Kevo Bluetooth Enabled Deadbolt Lock

Posted by DSW on December 26, 2013 in GADGETS

Are you a fan of the keyless stop-start technology found in many modern cars? If so, you may be interested in the Kwikset Kevo Bluetooth Enabled Deadbolt, which takes the concept and applies it to the household lock. This hi-tech motorized deadbolt is operated by the proximity of a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone – for example, in a pocket or handbag – and a simple finger touch of the lock.

The Kevo offers the immediately obvious advantage of not having to stagger around rummaging through pockets for keys whilst saddled with heavy bags of shopping. From a purely cosmetic perspective, the LED bezel that glows around the lock when touched also looks fairly impressive, offering some Tony Stark styling for early-adopting technophile types. But the real benefits this device could provide go beyond style and convenience and apply to household security. Firstly, the user can remotely monitor operation of the Kevo lock using the accompanying smartphone app, which may help put anxious minds at rest while travelling. Secondly, to allow others access, authorization to operate the lock can be sent to other smartphones in the form of an eKey – Kevo comes with five eKeys as standard – doing away with the need to hide a physical key under a trusty garden gnome.

Of course, employing a lock that can be controlled via smartphone also brings with it an obvious question: how easily could the Kevo be hacked by the 21^st Century thief looking to gain access by impersonating an authorized device? The product description for the device reassures that its signals are protected by multiple levels of PKI encryption. For the unfamiliar, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is an approach to encrypting data traffic across public networks that generally involves use of digital certificates to authenticate users and a difficult-to-crack asymmetric encryption algorithm involving use of public and private keys. So in short, if an intruder really wants to break in to a building fitted with Kevo, they’ll likely be looking for quicker, easier and less complex methods than hacking the device.

The Kevo is also cleverly calibrated to distinguish between internal Bluetooth signals and those outside the door to which it is fitted. This means that if an individual leaves an authorized smartphone lying within range of the lock inside a building, then a would-be intruder can’t simply walk up to the outside of the door, tap the lock and let themselves in.

Power to the Kevo is supplied by batteries and the device is configured to provide a series of audible warnings to the user well before they run out. In the event that the batteries do fail, the device can also be unlocked using one of the physical keys supplied with the device.

The process of physically fitting the lock is a reasonably straightforward affair that is summed up in the following video:

In summary, the Kevo is a well thought-out device which is likely to please the gadget-lover striving for a hi-tech household, and could also be used to help enhance building security.

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