Last week, on a whim, I removed the old lock at home and replaced it with a new thing – RemoteLock. The shop assistant boasted extravagantly, saying that the door could be opened with a mobile phone and there was no need to carry keys anymore! It’s quite refreshing after installation. Just press the fingerprint and it opens with a “click”. It’s cool for no more than three seconds. But then the problem arises: If my phone can open it, what about my wife’s? If she doesn’t install apps on her phone, doesn’t she have to wait for me to open the door every day? Also, my mom comes to help look after the kids from time to time. Her senior phone simply can’t hold such high-end stuff!
I quickly flipped through the manual. The words were as small as ants. I squinted my eyes and searched for a long time. It seemed to say it supports multiple users? Just as I felt a little more at ease in my heart, my hand trembled and the coffee spilled onto the instruction manual… Ok. The key page is blurry! I was so angry that I slapped my thigh. Hurry up and check the official website. The website sounds quite nice: “Easily add multiple devices, and it’s convenient for the whole family to share!” But how exactly should it be operated? Nothing said! It’s like guessing a riddle. I’m the kind of person who fears the twists and turns of researching electronic products the most. Back then, even setting up a router almost caused the network to crash.
I gritted my teeth and opened the RemoteLock APP. The interface was so fancy that it took a long time to find a button for “Family Members” or “Shared Devices” in a corner (I can’t remember clearly, the icon looked like a little person). Click in and ask me to enter my wife’s mobile phone number. After typing, a prompt popped up in the APP: “The invitation has been sent.” I waited and waited. My wife’s phone was quiet. There wasn’t any text message or push notifications at all! The APP on my side still shows “Pending Acceptance”… After waiting for nearly a quarter of an hour, the daylilies have all gone cold. My wife rolled her eyes beside me and said, “Your high-tech lock is not as reliable as the copper key in my bag!” I couldn’t bear it and could only smile dryly.
It was only later that I understood (I asked the customer service and had to wait in line for half an hour!) It turned out that she had to download the same remotelock APP on her phone first, register and log in with the phone number I invited, and only then could she receive the invitation notification in the APP! This process is really complicated! After struggling for a long time, I finally managed to add her phone. She tried and found that she could open the door with her fingerprint. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Then I wanted to add my mom, but another problem arose: she was using an elderly phone that could only make calls and send text messages. The screen was pitifully small and couldn’t install any apps at all! The move “RemoteLock” doesn’t work. The customer service representative stammered and finally said, “Either get a physical access card for my mom (you have to buy it separately!)” It’s not cheap yet! Either… Or give her a spare key? Then what am I buying this smart lock for? Is it expensive? I feel deceived.
The situation at home is a bit awkward now: My wife and I can use our phones, but when my mom comes, we still have to ring the doorbell or take out the key. What’s more annoying is that I got a new mobile phone! Does the old mobile phone have to be removed from the APP? Otherwise, how unsafe it would be. Log in to your RemoteLock account with a new phone. Hey, they actually asked for the verification code of my old phone! All the old mobile phones have been restored to factory Settings and sold. How could there still be verification codes? It was another rush to appeal to the customer service, sending my ID card and taking photos of the door lock to prove that I was the homeowner… It’s extremely troublesome. After messing around, I thought to myself, it’s possible to control these multiple devices, but why is it so difficult? The steps are as numerous as a puzzle game, and the elderly and children at home simply can’t handle it.
But then again, once when I was on a business trip, a large package was delivered to my doorstep. I was thousands of miles away. I logged into the RemoteLock web version on my office computer (I almost forgot it had this function), generated a one-time temporary password and sent it over. The delivery guy really put it in the foyer! So as not to be piled up in the corridor and stolen. This point is quite fragrant. But when I think about having to manage several mobile phones well, having to go through all the trouble for anyone to change their phone, and the problem that the elderly at home can’t use them, I feel that the convenience of “multi-device control” has been discounted by the boss. RemoteLock, oh, RemoteLock. The idea is quite good, but why is it so bumpy to use? Could we learn from others’ wechat login and just scan the code to get it done? The dog downstairs barked again. I have to go and see if my mom has come but can’t open the door…