Speaking of lock picking (TM 10/6/09 and 3/7/08, for example), where does the “easily re-keyed” Kwikset SmartKey™ fit in the security spectrum? It does have BumpGuard™ for protection against lock bumping, and the re-keying is done on the inside handle (by inserting a functioning key, turning it ¼ turn to the “learn” position, inserting and firmly pushing the SmartKey tool, removing the tool, taking out the current key without rotating, inserting the new key — available in a kit [What’s This?] –, and turning it ¼ turn back to the starting position), but is it more or less secure because of this re-keying feature?
Kwikset [Manufacturer's Site]
Street Pricing [Google Products]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
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27 Responses to Hot or Not? Kwikset SmartKey
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i can’t speak to the security but the it is surely easier to re-key than a standard lock set.
The tool to decode a Kwikset Smartkey costs about $5.00 to build, if you are sufficiently talented. Shane Lawson did a presentation on hacking the Kwikset SmartKey, and he makes it look easy.
It’s a fairly sophisticated hack, but easy enough that I wouldn’t use it to protect anything that would be worth the effort. As far as protecting your house, it’s what I use. I’m more worried about bump keys and bricks through windows than a sophisticated lock hacker decoding the lock. Your average house thief tries the front-door first, and if it’s locked, will simply break a window.
The thing I love about this lock is being able to “make” a key for someone when I go out of town and need someone to check on my cat. Each one of my friends/family has their own unique key, that they keep. When I go out of town, whoever is watching my house, I just change the front door to their key. When I get back, I change it back. It’s very nice!
Forgot to post the link:
http://blackbag.nl/?p=408
As J Marler said. And here is blog post with video that shows how:
http://blackbag.nl/?p=408
Really the best lockpick for a doorknob is a hammer. One good swing and your in. If you have something important/valuable enough that somebody needs an unnoticeable entry causing them to use lockpicks you should probably invest in something a little more secure.
dijital101, they do provide other types of lock – not only in a doorknob.
http://www.kwikset.com/smartkeyvs/images/vslocks.png
Awwww crap. I have one of these.
Not only the down-sides everyone else is mentioning…. My sister had one of these, pre-installed, on her town home. Her doorknob “forgot” her key somehow. Twice. This completely baffled me based on the design, but I know for a fact it happened somehow… and I believe she even ended up geting Kwikset to pay for the locksmith call. These things scare me.
I looked the SmartKey system a few months ago and the re-keying takes place on the exterior side…as indicated in the picture, and not the interior side. Still, it seems fairly secure, but I’d like to see a couple of independent studies first.
let’s face it a door knob and deadbolt keeps an honest man honest, your best protection is a good insurance policy, or this for the paranoid http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2007/10/12/the-backup-bedmounte.html
Any time complexity goes up, security goes down. So the answer would be “Less.”
But. The real purpose of locks isn’t to be impenetrable. It’s to avoid being low-hanging fruit.
If I’m especially determined to get what you’ve got, there’s really nothing consumer-grade that can stop me.
An armored vault with armed security is what it takes to deter the truly devoted, and sometimes that doesn’t even work.
But this is probably OK for your house, unless you’ve got a high profile for some reason.
2 Jake, I agree with insurance approach, however for insurance to work your lock has to be tamper evident – if it is not then there might be prooblems explaining/proving to insurance company that your doors were not opened with your key.
The best deterrent is the sign on my front lawn.
PREMISES PROTECTED BE MR’S SMITH WESON AND BROWNING.
Only trouble there Rubber Duck is that you’re advertising weapons to steal.
Good lighting and not creating areas around the outside of the house where people can work unseen by a passing car or neighbor are your best deterrents.
I have installed these and they are awesome.
They are just as secure as any other door lock, but the re-key feature is a winner.
I don’t have to root around and try to find a pair of ‘keyed alike’ locksets. I just grab two and go.
When the tenants move out, I re-key house to another key (usually from another lock set I have installed) and I’m am done in 5 minutes. No locksmith.
Kind of related, Kwikset sells a push-button deadbolt which I highly recommend.
Hi all, I’m the person who made the decoder. While I appreciate the idea of a brick, solid boot, or other battering device to gain entry to a house or other facility, I still feel that a lock should be designed well and effective. The smartkey is effective against bumping, but not against decoding OR picking. Many people haven’t picked these, they do take time to master and generally decoding the lock is easier. The old series of this lock can also be forced open easily by taking a key cut to a 3 depth and forcing the cylinder to turn. There are tools for this that look kind of like an icepick.
When we publish vulnerabilities in these mechanisms it is to inform the public of potential problems with a device. Not everyone wants to pay a lot of money for a lock, but we should consider that you get what you pay for. There are also other reasons for requiring less than obvious entry into a locked area which do not involve theft. In this situation, the decoder leaves no evidence and afterward a working normal key is produced. Unlike lockpicking which leaves telling forensic evidence, using a decoder can cause issues. Especially for insurance or when trying to prove something in court.
