In the growing world of smart keys, KEVO is a brand that has made a name for itself. It is an elegant system that allows ones to create virtual keys to let friends, contractors or neighbors open a door. On of the most requested feature until now was to have an Internet access to open/close a door. KEVO Plus finally brings this feature to the KEVO family of products.
The main reason why KEVO did not an Internet control option before was because this would have required a WiFi connection. At the time, KEVO designers had prefered to stick with Bluetooth because WiFi tends to consume more power, which may lead to more frequent battery replacement and therefore more friction in the usability. However, users had spoken…
KEVO Plus gets around this issue by employing a WiFi Gateway that talks to the Internet over WiFi, but communicates with the KEVO lock over Bluetooth. And since the Gateway is plugged to a power source, KEVO Plus does not require much more power than the regular one. Yet, it offers much more freedom for the user who can now control it from the other side of the world.
This will also allow KEVO locks to be monitored over the web so that owners can know the status (open/close/battery) of a lock, and even know who opened a door, and when.
If you are not familiar with KEVO, it is a smart lock that can either use a physical key (great when nothing else works), or very secure digital keys. Digital keys can be hosted on Android or iOS smartphones. It is possible to enable the keys on a permanent basis, or on a strict schedule. With this, it is possible to allow access when needed, without worrying about whether or not someone made a copy, or if the key was lost. It is possible to delete and create keys at will.
Filed in CES, CES 2015 and Smart Home.
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