Smart Lock
A Smart Lock or Smartlock ( English for intelligent lock ) is an electromechanical lock that can be unlocked or locked by entering an authorized device. These entries are made using a wireless transmission protocol and a cryptographic key . In contrast to conventional radio locks , a Smart Lock also monitors all access and can set automatic actions, such as sending notifications of problems to other devices.
Smart locks are generally seen as part of the smart home complex . The following scenarios are often mentioned as areas of application for Smart Locks: opening the entrance door for craftsmen, domestic helpers, parcel deliverers and short-term renters of holiday apartments. Another area of application for smart lock technology can be found in frame locks.
function
Like ordinary locks, Smart Locks consist of a lock and a key. The locking itself does not really differ from ordinary locks with bolts or bolts that prevent the door from opening. Some manufacturers continue to use the previous lock. In this case, the Smart Lock is essentially an attachment that, when prompted by the “Smart Key”, turns the actual key and thus opens the lock.
In contrast to the lock, the key is not physical, but just a digital code. This must be transmitted from an approved device to the Smart Lock via a wireless interface so that it opens. On the one hand , the devices used are smartphones that have a corresponding app installed. On the other hand, most Smartlocks also support special "key fobs" (Engl .: " Key Chain ") that transmit the appropriate code to the lock.
With many Smart Locks it is not necessary that the smartphone is nearby. The transmission can also take place over the Internet. So you can lock the lock or let guests into the house even when you're out and about.
The code with which the device opens the Smartlock is unique so that the Smart Lock can uniquely identify the device. On the one hand, it is possible to track who has used the lock and when. On the other hand, it is also possible to activate certain devices for a certain period of time.
Transmission standards
Bluetooth
The great advantage of Bluetooth as a transmission standard for Smart Locks is the low power consumption when using Bluetooth Low Energy . Since Smart Locks are battery-operated in most cases, power consumption is not insignificant. To unlock it is necessary that the device is paired with the Smart Lock. This is only possible with devices that have been authorized by the administrator. Unlocking is only possible over short distances with Bluetooth, so unlocking via the Internet is not possible directly.
Z-Wave
Z-Wave is a transmission standard that was specially developed for home automation and is used for communication between different devices. This has advantages for more extensive smart home facilities, but the major disadvantage is that e.g. B. Smartphones cannot communicate with it directly, but only via a different standard with a hub that forwards the signals to the lock via Z-Wave. Because Z-Wave devices forward signals to one another, the range of several devices in the household can be significantly higher than when using Bluetooth.
Wireless
Since modern transmission standards such as Bluetooth or WLAN can sometimes be easily attacked, there are some innovative systems in which the signals are transmitted via specific radio frequencies . The keyless entry system from KIWI works e.g. B. with frequencies in the range of 868 MHz and 2.4 GHz.
WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS
Smart Locks, directly to a wireless - router are connected, actually are not common. So that the Smart Locks can also be operated outside the range of Bluetooth or Z-Wave, hubs are used that connect the Smart Lock to the WiFi network and subsequently to the Internet. In addition to operation via the Internet, another advantage is that Smart Locks with WLAN support can also be operated via Smart Assistants such as Google Home , Amazon Echo or Siri . Typical examples are the August Connect (Z-Wave) and Nuki Bridge (Bluetooth) models .
NFC
Currently (as of May 2018) not yet widespread on the market, but smartlocks that use NFC for transmission are also available in Germany . The advantage here is that the smartlocks themselves no longer require any power supply, but can get by with the induction energy of the smartphone. In this case, the smartphone scans the RFID tag built into the Smartlock . As a result, the NFC Smartlock works in exactly the opposite way to the other variants, in which the lock rather than the smartphone acts as a reader.
biometrics
Some Smart Locks use biometric features for access control.
safety
Smart locks generally do not make the underlying locks more or less secure. As a result, the doors cannot be broken open or picked more easily or more easily . Nevertheless, Smart Locks have certain advantages and disadvantages in terms of security:
Almost all current models can log when and with which device the lock was opened. In addition, with a Smart Lock, in the event of loss or theft, the “key” (= smartphone) can be made invalid, which is not possible with a mechanical key.
As with almost all smart home devices, there are concerns about IT security and possible hacker attacks . In fact, security experts have been able to bypass the majority of smart locks on the market. When tested in America at the end of 2016, only 4 out of 16 models withstood the attacks. While it was even possible to read out passwords with some cheap models, it took a lot more skill for other models.
A test by the independent IT security institute AV-Test, on the other hand, certified that most of the smartlocks widely used in German-speaking countries had good to excellent security in 2017. Only the Austrian Nuki model received an excellent rating in all tested areas , but in a total of 5 out of 6 tested models, according to the institute, there would only be at most a theoretical vulnerability.
Smart locks that are visible from the outside can provide intruders with information about possible valuables in the apartment. In the event of a power failure, a mechanical backup key may be required.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Smart security for your bike. Retrieved February 19, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d e f Grant Ho, Derek Leung, Pratyush Mishra, Ashkan Hosseini, Dawn Song: Smart Locks: Lessons for Securing Commodity Internet of Things Devices . In: Proceedings of the 11th ACM on Asia Conference on Computer and Communications Security (= ASIA CCS '16 ). 2016, ISBN 978-1-4503-4233-9 , pp. 461-472 , doi : 10.1145 / 2897845.2897886 .
- ↑ BalingTech: Picking a protocol: Bluetooth, Z-Wave or Wi-Fi. Retrieved November 30, 2017 .
- ↑ The KIWI security | KIWI . In: KIWI.KI . ( kiwi.ki [accessed November 1, 2018]).
- ↑ August Connect - August . In: August . ( august.com [accessed November 30, 2017]).
- ↑ The Bridge brings your Smart Lock online - Smart Home Integration . In: Nuki . ( nuki.io [accessed November 30, 2017]).
- ↑ TRELOCK world first: The SL 460 SMARTLOCK. Retrieved on May 13, 2018 (German).
- ↑ The world's first NFC-powered lock - iLOQ NFC. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 22, 2017 ; Retrieved November 30, 2017 (American English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Yale Announces First NFC Residential Door Lock For US And Companion Yale Digital Keys App. Retrieved December 1, 2017 .
- ↑ a b How Secure are Smart Locks? In: IEEE Transmitter. November 8, 2017, accessed January 9, 2018 .
- ↑ Insurance, burglary when using the Nuki Smart Lock . In: Nuki . May 22, 2016 ( nuki.io [accessed November 30, 2017]).
- ↑ Have a smart lock? Yeah, it can probably be hacked . In: CNET . ( cnet.com [accessed November 30, 2017]).
- ↑ AV-TEST GmbH: Open sesame! Smart locks in the security check . ( av-test.org [accessed November 30, 2017]).
