- #1
- 5,199
- 38
Hi,
I'm wondering what the point of electromechanical door locks is. But first, the disclaimer:
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of electronics. In fact, it's one of the few areas of engineering that excites me. I'm not that crazy about mechanics or mechanical systems. That's my personal bias, because my background is in electrical engineering (and physics), and I tend to gravitate towards high tech stuff and am interested in emerging technologies and the closing gap between fundamental science and the applications that stem from it.
That having been said, really, what is the point of elaborate powered door locking mechanisms (aside from in vehicles where they're quite handy)? Some of the newer "FOB" type systems seem pretty reliable. But magnetic stripe card reader door locks? Please. Give me a break. I'm living in a building with these hotel style locks on the doors right now. They're SO flaky! It seems like unless you stick the card in the reader in exactly the right way, at exactly the right speed, you get an error. What advantage does this offer? Is it JUST better security? Because it seems to me that, by comparison, a simple mechanical locking system can't fail nearly as often.
I'm wondering what the point of electromechanical door locks is. But first, the disclaimer:
Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of electronics. In fact, it's one of the few areas of engineering that excites me. I'm not that crazy about mechanics or mechanical systems. That's my personal bias, because my background is in electrical engineering (and physics), and I tend to gravitate towards high tech stuff and am interested in emerging technologies and the closing gap between fundamental science and the applications that stem from it.
That having been said, really, what is the point of elaborate powered door locking mechanisms (aside from in vehicles where they're quite handy)? Some of the newer "FOB" type systems seem pretty reliable. But magnetic stripe card reader door locks? Please. Give me a break. I'm living in a building with these hotel style locks on the doors right now. They're SO flaky! It seems like unless you stick the card in the reader in exactly the right way, at exactly the right speed, you get an error. What advantage does this offer? Is it JUST better security? Because it seems to me that, by comparison, a simple mechanical locking system can't fail nearly as often.