Coffee machine switched off? Cat trapped in the basement? Automatic fish feeder activated? These critical questions often arise at the least convenient times i.e. when the whole family is packed into the car en route to the ferry, station or airport.
Wouldn't it be easier to send an electronic key to your neighbour's mobile phone? A time-limited access authorisation to clarify the situation. Apparently, with a new home security development called AirKey, this is now possible.
It is an electronic locking system that turns compatible smartphones into keys. The system does not require its own IT infrastructure as it works off the manufacturer’s server. This is how AirKey works:
- An NFC-compatible mobile phone, an internet connection and an AirKey cylinder is all the locking system needs. The rest of the system runs in the background.
- The mobile phone is the key.
- Authorisations and their validity are shown in a free AirKey app.
- Data transfer is protected against decryption.
Basically it gives you worldwide access to your front door should you ever need it and makes leaving the key under the mat a thing of the past. Which is good news for householders and bad news for burglars.
Use the manufacturer's (
Evva) online administration via a computer, ipad or whatever, to specify who has access to which facility at which time, and for how long. And that's how your mobile phone is also your key.
Ten ways to protect yourself against burglars.
