Re: ibutton door access control

["paul gordon" <paul_gordon@xxxxxxx>]

>
>Assuming you can get in (with a spare key) (same problem with a 5
leaver)
>you tell the system to forget that key and start using a new one
>
For sure, but this gets to my point - the ibutton solution has little
benefit over a traditional lock & key in this scenario - in either
case, if
you lose your "access token" (be that a Yale key or an ibutton),
you will
have the initial inconvenience of not being able to obtain access until you
can obtain a replacement (or spare, or backup) "access token".
Once that is
obtained, then you still have to go about "voiding" the old
token. -
Granted, this is easier with an ibutton (just reprogram the lock to a new
code), than it is with physical lock & key, (when you probably would
want to
change the lock - just in case), but neither of these is ideal. Far better
to employ a system where it is simply impossible to be in this situation in
the first place, by avoiding the use of a physical access token which has
no
relationship to the person holding it, and would grant access to anyone who
possesses it. (suppose someone mugs you outside your house & steals
your
"token"?? - they'd get in.)
>
>unfortunately a vandal can damage the system in seconds,
>
True, but so can just about anything, - even a traditional lock can have
superglue squirted in it. But we're talking about security here, not
vandalism, cos let's face it if a yobbo is standing at your door intent on
causing damage, he's going to cause some no matter what - he'll end up
kicking doors in, or breaking windows or some such, the protection against
which is not the job of an access control system - that's down to your
"security" system (Comfort!) In my book, an access control system
has only
two overriding priorities:
1) to _always_ permit authorised entry
2) to _always_ deny unauthorised entry

and if you can't get into your house because you've misplaced your ibutton,
then it comprehensively fails on the first point! And if a vandal decides
to
vent his anger on your door camera, then at least you'll have video'd him
doing it, and will have something to show the police!

>A ibutton reader
>can be constructed out of 2 6" nails ! infact the commercial units
are so
>discrete they can be mistaken for a door bell.

Hmm.... have you seen how small and discreet pinhole CCD cameras are these
days? - also easily concealed inside a door or door frame with just a very
small hole in evidence, and a pretty impressive picture quality to boot!

>Also the benefit of a physical key is that it can be given to someone
like
>a
>guest key, which you can activate just for the weekend, perhaps one for
the
>cleaner that just works on Monday mornings

Hmmm... true, but then all the same things already detailed as drawbacks of
a physical access token apply to this other person too... - what if they
lose their key?, or worse still, how do you know how many valid tokens are
out there? and exactly where they all are? - once you give someone else a
physical key, what's to stop them copying it, or passing it on to someone
else? - you have effectively lost control over this access token, which
again will grant access to your house to anyone who happens to posses it.

As long as were not talking about complete strangers, (and why would you
want to give a complete stranger access to your house?), then in the case
of
a regular visitor like a cleaner, there's no problem enrolling this person
so that they too are recognised by a biometric system, which also can be
programmed for access only at certain times...

I just don't see anything in favour of a "blind" access token
system,
there's still no intelligence there, it's just moving a flawed mechanical
system to a flawed electronic system with nearly all the same drawbacks.


So, who's going to design an interface betwen my door-camera and my
door-lock, by way of a PC in the middle?

Paul G.



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