OT. The Universal Key, Proximity Key for all applications Options

[Brett W]

I am a developing a new concept and need some feedback. This product could be integrated into a common device. It would use some proprietary RFID technology to to link all of your access control applications together.

For example if you live in an apartment, your Uni-Key would access the building, your specific apartment, your mail box, the gym, the elavator, etc. You could use it to access your work place, your vehicle, etc.

I know you are concerned with security as am I. All steps will be taken to insure the utmost in security.

[TonyAKAVW]

If you were going to make a chip that would be integrated into other devices like cell phones, etc., you'd need support from manufacturers. With prices of cell phone components priced to the 10ths or 100ths of a cent each, you'd be hard pressed to convince manufacturers to adopt a new technology with no installed base of compatible locks, etc. Cell phones don't exactly have much margin. Its only when you make 10 million of them that you can make money.

As others have pointed out, there are a ton of access control systems out there that do pretty much what you want, though typically with an RFID or barcode or magnetic strip rather than an embedded RFID circuit. These systems are great for a small system such as a university campus, apartment complex, etc. If you want to truly make it universal, everyone would have to adopt the same standard, meaning that the things that set one manufacturer apart form others disappears.

I also suspect that people in charge of security wouldn't like the idea of a totally standard technology because if everyone used it, it would be far more likely for hackers to defeat it. Look at Internet Explorer and Windows. So many people use it that its an attractive item to hack.

I really like the idea of a universal key system, but I think its logistically very unlikely to work well.

The challenge based system already exists as well.