Back to the South, smart door lock "suicide" incident

If you ask who has the most profound understanding of the "return of the south wind", I vote for JJ Lin. Because he has a song, "No need to spend money if it's not trendy." Trends make people in southern cities spend a lot of "unjust money".

The return of the south wind is causing unexpected setbacks to modern human technology. In humid weather, laundry beads turn into laundry detergent; LED screens are covered with mist; and there are many examples of electronic products failing to charge or turn on.

Recently, something even more outrageous happened. Many people complained on social media that they could not go home when the weather turned south because they had changed their home door locks. Who says that human joys and sorrows are not the same? Homesickness is a small smart door lock that stopped working during the weather. I am here and my home is there.

Behind the entries, there are so many people with broken hearts｜Xiaohongshu

Smart door lock manufacturers never expected that humid weather would be the biggest test for the ever-improving door lock technology, fingerprint recognition, 3D structured light, smart networking, etc.

The water in the door lock, my tears

First of all, we need to figure out why the smart door lock doesn’t work?

There are several common ways to unlock smart door locks on the market, including fingerprint recognition, face recognition, NFC unlocking, and password unlocking . Smart door locks are designed for convenience. They free humans from the shackles of "don't forget to bring your keys when you go out." In comparison, the first two unlocking methods are the most convenient. However, they need to be equipped with related components and collect biometric information, and this is where the problem often lies.

Common fingerprint recognition modules, the top is an optical sensor, the bottom is a capacitive sensor丨utmel.com

For fingerprint unlocking, the mainstream adopts the "capacitive fingerprint recognition" solution. That is, the electrical signal generated by each press of the sensor will be converted into fingerprint data, and the system will compare it with the previously stored fingerprint data. If there is water on the surface of the finger and the sensor, the capacitance difference between the peak and valley of the fingerprint will change, causing the sensor to be unable to obtain the correct fingerprint signal. The wet sensor itself may mistakenly trigger fingerprint recognition. Even though no one has pressed it, the door lock keeps prompting that the recognition has failed.

Generally speaking, wiping off the water can avoid this situation. However, the built-in anti-theft function of the smart door lock stipulates that if the fingerprint recognition fails several times, the recognition function will be locked for a period of time.

🎵There is a kind of sadness ~ My fingerprint can't open my new house ~🎵｜A social platform

Face recognition is even more troublesome. If the air humidity is too high or water flows on the wall, it will be difficult for the camera to clearly capture the dot matrix signal sent back by the face, let alone subsequent recognition. And once water gets into the inside of the door lock, there is no way to wipe it off.

In addition to the difficulty in identification, any smart door lock also faces the possibility of water entering the mainboard, and the battery also requires conscious attention.

It was fine when I came out.

I can't go back when I return

If the smart door lock uses dry batteries, you need to be aware that it may leak in extremely humid conditions: if it is a lithium battery, check to avoid water accumulation at the contact points.

The battery inside the smart door lock may leak丨ikey168

Even without these troubles, you still need to pay attention to the battery status .

The smart door lock app will provide power estimates and reminders. However, many accidents in life are unavoidable, such as a long business trip during which the door lock runs out of power. Or, many people simply don’t think of checking the power in the app.

In this regard, the manufacturer's solution is to leave an emergency power supply interface on the outside of the door lock and use a mobile power supply to power it. You only need to test whether the power supply interface is easy to use in advance and the power requirements for the external mobile power supply. Users can also buy smart door locks with dual power supply of "lithium battery + dry battery".

Do these things well to survive the "return of the south wind"

Consider the need for waterproofing when purchasing products in advance. Some smart door locks designed for outdoor buildings and villas will consider waterproofing. As for "indoor" smart door locks, more and more manufacturers have noticed this problem, and some will even conduct condensation tests during the "return of the south wind". Dealing with humid weather is not an unsolvable problem.

Smart door locks that are tested for the air conditions of the south wind have appeared on the market

During daily use, keep the entire panel as dry as possible and check the battery compartment regularly to avoid damage caused by battery leakage or short circuit.

Also, in wet weather, simply remove the battery of the door lock. This is the best way to maintain a smart door lock that is not waterproof. At the same time, keep a spare key in case of emergency.

Planning and production

Source: Guokr (ID: Guokr42)

Author: Plath G

Editor: Yinuo

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin