Tenants win right to physical keys over smart locks from landlords

Re:Tenants win right to physical keys over smart locks from ... by OkGoDoIt on Friday May 10, 2019 @01:16PM (#19879953)

It’s worth noting that many smart locks nowadays have flat capacitive-based keypads, which even I as an able-bodied adult have issues pressing accurately.

I used to live in a place with a main door that was a smart lock and I loved it, now I have to carry keys again which is super annoying.

But one time the battery died while the landlord was out of town, which meant I couldn’t get in my building for hours until his friend was able to find and bring over the physical key backup.

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Re:Tenants win right to physical keys over smart locks from ... by Beldin on Friday May 10, 2019 @01:21PM (#19880006)

But one time the battery died while the landlord was out of town, which meant I couldn’t get in my building for hours until his friend was able to find and bring over the physical key backup.

Why not get your phone charged somewhere? Neighbors, a shop, ... surely someone could lend you an outlet + charger for 30 mins?

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Re:Tenants win right to physical keys over smart locks from ... by DavidAdams on Friday May 10, 2019 @01:28PM (#19880094)

I believe OP implied that the battery in the smart lock itself died.

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Re:Tenants win right to physical keys over smart locks from ... by OkGoDoIt on Friday May 10, 2019 @08:18PM (#19883527)

Sorry for the confusion, this was a smartlock that used a keypad. No phone integration. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen a smartlock in person that uses a smartphone to unlock, although I've heard they exist.

Anyway the unit in question took 4 AA batteries which needed to be replaced every 6 months or so. The batteries of the lock itself died earlier than expected. Apparently the wifi connection to the front building door was bad and that caused the battery life to drain significantly faster than advertised.

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