abs@nbc1.UUCP (02/02/87)
I've been wondering for a while about those card-keyed door locks that you find in newer hotels. I have three questions: 1) How are they powered? (I can find no evidence of wires running to the door itself.) 2) What is the means by which they are reprogrammed? Is it done using RF? Carrier current? Microwaves? 3) If they are battery powered, what kind of batteries are used, how often must they be replaced, and how does one open the lock to replace the batteries? -- Andrew Siegel, N2CN NBC Computer Imaging, New York, NY philabs!nbc1!abs (212)664-5776
tony@catsim.UUCP (02/03/87)
> I've been wondering for a while about those card-keyed door locks > that you find in newer hotels. I have three questions: > > 1) How are they powered? (I can find no evidence of wires > running to the door itself.) > > 2) What is the means by which they are reprogrammed? Is > it done using RF? Carrier current? Microwaves? > > 3) If they are battery powered, what kind of batteries > are used, how often must they be replaced, and how > does one open the lock to replace the batteries? > -- > Andrew Siegel, N2CN NBC Computer Imaging, New York, NY > philabs!nbc1!abs (212)664-5776 To answer your questions there are a number of different types of door locks which are now being used. Let me quickly cover (off the top of my head) them without going into a lot of detail. type 1) This type of door lock uses a paper/plastic card with the magnetic strip on the back. The lock is normally in the door frame not the door itself. It is power/reprogrammed from the main desk using a PC. The computer contains quite a number of different bit of information about the room. Such as the last time the card was used, if it was a maid, etc. This system also makes it very easy for a master key system to be set up and changed at any time all control from the main desk. type 2) This type of lock can be in the door or not. It is magnetically driven. The card is more like a plastic/metal dog tag. To change the combination a new tag is inserted into the lock and a special key is inserted and turned. Pull the key and the new dog tag out and you have a new combination. Changing time is about 30 seconds. Cost is about $80.00 per door. The door handle can be a free spinning handle or it can be fixed. This type can also be used for apartment complex with a number of them next to the door. type 3) Each lock has its own microprocessor in it with an E^2. I believe that I was told that it is battery driven. I don't know much about this version. It does not have any moving parts as far as the card reader is concern. I have a friend working on a chip for this version. The type I have the least amount of knowledge about. I hope that this little amount of information has help you. If there is still an interest I will try to bring more information to work instead of off the top of my head. Tony Cratz Full time: System Administrator Part time: Locksmith UUCP: hplabs!intelca!catsim!tony MAIL: 4051 Burton Dr. Santa Clara, Ca. 95054 Phone: 408-980-9144
jay@imagen.UUCP (02/04/87)
In article <205@nbc1.UUCP>, abs@nbc1.UUCP (Andrew Siegel) writes: > I've been wondering for a while about those card-keyed door locks > that you find in newer hotels. I have three questions: > > 1) How are they powered? (I can find no evidence of wires > running to the door itself.) > I lived in an apartment bldg. once that had the kind of doors where each apt. had a button the occupant could push to unlock the door. You've all seen these. There were double doors, so power did have to get into the door (not just the door frame) to operate it. I found that power got to the door via a small and inconspicuous set of contacts set into the door frame and in the door, in the jamb on the hinge side of the door. In this case, these were at ground level at the very bottom of the door. We also had an intercom that didn't work, and when visitors came and buzzed someone's apt., the resident would usually let the visitor in without knowing who was there. We had a few unpleasant incidents with troublesome people getting in this way, by just buzzing various people's rooms at random until someone let them in. I took it upon myself to deal with this once. I examined the door and found how the power got in, and disabled the electric lock by putting a piece of plastic in the jamb to keep the contacts from touching each other. Since it was at ground level, it stayed there and didn't fall out. And since this was all so inconspicuous, nobody knew what was wrong or where to look to fix it. The result was that residents couldn't unlock the doors from their rooms, but had to go to the door physically to open it for visitors. I, for one, was quite happy with this state of affairs. (But then, I lived on the ground floor.) -- Jay ....{ucbvax,sun,decwrl}!imagen!jay
jay@isis.UUCP (02/04/87)
In article <205@nbc1.UUCP> abs@nbc1.UUCP (Andrew Siegel) writes: >I've been wondering for a while about those card-keyed door locks >that you find in newer hotels. I discovered answers to this in my last trip to the 'apple', since my electronic door lock stopped working. I asked these same questions of the repairman. Enjoy. > I have three questions: > 1) How are they powered? (I can find no evidence of wires > running to the door itself.) Batteries. Nice heavy duty commercial ones at that. > > 2) What is the means by which they are reprogrammed? Is > it done using RF? Carrier current? Microwaves? They aren't really "reprogrammed" per se. Each one is pre-programmed with sequence of valid card key numbers. The machine that punches the keys also knows of the sequence, and keeps track of the number in the sequence that any given lock is on. It generates a key in sequence for every new guest of that room/lock. When a key is inserted in the door, the lock checks 1) whether the number is the number of the current key, in which case it opens the door, or 2) if not 1), whether it is the next number in the sequence, in which case it increments it's pointer to the series, and calls this number the "current" number. And so on, in sequence. I don't know if all locks have the same sequence, or what that sequence is. I would imagine they all do, and that the sequence is not ascending numeric. > > 3) If they are battery powered, what kind of batteries > are used, how often must they be replaced, and how > does one open the lock to replace the batteries? See above for batteries. When the battery dies!, a manual override is available with a special key, which allows the door to be opened. After being opened, it is a simple matter to remove the back side, add new battery, and put things together again. Actually fairly secure. The repairman said a battery lasts about 6 months. Note that one of two things must be happening. The sequence, and current pointer must be in non-volatile memory, because our key worked when the batteries were added. Alternatively, the repairman may have been graceful enough to know that he should use our key _first_ after repair, as possibly only the sequence is in NVROM and the pointer is set by using the first key number encountered after fresh power up. >-- >Andrew Siegel, N2CN NBC Computer Imaging, New York, NY >philabs!nbc1!abs (212)664-5776 -------- Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and I'm being made to write applications programs, and nobody cares about the pain I have in the diodes up and down my arm. Jay Batson siesmo!{nbires,hao}!isis!jay
