Request for Elk multi-line, high-resolution, keypad

[ddennerline]

It would be nice if Elk sold a higher resolution keypad – probably on par with a smart-phone screen. The keypad could display weather, critical appointments, date/time, daily energy usage, reminders, etc… Two primary considerations are cost and ElkRP rules integration. Since this is more of information device, color could be sacrificed for cost. The device would have option for turning on backlighting if motion was detected. The cost should be somewhere south of $250.

 

[signal15]

I agree. You can pick up COtS hardware that has the features it would need for under $100 out of china/hong kong. All you'd need to do is load some sort of OS on it with your app. Keep the cost down by using Linux for the OS piece.

Elk does have a touchscreen device. But, it's way more money than $250, and doesn't have much additional features except for cam viewing and weather. And the interface is not very pretty. I hate to call someone's baby ugly, but I think everyone would agree that it's not exactly the pinnacle of design. Which, of course, brings up the need for skins/themes/layout modification by the user.

 

[mustangcoupe]

why not looking using one of these COTs options with ELKRMS ?

 

[Lagerhead]

IYou can pick up COtS hardware that has the features it would need for under $100

Please say more -- Vendors? Recommended makers?

 

[signal15]

IYou can pick up COtS hardware that has the features it would need for under $100

Please say more -- Vendors? Recommended makers?

No recommendations, I haven't purchased any of it. Some of it will run Android. A couple of good places to find this stuff though is:
http://www.dealextreme.com
http://www.kaidomain.com

You can also get some Chumby guts for $139:
http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.as...oductCode=MKCH1

 

[Spanky]

How about an Apple iTouch running eKeypad?

The keypad data bus, RS485, is setup for 2 X 16 LCD characters, but the RS232 (Ethernet) is pretty much free format. The RMDesigner software allows for making your own screens and functions which runs on Windows CE, XP, Vista, 7.

 

[signal15]

I can attest to the fact that eKeypad rocks.

 

[ddennerline]

I was thinking more along the lines of Ademco/Honeywell Color Graphic Touchscreen Keypad - 6271C (~$238). I am not a big fan of touch screen numeric keypad entry. Physical buttons have a secure (tactile) feeling that can be replicated on a touch screen. Even the newest ATM that was recently installed at my bank (and does OCR on check deposit) has a physical numeric keypad. I walk by my keypad in master bedroom all the time.

I was making this suggestion because a 5-8 line of display may cover majority of information display purposes.

1 line arm status
1 line weather inside, outside
1 line date/time
2 lines message of day​

In regards to iPhone/iTouch, buying yet another portable media controller is not an attractive option. Recently, I had to replace my cable box controller because I stepped on it.

 

[ddennerline]

I could be wrong about touchscreen keypad verses physical keypad. Apparently, this recent study indicated that both young and old users preferred touchscreen numeric keypad. Therefore, something in same class as Honeywell touchscreen would be attractive – especially if lighting control would be possible.

Min K. Chung, Dongjin Kim, Seokhee Na, Donghun Lee. Usability evaluation of numeric entry tasks on keypad type and age

 

[signal15]

I don't particularly like entering numbers on a touchscreen, or anything else for that matter. But you know what's a whole lot better than entering numbers? Fingerprint readers. Duress codes could just be a different finger.

 

[sic0048]

There is a smll security risk in using touchscreens for keypad entries IMHO - they show fingerprints and smuges when touched. It's a very small risk understandably, but you are basically giving an intruder the 4 or 6 numbers of your pin. Of course they still would have to brute force the pin - but maybe they get lucky and guess it in the first couple of trys. Of course if you have several family members regularly entering in pins, and they all use different numbers, this small risk gets even smaller because most keys would have fingerprints on them.

 

[signal15]

There is a smll security risk in using touchscreens for keypad entries IMHO - they show fingerprints and smuges when touched. It's a very small risk understandably, but you are basically giving an intruder the 4 or 6 numbers of your pin. Of course they still would have to brute force the pin - but maybe they get lucky and guess it in the first couple of trys. Of course if you have several family members regularly entering in pins, and they all use different numbers, this small risk gets even smaller because most keys would have fingerprints on them.

This is exactly the reason I make everyone have their own code. I also make sure that all of the numbers are used between all of the codes in the system. I have gotten into restricted areas while doing assessments by determining the most used buttons on a keypad and brute forcing it. Remember that if there is a 4 digit code, and you know which 4 buttons are in it, there are only 24 possible combinations. I also got into a controlled substance safe in a hospital doing this (for an assessment, not for las drugas).

That said, fingerprint scanners can be fooled also, but it's a much more involved process and requires you to lift a print from somewhere first. I always wipe my print off the fingerprint scanner when I go through a door that has one.

I've been speaking to some other people lately about authentication mechanisms for things like access control and alarm systems. I came up with an awesome idea, but I'm still trying to work out the details on exactly how it would be implemented. There is *almost* always a tradeoff between security and convenience. And if you impact convenience too much, people are going to complain (employees, wives, etc).

Back to the touchpad fingerprint smudge issue, that's easily fixable. When you display the keypad to the user, randomize the order of the numbers every time it's displayed. It requires the user to look at the thing every time, but it would make the fingerprint smudging a complete non-issue.