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I want a keyfob for my house like the Prius's

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Main Forum' started by Will B, Oct 5, 2024.

  1. Will B

    Will B Active Member

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    I wasn't really sure where to post this, so if this is the wrong place, happy to delete it and re-post somewhere else. This isn't specific to the Gen5 for sure (my wife's Gen3 is similar and I'm sure many other cars are the same as well), it's just now that *my* car (a Gen5) has it, I realize how nice it is.

    I want a keyfob for my house that works like my car. No need to take it out of my pocket, works only works at very close proximity, and is kinda nice that a light comes on when you get close. When I do some poking around there are lots of locks that are remote controllable, but they need some kind of phone app which is 10x more effort than just pulling out a mechanical key--especially if you have to log in and do stuff to unlock. The car keyfobs are decently secure and super convenient.

    I've progressed through a few keypad style locks that are reasonably convenient but not nearly as nice as the car keyfob. My first had a motor that moved the deadbolt which was pretty hard on batteries and sometimes lacked feedback. The one I have now just engages the deadbolt to a knob and you provide the Joules to move the deadbolt. That to me is pretty good, I still feel it locking and the battery lasts a long time.

    Heck, even the Gen5 supports your phone being the key for the car. It isn't quite as nice as the keyfob and the app on phone looks a bit wonky, but it is at least close.

    Does anyone know of such locks? Am I just not knowing what to search on?

    will
     
  2. SB6

    SB6 Member

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    Try searching for home keyless entry, or home proximity key, etc.

    You may also be interested in the fingerprint type locks
     
  3. RandyPete

    RandyPete Member

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    Push once to unlock the front door, twice to unlock all doors.
     
  4. purplePriii

    purplePriii Active Member

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    If you hold down your home remote, does it open all the windows?


    Schlage Encode Plus would be one where you can use your phone to tap and unlock. There's others like Lockstar that comes with all the options. I am not sure but depending on what protocol some of these use like NFC, you might be able to program an NFC ring to unlock the lock.
     
  5. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Lose the fob, pay $800 before you use the house again?

    I need to come up with a code entry system for my front door with its antique hotel lock, interested to see what else comes up in this thread.
     
    BiomedO1 and Mendel Leisk like this.
  6. Blackat

    Blackat Active Member

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    Where I live we don't lock the doors, just walk in
     
  7. ColoradoBoo

    ColoradoBoo Senior Member

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    I think the issue is with power...how are you going to get electricity to the front door? With a car, you have a big 12-volt battery that runs the key fob detection system. Folks are finding modern cars' 12-volt battery low, or even dead, if they let the car sit for a while, and this is one of the factors for it....the parasitic draw.
    You could put a few 9-volt batteries inside the front door lock but how long would they last? And what do you do if they die? (A back-up lock, sure.)
    It's probably been thought of but not enough of a demand as you would have to carry the key fob AND the key, as a backup.
    Personally, I'd like to go backwards...have the option of getting RID of all these electronics in a vehicle and go back to the days of being able to buy a small car for $1,999. No airbags, no power anything, etc. $47,000 is the new average car price....just ridiculous.
     
  8. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    You just need to be strategic in what window or door you want to break/pry open.:):p:rolleyes::LOL::ROFLMAO: They all have a manual key backup. That reminds me, what did I do with my safe backup key. Oh I remember, I locked it in the safe - so I wouldn't lose it.:eek::oops::cautious::love::giggle:

    I do annual battery replacements on all my electronic locks. Haven't had any issues in the last 5 years. YMMV
     
  9. Hammersmith

    Hammersmith Senior Member

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    I do a mild smart home. Philips Hue lights and Google Nest thermostat, door locks, doorbell, and smoke/CO alarms. I also have Google Home speakers in most rooms. This gives me the ability to do voice commands for most things, including through my phone. So I can verbally order my house lights on as I drive up.

    I haven't gotten around to it, but I could also do some geofencing so that if my phone approaches the house after I've been away for awhile, and it's also dark out, certain lights would automatically turn on as I approach. Doing that with door locks is a bit trickier because manufacturers are wary of creating a system that can be spoofed. For instance, my door can be locked verbally, but it can't be unlocked verbally(only by the phone app or by typing in the code on the lock).



    I've been reasonably happy with Google Home/Google Assistant, but I can tell Google has been cutting costs in this area. I'm seeing more errors or unavailabilities("I'm sorry, that light doesn't seem to be available"). I'm looking at switching to running my own Home Assistant server rather than relying on the Google cloud. It's not that expensive(<$200), but I've just been too lazy to learn how to set one up.