charlie@oakhill.UUCP (02/05/87)
In article <205@nbc1.UUCP>, abs@nbc1.UUCP (Andrew Siegel) writes: > I've been wondering for a while about those card-keyed door locks > that you find in newer hotels. I have three questions: > > 1) How are they powered? (I can find no evidence of wires > running to the door itself.) > > 2) What is the means by which they are reprogrammed? Is > it done using RF? Carrier current? Microwaves? > > 3) If they are battery powered, what kind of batteries > are used, how often must they be replaced, and how > does one open the lock to replace the batteries? > -- > Andrew Siegel, N2CN NBC Computer Imaging, New York, NY > philabs!nbc1!abs (212)664-5776 When I stayed at the Hilton in Anaheim I was told that the registration desk punches a new card for each guest. The number on the card comes from a random number generator located in the computer at the registration desk. The microprocessor in the door lock has the same random number generator software. When a card is inserted into the lock the numbers match and the doorlock micro then computes the next number in the sequence and savesthis number away. As long as the numbers for the current random value match the hotel guest can use his card key. When a new guest arrives, his card will contain the next number in the sequence (which the door lock has pre-computed), and when he inserts his card into the door lock the number of the previous guests card is invalidated and a new "next number" is calculated from the random number generator. The problem is that sometimes the registration desk computer gets out of sync with the door lock computer and a security person has to reset the door lock with a "master key". The locks use lithium batteries and are replaced periodically. Most of the power consumption is during card reading (optical) and door opening (selenoid magnet). The door processor is probably low-power CMOS logic. That's all I know. Charlie Thompson Motorola DSP Operations Disclaimer: Lock pick at your own risk....Moto and I are not responsible for anything said.
tla@kaiser.UUCP (02/05/87)
The ones I have seen are, I believe, entirely mechanical. That is why you see no wires. The card has a pattern of holes that must match up with a pattern inside the lock to go in fully and your force (on the card) moves the lock mechanism. The lock is (re-)programmed by inserting a matching (identical? or complementary?) card inside the lock. One some you can see the other card a little through a crack or slot in the lock. The internal card can be replaced by staff after each guest and the mating cards given to the next guest. There maybe some electronic system in use but I haven't seen one. -- Terry L Anderson AT&T Bell Laboratories -- Liberty Corners UUCP: ...!ihnp4!daimler!kaiser!tla TeleMail: Terry.Anderson (201) 580-4428
howard@io.UUCP (02/06/87)
When I worked at AT&T in Summit, NJ our offices had Core-key (tm) locks on them. They are mechanical and operate by a magnetically encoded card that you insert in the know, press and turn. The lock (inside the doorknob) is encoded with a pattern that has to match the one on the key-card. These cards can be coded in groups so that people of a certain group can have keys that open a set of doors. -- ----------------------------------------------------------- Howard Moskovitz AT&T Bell Labs @ Liberty Corner, NJ !io!howard
ron@brl-sem.UUCP (02/13/87)
In article <433@kaiser.UUCP>, tla@kaiser.UUCP (T Anderson) writes: > The ones I have seen are, I believe, entirely mechanical. That > is why you see no wires. There are at least 4 different types of card locks I've seen in hotels. The first (Sheraton Andover) has a rigid plastic card that is inserted in a slot on the wall near the door. The second has a flimsy card, shiny on one side with small holes in it. It is inserted into a slot over the door knob that has two LED's on it. Note these locks are powered by batteries and the combinations are stored in a ram as an aquaintence of mine at a convention took one apart to see how it worked and removed the battery and caused it to forget. The way the combination is changed is that it has a sequence of cards in its memory and the lock cycles through to the next one when the it is inserted and locks out the old card. The third (many Hiltons including the Vista international in NY) has a card that is two pieces of cardboard folded over a sheet of foil with holes punched in it. This one failed on me once and the manager came up with a cute little device that looked like a calculator with a cord with a plastic version of the card on it that he inserted into the lock to revitalize it. All of the above are certain electrically activated. The fourth type has a small plastic oval widget that you stick into a slot in the knob itself (Baltimore Hilton). I don't know about this one, for all I know it could be magnetic like the cute little magnetic mag-wheel locks I've seen. The problem with most of these is they are only slightly easier to deal with than keys. The maids still have master keys and some of my less reputable aquaintences managed to trace the maids card while she wasn't looking and manufacture their own with an exacto knife. Other silly hotel locks include a totally mechanical but changeable lock that invoves a key with ten binary cuts. (Sheraton Tara in Framingham and the Washington Plaza among others). Some hotels not only never seem to change the keying (it is changed by inserting the old key, a change key, and the new key in seconds), but didn't even randomly assign the codes to begin with. Noting that our adjoining rooms and near identical bit patterns (they were consecutive binary numbers), I counted the number of rooms per floor and noticed that they had just started keying at code 101 for the first room on the first floor and worked their way up the building. -Ron