The biggest issue with the sea of smart locks on the market is their design. As they can only really be used by homeowners, a large population of apartment dwellers miss out on the convenience having a smart lock provides because they still need a physical key for the front door of the building.
Locumi Labs thought it was time for a solution, creating the Monkey keyless entry system. Instead of being a typical smart lock, the monkey takes the form of an extremely compact, Wi-Fi enabled chip that is easily installed in the intercom in an apartment or home. From that point, a companion iOS or Android app is able to open the building’s main entrance using an app command, time-restricted access, or smartphone proximity for hands-free access.
In combination with a smart lock, monkey allows for full, keyless access for you or visitors no matter the living situation. A monkey chip will cost $76, and Locumi Labs is looking for $55,000 by December 7th, 2015.
Monkey is a clever solution to a underrepresented problem. Ease of installation and the absence of battery maintenance are features that deserve praise but as with all smartphone-dependent lock solutions, a lack of battery means sleeping outdoors for the night. Still, with proper management, it shouldn’t be a problem. Pair this with smart locks from Nucli, LazyLocks or Sesame for maximum versatility.