Just like computer security, there will always be a game of cat and mouse when it comes to protecting assets. My suggestion is to have a security conscious house, and not just stop at the lock on the front door.
I have been doing quit a bit of research since this bump key situation ! I have repined my lock with ilco bump stop pins also use serrated pins !Ilco said they tested the pins high speed camera and the shear line was never compromised ! You get what you pay for ? lets look at primus it uses the same side bar code through out the U.S. I called them and they admitted this so why even use a side bar its defeated it has been bumped by a first timer ! medeco open in 30 seconds Marc Weber Tobias this book is readily available and its the latest read !! I still can’t get it at the Library !! So I ordered Locks safes and Security By Mr Tobias had no Idea at first what it Covered Great book read it All re read it ! there is a decoder for just about every lock ! lets take the Abloy pg 755 decoding can occur with in two minutes with practice ! there is also a decoder on the internet for the Abloy a video ! go to Mr. Tobias site you will find a plastic credit card and paperclip used to attack the Medeco also an 11 year old Bumping the Medeco ! I am not going to cover all the locks in the book that can be Decoded and Impressioned it would take a month or more! Ilco and Kwikset are at least trying ! I looked at several locks the evva 3ks great lock but you have to get the whole item made in Austria or find out what other dead bolt it may fit ! You are correct layered security I use a strobe and Ultrasonics at 15000cps makes your ears ring and you leave to name a few and a Steinel motion detector not the crap from home depot !The Kwikset is like the Briggs and Stratton Side bar its a good lock any lock can be decoded !! Pg 764-765 by John Falle is very much like the kwikset decoder !
The basic pin tumbler design has been around 150 years. A lot of other designs have been developed, but this is a good compromise between security and cost. Keep in mind that the keys can be copied easily and inexpensively. Most high-security keys can’t be duplicated at the local Ace Hardware.
The second half of the physical security issue is the strength of the lock and how it’s installed on the door (or whatever). Put a $200 lock on a flimsy door? Intruders look for the weak spots, oversights and use the method that seems easiest. Keep in mind, it’s not their property, so they don’t care what they break.
One SmartKey lock suddenly stopped working. Another one that gets more use is fine (for now). Seeing lots of comments on the Internets about this happening. Would never have purchased if I knew. Grrr…
And as a follow-up to that last comment… Just talked with customer service at Kwikset. The SmartKey locks have been “re-engineered to make it less likely to have a pin drop.” They are sending me six new cylinders. Kwikset, ya get one more chance. (And it sounds like Kwikset is somehow affiliated with Price-Pfister, known for THEIR crappy products.)
FOLLOW UP:
Got six new lock cylinders after calling Kwikset customer service. They were just loose in a bubble envelope, with no instructions. The deadbolt cylinders are easy to switch, entry knobs a little more difficult. I made a video of how to remove the cylinder from an entry knob: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFgdx5SDdC8.
FYI: One of my 3 Smart Key deadbolts failed (dropped pin? forgot key”?). Kwikset will replace only the failed unit, not the others that still work, so far.
Just bought a set of SmartKeys for my rental house at Lowes and then returned them. I bought the polished brass Cameron style. Interestingly when you re-key the lock, the old key doesn’t work (as it’s sopposed to), but when you rotate the new key so the door knob turns, ALL keys work. Not sure if there’s a defective batch out there, but I had the guys at Lowes take a new one off the shelf and they repeated what I saw. Even my housekey for my primary residence opens the lock. The Cameron deadbolt lock appears to be fine though and they took a different model of door locks off the shelf that had no problem.
Just installed 7 Smart Key double key deadbolts and 7 handles. I am not a locksmith! First one took me 3 hours for double key, 2nd one one hour and from then on it took about 30 minutes to change one handle and one double key deadbolt. I had to reset a few sets a few times to get the keys to work smoothly. This is because spare keys might not have been perfect. I liked the system but Lowe’s won’t rekey my fancy front door double key deadbolt that is not that old because I don’t have a receipt for it. They want me to buy an entire new deadbolt and handle set for $109! Home Depot will.
These locks have some very cool features. They are all but impossible to pick. You can’t use a bump key to defeat it. But they have at least 2 major flaws. They lose their programming and the key you have been using for a long time quits working. The other problem is that with an old key/a key blank a file a wrench or pliers or impression tool you can bypass the lock. It does destroy the locking function but you can open this door now.
I have picked these locks fairly quickly. Yes I own the lock. Problem is anyone with some lock picking skill can own it too.
OK… I know this is an old post but maybe someone knowledgable would care to comment on this… Is a Kwikset deadbolt without “smart key” a better choice? Are they just as effective against bumping and even better against picking than one with the SmartKey? (e.g. a 785 without SmartKey, as opposed to a 785 SMT)