference is, this has the option of being opened from the outside using some tech and a motor."

      If your door has a double-throw deadbolt - and a LOT of house doors do (ours does) - the lock does not differentiate in the manner you describe. These deadbolts require a key to allow exit, not
  • If you add a man-in-the-middle to this, you get a nice way of proving SOMEBODY is standing next to the tag, even though the tag is nowhere near the door. This means I can stalk you in the supermarket while my accomplice breaks into your house.

    http://eprint.iacr.org/2005/052 [iacr.org]

  • IN SOVIET RUSSIA (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Doors open you!

  • Simple logic. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by jupiter909 ( 786596 )
    Many people here are on about 'what if it fails'. The simple solution, it would have a MANUAL KEY OVERIDE.

    Do none of you people have automatic gates on your houses? My gate has a motor to open it. I push a button and WOW it opens, it has so happened that the power and backup power was out due to lightning strike once. I opened the little gate in the big gate, stepped inside, unlocked the motor housing, then pulled the gate open. This has only ever happened once, so given that I use it everyday, getting wet
  • Do they at least include a free towel with each intelligent door knob?
  • but i'd rather have one that sighed contentedly or made the Star Trek Sound®
  • Many comments to this post have pointed out the importance of a reliable power source for the electronic doorknob. I note that it's possible to use the energy of the motion of the knob itself to power the lock (and whatever other security feature one may reasonably desire). There may be earlier references to to this technique, but the one with which I am familiar is by Gerald F. Ross et al. Their paper, "Batteryless Sensor for Intrusion Detection and Assessment of Threats. - Technical rept. 7 Jul 94-12 F
  • Well, if door handle is synonymous with door knob, I'd say that the term "intelligent door handle" is a non-sequitur. Everyone knows that doorknobs aren't intelligent.
  • Boo because they come from Fraunhofer. [mp3licensing.com]

  • Don't most of you use RFID access cards at work (HID corporation access cards are a major brand)? A lot of the postings here show a major ignorance of these systems.

    There are two types of door locks where I work.

    1) Magnetic. The power failure mode of these is that they unlock when the power goes out.
    2) Mechanical. Here, a spring holds the latch bolt in, and when you wave your card, the latch opens. The failure mode is locked.

    In both cases of these you can still exit from the inside. In the first case, y
    • A lot of the postings here show a major ignorance of these systems.

      I was working on the firmware for one of these systems [cardax.com] in 1993. We called them "prox cards" (or "prox tokens" if they were not card shaped) back then. I don't know if people see the acronym RFID and assume its new technology because RFID has been hyped in recent years, or they really didn't know that this technology has existed for probably over 15 years now.

      There are two types of door locks where I work.

      1) Magnetic. The power failure

  • RF doorcard systems have been around for over a decade.

    Just what is new about any of this?
  • ... doorknob.

          Now I can go up to all those people who called me that and say, well, something. I dunno.... Ooh! Shiny!

  • Philip K Dick (Score:3, Informative)

    by lonesome phreak ( 142354 ) on Saturday October 08, 2005 @05:50PM (#13748254) Journal
    This reminds me of one of his stories...I think it may have been Ubik. The scene where the main character couldn't get out of the door of his place because he owed rent, and the door refused to open, arguing with him as he dismantled it...
  • Am I the only one that sees the horrible security risk here? Sure, this thing will stop your average thug, but against a technology-savvy criminal even a crappy 5 pin tumbler Kwikset would offer much more security.

    According to Wikipedia, a passive RFID tag (since TFA refers to them as merely "chips", I'm going to assume that they are passive and thus unencrypted) can be read at a distance of up to 18 feet. This is presumably with conventional readers. Even this distance poses a significant threat (one
    • Well, it's not like the current system is any more secure. Most locks aren't *that* hard to pick. In fact, I've got a lock box (Brinks) that it as easy to pick as open with a key (given, it's kinda cheap, but it is still a 5 pin lock). Most buildings have master keys, and IIRC there's a rather simple way to make one given any key based on it. Of course, even if you have the best lock in the world, what is the average door made of? A couple inches of wood? A couple sheets of metal? Or how about the bo
  • For years radios had been operated by means of pressing buttons and turning dials; then as the technology became more sophisticated the controls were made touch-sensitive - you merely had to brush the panels with your fingers; now all you had to do was wave your hand in the general direction of the components and hope. It saved a lot of muscular expenditure of course, but meant that you had to sit infuriatingly still if you wanted to keep listening to the same programme.

    -Doug Adams

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