[twitter]When you want the best gift ideas for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day the choices are slim. Flowers and power tools and spa days and barbeques are usually the reciprocating themes. The stereotypes are served up in droves to hit the middle of the demographic bullseye. It happens.
So “Dads like gadgets and using tools!!” is a theme you will see a lot in the push to Father’s Day and, for the most part, it’s true. So here’s a Father’s Day gift idea that perfectly covers that off while being a wonderful gift for the entire family. Kind of like the time I gave my wife a vacuum for Mother’s Day.
The Best Father’s Day Gift Idea
The Weiser Kevo is a bluetooth lock for your front door. You don’t need a key anymore, you can just touch the lock and it will open. It’s genius for people who constantly put their keys in their right hand pocket, but open doors with their left while they are loaded with groceries. It’s great if your hands are full and you have kids scurrying for the door – they just touch the lock and they can get in.
Dad gets his power tool geek on installing and calibrating the Weiser Kevo, mom and family have a cool, convenient way to get in and out of the house easily.
Boom! Best Father’s Day gift idea ever.
How It Works, Installing, and Calibrating
The Weiser Kevo comes with options to suit a variety of door dimensions. I was careful to read the instructions, and watch the installation video a few times before tackling the task of taking out the old lock and installing the new one.
Now I may have overstated the ‘power tool’ part of this pitch. All you really need is a screwdriver, you may also need a hammer and piece of wood to tap in the lock mechanism. That’s it.
First unscrew your old lock and bolt. Do some measuring to figure out which new mechanism you should install, and drop it in. Because this is a bluetooth lock, you’ll need to thread some cords so the outside lock can talk to the inside bluetooth circuitry. That’s it!
After you have things installed, you then pair your iPhone with your lock to make sure you are the one who can get in and out of the house. You do this standing outside your house, at arm’s length from the door. This allows the Kevo to determine exactly where “outside” is. If you leave your phone inside, near the door, you don’t want anyone just touching your lock to get in.
This part was touchy for me when I started using it – I kept standing too close. So keep a line of sight from your phone to the lock, and stand at arm’s distance. Once I got the hang of it, it has been working seamlessly.
Other handy features include eKeys that you can email to someone. Have a babysitter you need to let in? Email them an eKey to your house and their iPhone will let them in. You can then revoke the key to send again to a spouse or friend just as easily.
The bluetooth is battery powered, so there will come a day when this handy touch entry will not work. You still have keys that will operate your Weiser Kevo in the traditional manner and let you in the house.
What You Need To Know:
– Weiser Kevo retails for $219 at a variety of retailers
– Kevo is compatible with Apple products. Android support is coming soon.
– Each Kevo comes with 2 eKeys. Additional eKeys are available online and through the mobile app for $1.99 each.
– The calibration process uses intelligent positioning technology to detect whether an authorized user is inside or outside your home.
– Kevo uses military grade PKI encryption to remain one of the industry’s leading Bluetooth locks.
– Kevo comes with SmartKey, which allows you to easily rekey your locks in three simple steps. SmartKey is bump proof and has superior pick resistance.
– There’s a complete support system to make sure your Kevo is installed correctly and is secure.