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Comment by pkulak | Hacker News Reader

> Amazon is choosy on what features you can implement

Allowing someone to holler into an open (or recently broken) window to open my front door sounds terrifying.

I, on the other hand, am on the 17th floor. Anyone who can holler at a smart device in my apartment has already compromised something important, and could probably get in anyway.

Also, just require a passphrase? To go full star trek, "[Alexa/Google/Siri], unlock the front door, authorisation singingboyo Alpha Pi Pi Zulu" sounds workable.

IIRC Amazon does allow for this. I use Smartthing + Homebridge for operating my lock (Prompts me on my phone to unlock the door when I get near the house and locks the door when I close it) but I do have Alexa as well and I at least looked into using it to lock/unlock. For the unlock I have to read off a pin, it will lock without needing a pin.

We truly live in the future.

I’m not sure if you are joking/mocking but for me at least it’s super convenient to tap a notification on my watch as I pull into my driveway and way directly into my house (detached garage I don’t park in so I enter through the front door). It’s also nice to know anytime I close the door it will lock behind me. I quite enjoy living in the future.

Or you could use voice authentication... or require that known phones are within range, or best yet don't link your smart speaker to your door lock (when do the pros outweigh the cons here?)

I use a password to deactivate my Ring via our Echo.

I bet you sleep fine knowing anyone can simply pick your locks to get in using knowledge easily obtained on YouTube and using tools readily available.

That statement is equally true for fancy "smart" systems.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32815036036.html

sleep tight.

Yes. So they are both susceptible to being compromised. So it'd be up to user preference as to what method they want to lock / unlock their door with then?

To sleep fine you can use the type of a lock that only opens from inside with turn of a knob (deadbolt?).

I keep thinking back how in the dark ages my parents never locked the door. Much less windows. No one had time for that.

If they broke your window they’d probably crawl through it.

What about throwing a small speaker through the window that blasts out “Alexa, unlock front door ... Siri, unlock front door” ? (I’m no criminal mastermind, but just a random thought)

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